Three lionesses lay napping on the sprawling branches of an acacia tree in the Serengeti, resembling nothing so much as a trio of extremely large house cats sharing different levels of a kitty condo. We don't normally think of lions as tree climbers, but it's a habit for some in certain areas of Uganda as well as in Tanzania, which my husband and I recently visited.
With the exception of size, the little lions lounging on your bed at home aren't that different from their wild cousins.
They all have certain common characteristics — being carnivorous, nocturnal and generally solitary (although lions are the most social of the big cats), with highly developed senses of sight and hearing. Behaviorally, cats big and small are alike in nearly every way, a scientific truth brought to life in our daily observations.
Cats love a high vantage point. While big cats don't need it for protection from predators — they are at the top of the food chain, after all — they have their reasons for preferring high perches. Scientists believe they climb trees to escape biting insects, to reach cooling breezes, perhaps to look for prey in the distance and, in the case of a multitude of lionesses we saw in treetops at Tarangire National Park, to escape the attentions of their cubs, who are as yet unable to scale the heights. Harassed mothers are the same everywhere.
Cats in general have little problem climbing trees, but lions, like house cats, aren't fans of coming back down. Cats are built for going up, thanks to claws that help to anchor them in much the same way as mountain climbing crampons. But those same claws are a liability going down, making it difficult for nonarboreal species to descend smoothly.
Lions have other anatomical features that hinder their ability to make an easy descent. Their spines are not as flexible as those of our domestic felines — perhaps the most flexible of all mammals, who can arch their back into a U shape.
A lion's large size, stiff spine and powerful forequarters are great for wrestling buffalo and wildebeest, but they're not so great for propelling the lion's body up high or for allowing control as they come down.
Leopards are tree loungers, too. Unlike the social lions, they are more typical felines: solitary and territorial. They're one of the most difficult big cats to spot because they blend in so well with the foliage of the trees, which serve not only as napping spots but also as pantries where they can stash kills until they're ready to nosh on them.
Leopards also have the benefit of being better than lions at going up and down trees. They're not as heavy and, like house cats, the anatomy of their shoulder blades allows them to maneuver more easily. They have that same mobile spine as domestic cats and they're better able than other cats to make use of their dewclaws going down.
Climbing isn't the only behavior shared by cats. Big cats use the same territorial marking techniques as domestic cats, from cheek rubbing to urine marking. Lions also engage in face rubbing, an affectionate greeting gesture that serves to reinforce social bonds.
