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Litters consist of two or three cubs that weigh about 3 pounds each. Some mothers carefully nurture the young; others may neglect or abandon them, especially when food is scarce. Usually two or more females in a pride give birth about the same time. A lioness will permit cubs other than her own to suckle, sometimes enabling a neglected infant to survive. Capable hunters by 2 years of age, lions become fully grown between 5 and 6 years and normally live about 13 years. Lions have long been killed in rituals of bravery, as hunting trophies and for their medicinal and magical powers. Although lions are now protected in many parts diving helmet of africa, they were once considered to be stock-raiding vermin and were killed on sight. in some areas, livestock thh helmet predation remains a severe problem. early written records described the giraffe as "magnificent in appearance, bizarre in form, unique diving in gait, colossal in height and inoffensive in character." a shy creature that roams widely, the cheetah is not seen as easily as some other cats. never numerous, cheetahs have become extinct in many areas, principally due to shrinking habitat, loss of species to prey upon, disease and a high rate of cub mortality. in some areas 50 to 75 helmet percent of all cheetah cubs die diving before 3 months. helmet zebras, horses and wild asses are all equids, long-lived animals that move quickly diving for their large size and have teeth built for grinding and cropping grass. zebras have horse like bodies, but their manes are made of short, erect hair, their tails are tufted at the tip and their coats are striped. three species of zebra still occur in africa, two of which are found in east africa. the most numerous and widespread species in the east is burchell''s, also known as the common or plains zebra helmet.
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