Marozi (SciiFii)

The marozi (Panthera leo maculatus), also known as the spotted lion and the spotted mountain lion, is a subspecies of lion that was originally either an extinct race/subspecies of lion or it originally did not exist, but has since been (re)created by SciiFii and (re)introduced throughout the montane forests and open woodlands across Africa to help boost biodiversity. The marozi is one of, if not, the smallest subspecies of lions, with an average length of 1.7 meters (5.5 feet) long, not including its 84 centimeter (2.7 foot) tail, a shoulder height of between 90-105 centimeters (2.9-3.4 feet) tall, and a weight of around 100-180 kilograms (220-396 lbs). The marozi is the only known living subspecies of lion that retains its childhood spots through adulthood, which is an adaptation for living in a montane ecosystem. The marozi has leopard-like molted dark brown to black spots on its otherwise lion-like fur coloration, hence its name. The marozi is a social species, forming groups called prides. A marozi's pride consists of a few adult males, related females, and cubs. Groups of female marozis usually hunt together, preying mostly on large ungulates. The marozi is an apex and keystone predator; although some marozis scavenge when opportunities occur and have been known to hunt humans, the species typically does not actively seek out and prey on humans. It is usually more diurnal than many of the wild cats, but when persecuted, it adapts to being active at night and at twilight. Most female marozis reproduce by the time they are four years of age. Marozis do not mate at a specific time of year and the females are polyestrous. Generation length of the marozi is about seven years. The average gestation period is around 110 days; the female gives birth to a litter of between one and four cubs in a secluded den, which may be a thicket, a reed-bed, a cave, or some other sheltered area, usually away from the pride. She will often hunt alone while the cubs are still helpless, staying relatively close to the den. Marozi cubs are born blind, their eyes opening around seven days after birth. They weigh 1.2–2.1 kilograms (2.6–4.6 lbs) at birth and are almost helpless, beginning to crawl a day or two after birth and walking around three weeks of age. To avoid a buildup of scent attracting the attention of predators, the female marozi moves her cubs to a new den site several times a month, carrying them one-by-one by the nape of the neck. Usually, the mother does not integrate herself and her cubs back into the pride until the cubs are six to eight weeks old. Sometimes the introduction to pride life occurs earlier, particularly if other female marozis have given birth at about the same time. When first introduced to the rest of the pride, marozi cubs lack confidence when confronted with adults other than their mother. They soon begin to immerse themselves in the pride life, however, playing among themselves or attempting to initiate play with the adults. Female marozis with cubs of their own are more likely to be tolerant of another marozi's cubs than marozi females without cubs. Male tolerance of the cubs varies—one male could patiently let the cubs play with his tail or his mane, while another may snarl and bat the cubs away. Pride marozi females often synchronise their reproductive cycles and communal rearing and suckling of the young, which suckle indiscriminately from any or all of the nursing females in the pride. The synchronisation of births is advantageous because the cubs grow to being roughly the same size and have an equal chance of survival, and sucklings are not dominated by older cubs. Weaning occurs after six or seven months. Male marozis reach maturity at about three years of age and at four to five years are capable of challenging and displacing adult males associated with another pride. They begin to age and weaken at between 10 and 15 years of age at the latest. When one or more new males oust the previous males associated with a pride, the victors often kill any existing young cubs, perhaps because females do not become fertile and receptive until their cubs mature or die. Females often fiercely defend their cubs from a usurping male but are rarely successful unless a group of three or four mothers within a pride join forces against the male. Cubs also die from starvation and abandonment, and predation by leopards, hyenas and wild dogs. Up to 80% of marozi cubs will die before the age of two. Both male and female marozis may be ousted from prides to become nomads, although most females usually remain with their birth pride. When a pride becomes too large, however, the youngest generation of female cubs may be forced to leave to find their own territory. When a new male marozi takes over a pride, adolescents both male and female may be evicted. The conservation status of the marozi is Critically Endangered due to habitat loss and poaching, however, thanks to the conservationists, the marozi is a protected species.