Do lions drink water? Water is life; without it in the body, there isn’t life. It’s true that lions do drink water because they also need it in their anatomy to maintain their digestion, though they can survive for days without it since they can extract fluids from the blood of their prey.
Here are the important roles water plays in a lion’s body:
- Keeps their body at a relatively stable temperature.
- Helps keep the body cool through the production and evaporation of sweat.
- Water is necessary for digestion and the absorption of food.
- Aids in the hydrolysis of nutrients like carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.
The sources of water that sustain lions include:
- Waterholes: Lions move during dry seasons in search of places where they can find water. They also follow large animals during droughts because where they gather, there is usually a water source. This way, lions obtain water while also securing a food source.
- Plants: Lions can also derive water from plants, such as the Tsamma melon, during periods of water scarcity. The savanna habitats of these animals are typically dry and receive little rainfall, so lions rely on the stored water in leaves.
- Running Streams: Many animals, including lions, drink from streams like rivers, lakes, and swamps when they are present in a given national park.
Examples of water sources in different National Parks include: Kazinga Channel, Lake Edward, Lake George, and River Ishasha in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
This park is the second largest in Uganda and home to a wide variety of wildlife species, such as climbing lions, leopards, giraffes, antelopes, zebras, buffaloes, elephants, rhinos, and many others.
It also hosts around 600 bird species, including the secretary bird, African eagle, handsome francolin, African jacana, grey-crowned crane, Goliath heron, to name a few.
The area where Queen Elizabeth National Park is located was previously a grazing ground for local Basongora pastoralists.
However, they migrated due to cattle raids originating from the Bunyoro and Buganda kingdoms.
As the local society couldn’t recover from these conflicts, some people moved away while others remained and turned to fishing.
This shift created space for the growth of vegetation and eventually led to the establishment of a national park.
The Crocodile, Sabie, Sand, Olifants, Letaba, and Shingwedzi rivers are found in Kruger National Park in South Africa. Kruger became a national park in 1926 through the National Park Act, combining the Sabie and Shingwedzi game reserves.
The park is known for its diverse flora and fauna, boasting 3,414 species. It’s also famous for the “big five,” making it popular among birdwatchers and allowing wildlife to move freely in and out of neighboring game reserves.
The Mbalageti, Grumeti, and Mara rivers are found in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, flowing west to Lake Victoria. The park has a rich history as it was once occupied by Australopithecus afarensis (human ancestors) and is one of the oldest national parks in Africa.
Today, it’s home to one of the seven wonders of the world and is a UNESCO Heritage site. The park hosts over 1.7 million wildebeests that obtain water from water bodies within the park.
In truth, lions cannot live without water, so water is a crucial factor not only for humans but also for lions.
