Functions of Life 

Simple Case Study

You are going to study an organism of your interest and discuss how the specific
organism performs each of the characteristics/functions of life.
Name of Organism: lion
Scientific Name: Panthera leo

Functions of
How the organism performs the characteristics/functions of life
Life
The lion is a species in the family Felidae and a member of the genus
Panthera. It has a muscular, deep-chested body, short, rounded head, round
ears, and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adult male
Organization lions have a prominent mane. With a typical head-to-body length of 184–208
cm (72–82 in) they are larger than females at 160–184 cm (63–72 in). It is a
social species, forming groups called prides. A lion pride consists of a few
adult males, related females and cubs.
Lions spend much of their time resting; they are inactive for about 20 hours
per day.[83] Although lions can be active at any time, their activity generally
peaks after dusk with a period of socializing, grooming and defecating.
Intermittent bursts of activity continue until dawn, when hunting most often
Metabolism takes place. They spend an average of two hours a day walking and 50
minutes eating.
They spend between 16 and 20 hours each day resting and sleeping. They
have few sweat glands so they wisely tend to conserve their energy by resting
during the day and become more active at night when it is cooler.

Movement

Lion cubs begins to crawl a day or two after birth and walking around three
Development weeks of age. The lion babies start to eat meat at about three months and are
weaned at about six months.
Lion cubs emerge completely blind and covered with thick fur with dark spots
that disappear as they age. Newborn cubs are dependent on their mothers and
Growth
remain in their care for approximately two years until their hunting skills are
achieved. Cubs become fully growth after 3-4 years.
Responsive In a hot climate, they will seek a swim or the comfort of the shade. They also
have a thick coat of golden fur to help them blend in with the golden plains.
This makes them well camouflaged and they are not noticed until the last
moment when hunting.
Night vision - lions have a set of eyes that can see clearly at night. This means
lions are able to spot prey in the dark and use the darkness to their advantage
when hunting
 Powerful paws and sharp claws - the lion uses its powerful paws and sharp
claws to get a hold of its prey. The claws immediately sink into prey when
impact is made during hunting
Loose belly skin - the loose belly skin on lions help guard them against harm
when prey tries to inflict injury through their kicks or horns
Both sexes are polygamous and breed throughout the year, but females are
usually restricted to the one or two adult males of their pride. In captivity
lions often breed every year, but in the wild they usually breed no more than
once in two years. Females are receptive to mating for three or four days
within a widely variable reproductive cycle. During this time a pair generally
Reproduction
mates every 20–30 minutes, with up to 50 copulations per 24 hours. Such
extended copulation not only stimulates ovulation in the female but also
secures paternity for the male by excluding other males. The gestation period
is about 108 days, and the litter size varies from one to six cubs, two to four
being usual.