The Lion has long been considered the embodiment of the term “alpha male” in the animal kingdom. For thousands of years in human culture, the lion has been considered a truly iconic animal with strong associations with dominance and strength. Expressions like “the lion's share” and “lion's heart” have become part of our everyday language and convey a certain level of power. Looking back in history to the time of the Egyptian pharaohs, the bodies of sphinxes were built to resemble that of a lion. Stone lions are commonly built and tower over things like castles and battlefields as a symbol of protection and strength. Due to his intimidating size and ferocious appearance he was given the nickname "The King of the Jungle". Lions belong to the Panthera Leo species and belong to the Felidae family and the Pantherinae subfamily (Grzimek, 2004). Lions are also considered one of the “four big cats” of the genus Panthera and are considered second in size and length only to the tiger (Grzimek, 2004). Physical Characteristics Lions can grow between 62 and 100 inches (5-8 feet) long. and approx...