Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa, often referred to as "Africa in miniature" for its geological, linguistic, and cultural diversity. Its natural features include beaches, deserts, mountains, rainforests, and savannas. Among its rich biodiversity, the closest thing Cameroon has to a national animal is the lion.
The flag of Cameroon was adopted in 1975 and displays the traditional Pan-African colors of green, red, and yellow.
Protecting Cameroon's Rare Lions | Lion Recovery Fund
Conservationists in the central African country of Cameroon are trying to save the rare animals that lend their name to the national football team, the Indomitable Lions.
The lion (Panthera leo) is a large cat of the genus Panthera, currently found only in Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the tip of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adult male lions are larger than females and have a prominent mane. It is a social species, forming groups called prides.
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A lion's pride consists of a few adult males, related females, and cubs. Groups of female lions usually hunt together, preying mostly on medium-sized and large ungulates. The lion inhabits grasslands, savannahs, and shrublands. It is usually more diurnal than other wild cats, but when persecuted, it adapts to being active at night and at twilight.
One of the most widely recognised animal symbols in human culture, the lion has been extensively depicted in sculptures and paintings, on national flags, and in literature and films. Lions have been kept in menageries since the time of the Roman Empire and have been a key species sought for exhibition in zoological gardens across the world since the late 18th century.
The English word lion is derived via Anglo-Norman liun from Latin leōnem (nominative: leō), which in turn was a borrowing from Ancient Greek λέων léōn.
Second, only to tigers in size among the big cats, male lions grow to 2.1 meters (7 feet) in length and weigh up to 230kg (500 lbs). Females, or lionesses, are smaller and weigh up to 180kg (396 lbs). Lions have short coats that range in color from buff-yellow, orange-brown to dark brown with a darker tuft on the tips of their tails.
Lions are social animals who live in groups called prides, consisting of one - three males, a dozen or more lionesses who are mostly related, and the young. The lionesses are the hunters for the group, with the large male serving as the protector of the pride and its territory. Lions are masters of the ambush attack and are among the most patient of animals who lie in stealth until the right moment to pounce.
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The lion, as a top predator in the savanna, regulates the population size of prey, controlling pressure on photosynthetic plants which are essential for life," he says, adding that camera traps and tracking collars allow the monitoring of lion and prey populations, helping park authorities to reduce pressures from habitat fragmentation and nomadic livestock.
"Our biggest challenge is to secure a sustainable source of funding and involve all stakeholders: we hope to one day attract the attention of our national football team, The Indomitable Lions!"
Cameroon’s emblematic fauna includes elephants, chimpanzees, lions, leopards, giraffes, hippos, crocodiles and black mambas. P. l. P. l.
The African elephant, Cameroon’s national animal, symbolizes strength and endurance. Both forest and savanna elephants roam the country’s reserves, illustrating its ecological variety. Conservation programs aim to protect these herds while supporting sustainable tourism.
Located along the coast of West Africa, Cameroon is a mid-sized country, about 70% as large as Texas, with a complex ecosystem of savannas, tropical forests, coastal mangroves, deserts, and mountainous terrain, the highest point of which is Mount Cameroon.
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The tropical forests of Cameroon are a vital part of the Congo Basin ecosystem and provide a source of livelihood for communities and habitats for over 9,000 plant species, 900 bird species, and around 320 mammals including the endangered western lowland gorilla and chimpanzee. There are more than 200 ethnic groups living in Cameroon, the oldest inhabitants being the Pygmies, who live in small hunting bands in the southern forests.
African lions live in scattered populations across sub-Saharan Africa. The lion prefers grassy plains and savannahs, scrub bordering rivers, and open woodlands with bushes. It rarely enters closed forests. On Mount Elgon, the lion has been recorded up to an elevation of 3,600 m (11,800 ft) and close to the snow line on Mount Kenya.
Savannahs with an annual rainfall of 300 to 1,500 mm (12 to 59 in) make up the majority of lion habitat in Africa, estimated at 3,390,821 km2 (1,309,203 sq mi) at most, but remnant populations are also present in tropical moist forests in West Africa and montane forests in East Africa.
Lions spend much of their time resting; they are inactive for about twenty hours per day.[93] Although lions can be active at any time, their activity generally peaks after dusk with a period of socialising, grooming, and defecating. Intermittent bursts of activity continue until dawn, when hunting most often takes place.
The lion is the most social of all wild felid species, living in groups of related individuals with their offspring. Such a group is called a "pride". Groups of male lions are called "coalitions".[95] Females form the stable social unit in a pride and do not tolerate outside females.
The majority of females remain in their birth prides while all males and some females disperse. The average pride consists of around 15 lions, including several adult females and up to four males and their cubs of both sexes. Nomadic lions range widely and move around sporadically, either in pairs or alone.
The lion is a generalist hypercarnivore and is considered to be both an apex and keystone predator due to its wide prey spectrum. Its prey consists mainly of medium-sized to large ungulates, particularly blue wildebeest, plains zebra, African buffalo, gemsbok and giraffe.
Young lions first display stalking behaviour at around three months of age, although they do not participate in hunting until they are almost a year old and begin to hunt effectively when nearing the age of two. Single lions are capable of bringing down zebra and wildebeest, while larger prey like buffalo and giraffe are riskier.
In typical group hunts, each lioness has a favoured position in the group, either stalking prey on the "wing", then attacking, or moving a smaller distance in the centre of the group and capturing prey fleeing from other lionesses.
Lions typically consume prey at the location of the hunt but sometimes drag large prey into cover. They tend to squabble over kills, particularly the males. Cubs suffer most when food is scarce but otherwise all pride members eat their fill, including old and crippled lions, which can live on leftovers.
There are more than 20 protected reserves comprising national parks, zoos, forest reserves, and sanctuaries. The protected areas were first created in the northern region under the colonial administration in 1932; the first two reserves established were Mozogo Gokoro Reserve
The Campo Ma’an National Park in the southwest is a biodiversity hotspot, with a wide range of plant and animal species including elephants, hippos, leopards, and plenty of primates. The Dja Faunal Reserve (a UNESCO World Heritage site), is one of the largest and best-protected rainforests in Africa, with 90% of its area undisturbed. The area is almost completely surrounded by the natural boundary of the Dja River and is noted for its biodiversity and wide range of primates.
Cameroon’s wildlife stands among the most diverse in Africa, shaped by its forests, savannas and coastline. Elephants, gorillas and other emblematic species inhabit a mix of Central and West African habitats. National parks and nature reserves highlight its role as a crossroads of ecosystems.
A 2015 study of the Bénoué complex in Cameroon, which contains the national parks of Faro, Bénoué and Bouba Ndjida and covers an area a third the size of Wales, estimated that there was only 250 lions remaining there.
The lions in Cameroon are different from those in southern or eastern Africa: they have a generally lighter build and the mane of the male lions grow in later and are shorter, so can be mistaken as female lions from a distance.
Serge Alexis Kamgang, a conservation biologist and BEDD, a biodiversity conservation NGO in Cameroon, has been working in the area since 2009 and leads the only lion conservation project there, building a community-based conservation approach to ensure a sustainable and peaceful human-wildlife coexistence.
In April 2023, UK charity Whitley Fund for Nature honored Kamgang with a Whitley Award, which will be used to train 45 park guards and 6 community lion guards, with the aim of monitoring lion and cattle movements, and reduce human-lion conflict.
Other Notable Animals in Cameroon
While the lion is a prominent symbol, Cameroon boasts a variety of other significant wildlife:
- African Elephant: The largest land mammal, inhabiting savannas, forests, and wetlands.
- Hippopotamus: A massive semiaquatic herbivore found in rivers and lakes.
- Chimpanzee: An intelligent great ape, sharing over 98% of human DNA.
- African Forest Elephant: A smaller elephant adapted to the dense rainforests.
- Leopard: An adaptable big cat skilled at hoisting prey into trees.
- Buffalo: A powerful bovid living in large herds.
- Nile Crocodile: A powerful predator of African rivers and lakes.
However, there are also dangerous animals in Cameroon. Elephants and hippos cause most incidents, while black mambas and crocodiles are common hazards near rivers. Awareness and guided visits ensure safe experiences in both inland and coastal regions.
Subspecies of Lions
In the 19th and 20th centuries, several lion type specimens were described and proposed as subspecies, with about a dozen recognised as valid taxa until 2017. Between 2008 and 2016, IUCN Red List assessors used only two subspecific names: P. l. leo for African lion populations, and P. l. persica for the Asiatic lion population.
- P. l. leo (Linnaeus, 1758) − the nominate lion subspecies includes the Asiatic lion, the regionally extinct Barbary lion, and lion populations in West and northern parts of Central Africa.
- P. l. melanochaita (Smith, 1842) − includes the extinct Cape lion and lion populations in East and Southern African regions.
However, there seems to be some degree of overlap between both groups in northern Central Africa. DNA analysis from a more recent study indicates that Central African lions are derived from both northern and southern lions, as they cluster with P. leo leo in mtDNA-based phylogenies whereas their genomic DNA indicates a closer relationship with P.
Evolution
P. fossilis was larger than the modern lion and lived in the Middle Pleistocene. P. spelaea, or the cave lion, lived in Eurasia and Beringia during the Late Pleistocene. It became extinct due to climate warming or human expansion latest by 11,900 years ago.
The modern lion was probably widely distributed in Africa during the Middle Pleistocene and started to diverge in sub-Saharan Africa during the Late Pleistocene. Lion populations in East and Southern Africa became separated from populations in West and North Africa when the equatorial rainforest expanded 183,500 to 81,800 years ago.
Physical Characteristics
The lion is a muscular, broad-chested cat with a short, rounded head, a reduced neck, and round ears; males have broader heads. The fur varies in colour from light buff to silvery grey, yellowish red, and dark brown. The colours of the underparts are generally lighter.
The male lion's mane is the most recognisable feature of the species. It may have evolved around 320,000-190,000 years ago. It grows downwards and backwards, covering most of the head, neck, shoulders, and chest. This feature likely evolved to signal the fitness of males to females.
The white lion is a rare morph with a genetic condition called leucism, which is caused by a double recessive allele. It is not albino; it has normal pigmentation in the eyes and skin. White lions have occasionally been encountered in and around Kruger National Park and the adjacent Timbavati Private Game Reserve in eastern South Africa.
Diet and Hunting Behavior
The lion is a generalist hypercarnivore and is considered to be both an apex and keystone predator due to its wide prey spectrum. Its prey consists mainly of medium-sized to large ungulates, particularly blue wildebeest, plains zebra, African buffalo, gemsbok and giraffe.
Lions are not particularly known for their stamina. For instance, a lioness's heart comprises only 0.57% of her body weight and a male's is about 0.45% of his body weight, whereas a hyena's heart comprises almost 1% of its body weight. Thus, lions run quickly only in short bursts at about 48-59 km/h (30-37 mph) and need to be close to their prey before starting the attack.
They take advantage of factors that reduce visibility; many kills take place near some form of cover or at night. One study in 2018 recorded a lion running at a top speed of 74.1 km/h (46.0 mph).
Conservation Status
It has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1996 because populations in African countries have declined by about 43% since the early 1990s. Lion populations are untenable outside designated protected areas.
The following table summarizes the conservation status of some key animals in Cameroon:
| Animal | Conservation Status |
|---|---|
| Lion | Vulnerable |
| African Elephant | Endangered |
| African Forest Elephant | Critically Endangered |
| Chimpanzee | Endangered |
| Western Lowland Gorilla | Critically Endangered |
Conserving Cameroon's wildlife requires continued efforts to protect their habitats, combat poaching, and promote sustainable coexistence between humans and animals.
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