Lions and leopards at the Gir National Park don’t usually get on.

“They compete with each other” for space and food, said Stotra Chakrabarti, a researcher who studies animal behaviour. “They are at perpetual odds.”

And until recently, this statement wouldn’t have been questioned. But one particular lion, against all odds, broke the barrier when she adopted a baby leopard, writes Joe Kahlo from kingdomstv.com

This very rare case of interspecies adoption involves a sick baby leopard who was taken in by a lioness who cared for him as if he were her own.

Stotra explained that usually, these animals compete for space and food, however, unexpectedly, the lioness defied the rules and took pity on a sick two-month-old leopard cub.
The adorable young pup was nursed for weeks by the mother lioness, who did her best to feed and care for him until he, unfortunately, passed away,

The lioness even had two cubs of her own, regardless of this she treated the poor baby leopard as if he were one of the family.

Initially, observers believed that this association would only last a day or two, “but this went on,” Dr Chakrabarti said.

But this went on for a month and a half. “The lioness took care of him like one of her own,” nursing him and sharing meat that she hunted,” Dr Chakrabarti continued.

“His new siblings, too, were welcoming, playing with their spotty new pal and occasionally following him up trees. In one photo, the leopard pounces on the head of one of his adoptive brothers, who is almost twice his size and clearly a good sport.

It looked like two big cubs and one tiny runt of the litter.

The postdoctoral researcher, who has been studying the park’s lions for nearly seven years, said the adoption was ‘was surely the most ‘wow’ moment’ he’d witnessed.

Dr Chakrabarti reckons the lioness wouldn’t have been as welcoming to the baby leopard if theere were more adult lions around.

Sadly though, the who relationship was over after around a month and a half when the leopard’s body was found near a watering hole. After some investigation, it was revealed he most likely died because of a hernia he had since birth.

Chakrabarti commented on the disappointing turn of events, saying:

It would have been fantastic to see, when the leopard cub grew up, how things would be. But it didn’t happen.

What an amazing story!

Originally appeared on: theepochtimes.com

What five characteristics do all animals have in common?

In the following slides, we’ll explore the basic characteristics shared by all (or at least most) animals, from snails and zebras to mongooses and sea anemones: multicellularity, eukaryotic cell structure, specialized tissues, sexual reproduction, a blastula stage of development, motility, heterotrophy and possession …

What characteristics do all animals have in common quizlet?

The six characteristics that all organisms in the animal kingdom share are: they are multicellular, almost all can move, their cells have no cell wall, they have to hunt for their own food (consumers), they are eukaryotic, reproduce sexually-when two cells join to form off spring and their cells lack chloroplasts.

What 4 characteristics do all animals share?

Most animals share these characteristics: sensory organs, movement, and internal digestion. All of them are illustrated in Figure below. Animals can detect environmental stimuli, such as light, sound, and touch. Stimuli are detected by sensory nerve cells.

What are the 7 characteristics of all animals?

These are the seven characteristics of living organisms.

1 Nutrition. Living things take in materials from their surroundings that they use for growth or to provide energy.
2 Respiration.
3 Movement.
4 Excretion.
5 Growth.
6 Reproduction.
7 Sensitivity.

What are the 6 characteristics common to all animals?

They are as follows:

All animals are made up of cells that do not have cell walls.
All animals are multicellular organisms.
Most animals reproduce sexually.
All animals are capable of self-propelled motion at some point in their lives.
All animals are heterotrophic and must consume other organisms for energy.

What protein do all animals have in common?

The exctracellular protein collagen (making the most abundant extracellular protein in animals) which is required in multicellular organisms to keep the cells together, which is exclusive to animals. Most enzymes responsible for metabolic pathways.

What are the 3 characteristics of animals?

Characteristics of Animals

Animals are multicellular organisms.
Animals are eukaryotic.
Animals are heterotrophic.
Animals are generally motile.
Animals possess specialized sensory organs such as eyes, ears, nose, skin, and tongue.
Animals reproduce sexually.

What are the basic characteristics of all animals?

What do all animals have in common with each other?

Sexual reproduction is another characteristic shared by most, but not all, animals. Regardless of species, all animals share multicellularity, which means their bodies consist of multiple cells. This sets animals apart from organisms, such as single-celled algae, fungi, bacteria and other basic life forms.

What do plants and animals have in common?

Most plants are also multicellular, so although this is a characteristic shared by all animals, it is not one unique to animals.Every animal on the planet is a eukaryote. A eukaryote is an organism that consists of cells that have membrane-bound nuclei and organelles.

What are the characteristics of the animal kingdom?

All animals are eukaryotic, multicellular organisms, and most animals have complex tissue structure with differentiated and specialized tissue. Animals are heterotrophs; they must consume living or dead organisms since they cannot synthesize their own food and can be carnivores, herbivores, omnivores, or parasites.