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Pckts · 08-21-2016, 01:53 AM

(08-21-2016, 12:49 AM)Polar Wrote: Both of you are correct in your assumptions. Some lions have managed to successfully adapt to the Congo rainforests (aren't jungles and rainforests the same?).

Like Pckts said, lions can certainly adapt to rainforested environments, yet not in huge numbers.

Jungle vs Rain forest

Though jungle and rainforest might appear to be similar, there are differences between the two. A rainforest area is often surrounded by a jungle, with the primary difference being that a rainforest has a very thick canopy of tall trees, which make it very difficult for light to penetrate to the ground level making it difficult for plants to flourish. A jungle floor on the other hand will usually have a thick undergrowth of plants and vegetation.

Jungles are sometimes artificially created. IfÂ part of a rainforest is cleared, the remaining trees will let in more light towards the forest floor, thus encouraging growth of vegetation, and thereby making a jungle out of a former rainforest. Another difference is in aÂ cultural sense. Forests in the Indian sub-continent have always been known as jungles, whereas the rainforests have really been identified with the Amazonian basin in Brazil.
The word jungle is taken from the Hindi language, and as such its association is really with the rich and varied flora and fauna of India and its surrounding countries. Rainforests on the other hand straddle the equatorial belt and can be found in South America, the Congo basin of Africa and South East Asia.

Another difference lies in the importance of tropical rainforests to the ecological health of the earth, which is immense. In comparison, jungles have a relatively minor impact. And also unlike a jungle a tropical rain forest has distinct layers. There is an upper canopy consisting of trees that are between 60 and 130 feet high. This is where most of the animals live. Then there is the lower canopy consisting of trees 60 feet high. Hardly any light reaches here and the level of humidity is very high. Lastly, there is the ground level which has very little vegetation and one can easily walk around. About 80% of the world’s insect species live over here.
Thus we see that even though jungle and rainforest are terms often used interchangeably, there are quite a few differences between the two.
Summary:
1.A rainforest has a very thick canopy of tall trees, making it very difficult for light to penetrate to the ground level which makes it difficult for plants to flourish. A jungle floor on the other hand will usually have a thick undergrowth of plants and vegetation.
2.IfÂ part of a rainforest is cleared, the remaining trees will let in more light towards the forest floor, thus encouraging growth of vegetation, and thereby making a jungle out of a former rainforest.
3.Forests in the Indian sub-continent have always been known as jungles, whereas the rainforests have really been identified with the Amazonian basin in Brazil.
4.Another difference lies in the importance of tropical rainforests to the ecological health of the earth, which is immense. In comparison, jungles have a relatively minor impact.

Read more: Difference Between Jungle and Rainforest | Difference Between http://www.differencebetween.net/science/nature/difference-between-jungle-and-rainforest/#ixzz4HuHI41Yq

There are many different types of Forests,
Rain forest, Deciduous, Coniferous and Taiga

The Congo is mostly Rain forest and the Basin spans across 6 countries. "Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon."

A male lion was recently spotted in Gabon for the first time in 20 years, thought to have gotten there from the Republic of Congo.

"
A lion has been spotted in Gabon for the first time in nearly 20 years, raising hopes the animals long feared extinct in the country could be returning, conservationists said on Thursday.

Lions used to roam Central Africa in their hundreds in the middle of the last century. But the population has fallen sharply due to poaching and loss of habitat."

"Hidden cameras planted as part of a chimpanzee study in southeastern Gabon's Bateke Plateau have captured on tape a single male lion three times since January, said Dr. Philipp Henschel, Lion Program Survey Coordinator for campaign group Panthera.

"I couldn't believe it. As soon as I could, I went there to set up more cameras," he told Reuters by phone from Libreville, adding that a new study was being launched in the hope of finding more of the big cats.

Lions are known to live a few hundred kilometers (miles) away in Democratic Republic of Congo and Henschel said the animal could have swum across the Congo river, one of the world's largest, and traveled over to Gabon's savannah."

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-gabon-...I720150312

The lion sub species is the The Northeast Congo Lion (Panthera Leo Azandica)
Transcript of Northeast Congo Lion
History
The Northeast Congo Lion has been around since 120,000 years ago, which was when scientists estimated that the lion subspecies had diverged from a common ancestor. They now live in the Congo, but it is unlikely that they had originated there.
Northeast Congo Lion
(Panthera Leo Azandica)
Coloring
As with other subspecies of lion, these lions are typically one solid color; a light brown, or a form of goldish yellow. The coloring gets lighter as it descends from their back to their feet. Male's manes are a darker shade of gold or brown, and their mane is noticeable thicker and longer than the rest of the fur on their body.

"Basic Facts About Congo Lions." Defenders of Wildlife. N.p., 20 Mar. 2012. Web. 28 Nov. 2015.

Bradford, Alina. "Lions: Facts & Information." LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 02 Oct. 2014. Web. 28 Nov. 2015.

The whole point of the original debate was if lions could live in the forest of the Congo, my stance remains unchanged. I see no reason why they can't since they already have for thousands of years, do they prefer it over an open Savannah, probably not. But that certainly doesn't mean they haven't thrived there, which they have. Probably using the forest as a stopping point in search of prey or new territory. The male they spotted wasn't suppose to be seen, they were viewing chimps in the forest, yet the male was seen numerous times, never in the open Savannah btw, only in the forest of Gabon.

I don't like to speak in absolutes when discussing big cats, most people would say tigers only hunt under the cover of trees or lions only hunt in open plains but we know that isn't true. Their habitat usually has multiple biotypes and sometimes that will bring them into unusual situations, I've seen tigers hunt completely out in the open and lions hunt in dense brush or forests, it's just the way of things. I certainly don't think a tiger is only equipped for forest life while a lion is only equipped for open plains, they both are equally equipped to survive in either landscape but do they prefer it is the real question.
Of course they prefer the places they are most comfortable but that doesn't mean that they are locked there.

Lions in the Congo