Lions; pencil
David Shepherd
Lions (pencil sketch)
Signed Limited Edition
Complete with frame and french bound mount
Edition size 495
Published Aug. 2000
Image Size 14" x 8.5"
Overall size 23" x 18"
The tail of all lions ends in a dark, hairy tuft that in some lions conceals an approximately 5 mm (0.20 in)-long, hard "spine" or 'spur' that is formed from the final, fused sections of tail bone.
The functions of the spur are unknown.
The tuft is absent at birth and develops at around 5+1/2 months of age. It is readily identifiable by the age of seven months.
Of the living felid species, the lion is rivaled only by the tiger in length, weight, and height at the shoulder.
Its skull is very similar to that of the tiger, although the frontal region is usually more depressed and flattened, and has a slightly shorter postorbital region and broader nasal openings than those of the tiger.
Due to the amount of skull variation in the two species, usually only the structure of the lower jaw can be used as a reliable indicator of species.
Skeletal muscles of the lion make up 58.8% of its body weight and represents the highest percentage of muscles among mammals.