Day 2 cont
I looked down at the ground, not knowing what to tell them.
There is nothing to say in the first place.
"I don't know; it's just nothing special," I answer nervously.
I secretly peeked a glance at him and saw that he was still sitting there, but another instructor has joined him now.
"Come on, tell us," Nina says with so much enthusiasm.
"Well, we just met at college; he saw me, he liked me, and then we got married," I say as quickly as possible, dreading all the lies coming out of my mouth.
But it wasn't completely a lie, you see.
"What about you? When did you start liking him?" her friend asks.
Oh my Lord! What am I going to do with these people?
I'm not good at lying, and if they keep going on like that, it will only be a matter of time before they catch up to my lies.
"Lion," I cry out.
"Lion, what does that have to do with your love?" Nina asks.
"No, Lion," I call out again.
Just then, the roar of the lion came, diverting everyone's attention to it.
I can see panic in many people's eyes, even though the lion was a little farther from us.
I even doubt that he has even noticed us.
"Alright everyone, do not panic, or else you'll divert the lion's attention over to you." Professor Abraham spoke quickly and calmly.
He seems pretty calm in a situation like this.
That made the students all go back to their respective activities.
"Can we go touch the lion?" I ask, feeling elated.
Anything feline is my kind of gig, you know.
"No, definitely not," he was quick to answer back.
Ohhh! That was the only reason I was so eager to come here in the first place. I heard that they let people pet some of the lions, but I guess that's not happening now.
'I'm sure you want to know more about the lion, right?" he asks.
"Yes, sir," most of the students echo.
"Well, I guess break time is over then," he says.
'The lion, which we scientifically know as Panthera leo, is a large cat of the genus Panthera, and they are native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body, a short, rounded head, round ears, and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail," he began.
"It is sexually dimorphic, meaning the adult male lions are larger than females and have a prominent mane, just like this one," he said, pointing at the lion.
They have now become two, and the other one is a female.
Awwn! Such adorable creatures.
"The lion inhabits grasslands, savannas, and shrublands; it is usually more diurnal than other wild cats, but when persecuted, it adapts to being active at night and at twilight," he says.
"Now who can tell me the meaning of diurnal?" he says.
A student raised his hand just as I raised mine.
I guess he didn't see the other student's hand as he chose me.
"Diurnal means being active during the day and inactive at night," I answer.
"Correct," he says, smiling at me.
"Way to go, girl, you are truly the professor's wife," Nina nudges at my shoulder.
"So, do you guys like to talk all about science and nature when doing it?" she whispers.
"Doing what?" I ask, confused.
"Come on, you know what I'm talking about," she says.
"I don't," I insist.
"Well, you know, when you are having..."
"No," I was quick to answer.
"You are blushing," she says.
"Can't you concentrate? We are having a lecture here," I say, trying to change the subject.
"Ok, as you say, Prof's wife," she says and giggles.
Just the thought of sharing the same bed with with man is unbearable let alone sleep with him.
Yukk!!!
Not that he isn't hot or something.
Any lady would be willing to get down with him, even at this age.
"Several adult females (one dominant), a number of sub-adults and cubs, and typically males, may hold territory of between 20 and 400 square kilometers, within which are several prides of females." I continue listening.
I'm sure I've missed a lot.
"In the Maasai Mara, females do most of the hunting, helped by males in taking down large animals; they favor wildebeest and zebra, but outside of the annual'migration', they have often been seen taking on other prey, including buffalo and warthogs, and because of their high metabolism, they sleep about 20 hours a day, and kills are sometimes made at night," he continues.
"I'm sure these two might be hunting, even though I can't see a prey close by," he says, looking over at them once again.
Maybe we are the prey.
"Lion cubs are born blind and their eyes open around seven days after birth; they weigh 1.2–2.1 kg at birth and are almost helpless, beginning to crawl a day or two after birth and walking around three weeks of age."
"The female estrus cycle lasts about 4 days, copulations average 20 seconds, and only 1 in 5 cycles ever produces up to, on average, 3 cubs after 3 and a half months of gestation. Male cubs are ousted from the pride between 2 and 3 and a half years old, whereas female cubs may stay indefinitely. The cubs are weaned between 7 and 8 months old, and up until this age, they are allo-suckled by any lioness, and they also have a longevity of about 14–20 years."
"Lion cubs are also born with blue eyes that change to amber or brown around the age of two to three months," he adds.
"Lions have one of the most complex communication behaviors of any of the cats, as they can make a variety of calls, which include roars, grunts, moans, growls, snarls, meows, purrs, hums, puffs, and woofs," he keeps on listing.
"Lions are the loudest of any big cat and can be heard up to 8km away. Lions roar for a number of reasons, from advertising territorial ownership and intimidating rivals to locating other members of the pride and assisting in social cohesion. Another advantage to roaring is that female lions can compare the roar of a male who belongs in their pride to that of an outsider, as this helps the females keep a safe distance from outsiders who would most likely try to harm their cubs."
"I'm sure I might have mentioned this before, but I will again. The lion is a muscular, broad-chested cat with a short, rounded head, a reduced neck, and round ears, and its fur varies in color from light buff to silvery grey, yellowish red, and dark brown, while the colors of the underparts are generally lighter."
"A new-born lion has dark spots, which fade as the cub reaches adulthood. Although faint spots may still be seen on the legs and underparts, the lion is the only member of the cat family that displays obvious sexual dimorphism, where males have broader heads and a prominent mane that grows downwards and backwards, covering most of the head, neck, shoulders, and chest. The mane is typically brownish and tinged with yellow, rust, and black hairs."
"The tail of all lions ends in a dark, hairy tuft that, in some lions, conceals an approximately 5 mm-long, hard spine or spur that is formed from the final, fused sections of tail bone. The functions of the spur are unknown, yet the tuft is absent at birth and develops at around 5 and a half months of age, and it is readily identifiable by the age of seven months."
"Of the living felid species, the lion is rivaled only by the tiger in length, weight, and height at the shoulder; its skull is very similar to that of the tiger, although the frontal region is usually more depressed and flattened, and it has a slightly shorter post-orbital region and broader nasal openings than those of the tiger. Due to the amount of skull variation in the two species, usually only the structure of the lower jaw can be used as a reliable indicator of species," he says.
'The skeletal muscles of the lion make up 58.8% of its body weight and represent the highest percentage of muscles among mammals."
Fascinating. If I liked lions before, now I love them.
"The male lion's mane is the most recognizable feature of the species; it is said to have evolved around 320,000–190,000 years ago. It starts growing when lions are about a year old. Mane color varies and darkens with age, and many research studies show its color and size are influenced by environmental factors such as average ambient temperature. Mane length apparently signals fighting success in male-male relationships. Darker-maned individuals may have longer reproductive lives and higher offspring survival, although they suffer in the hottest months of the year."
"The presence, absence, color, and size of the mane are associated with genetic preconditions, sexual maturity, climate, and testosterone production; the rule of thumb is that a darker, fuller mane indicates a healthier animal."
"Lions spend much of their time resting; they are inactive for about twenty hours per day. 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 takes place, and they spend an average of two hours a day walking and fifty minutes eating."
"The official estimate for the number of lions living in Kenya has increased 25% to 2,489; according to the Kenyan government, the figure, up from 2,000, follows a national survey and the release of a National Recovery and Action Plan for Lions and Spotted Hyena in Kenya from 2020 to 2030."
"And..."
Before he could finish speaking, the rain started pouring out of nowhere.