Lions are considered the kings of the jungle, but have you ever wondered what gives them that majestic appearance? One distinctive feature is their eyes – fierce, focused, and often amber, brown or greenish-yellow in color. But why do lions have these eye colors and what purpose do they serve?
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: Lion eyes are usually amber, brown, or greenish-yellow. Their eye color helps them see well in low light conditions when hunting.
The Role of Eye Color in Lions
Enhanced vision
Lions have amber or orange-brown colored eyes which allow them to see well during the day and at night. Their eyes contain a reflective layer called the tapetum lucidum which amplifies dim light, helping lions hunt prey even after sunset when light levels are 6 times lower.
This layer causes their eyes to glow in the dark.
A lion’s eyes also have exceptional dynamic range, meaning they can adapt to changing brightness levels better than human eyes. Lions can scan open plains during daylight hours to spot prey from over a mile away, then shift to night vision after dark by opening their pupils wide to let in more light.
Their angular-shaped pupils also help lions judge distances accurately.According to wildlife experts, a lion’s forward-facing eyes give it binocular vision with a 50-degree field of view for precise depth perception when hunting.
And unlike humans, each of a lion’s eyes can move independently to scan a wide area for potential prey.
Intimidation of prey and rivals
When lions hunt or confront enemies, they will often stare aggressively with their eyes fixed in a cold glare. Wildlife researchers believe the lion’s piercing gaze during close encounters has an intimidating effect on adversaries.
By staring down prey or rival lions, a lion can instill fear that causes weaker opponents to retreat. The bold eye contact also allows lions to monitor prey movements closely before attacking. This unbroken gaze enables calculated targeting of vulnerable individuals within herds during a hunt.
Studies have shown that the lion’s menacing stare is enhanced by its yellow-orange iris color. Contrasting sharply with the black pupil, the light eye color makes the lion’s gaze stand out vividly to other animals nearby.
Researchers say this, along with the cold, determined expression in the lion’s eyes, triggers an innate fear response – making their stare even more intimidating up close.
What Causes the Eye Color in Lions
Melanin Content
The eye color of lions is primarily determined by the amount of melanin pigment present in the iris. Melanin is the pigment that gives color to skin, hair, and eyes in animals. Higher levels of melanin result in darker eye colors, while lower levels lead to lighter eye colors.
Lions possess two types of melanin: eumelanin (which produces brown/black pigment) and pheomelanin (which produces yellow/red pigment). The specific blend and concentration of these melanins affects the final eye color.
Most lions have irises that contain a large amount of eumelanin, making their eyes amber, brown, or hazel. However, some rare white lions have a genetic condition called leucism, which dilutes the eumelanin and results in blue eyes. Blue-eyed lions have very low levels of melanin in their irises.
The Tapetum Lucidum
Another factor that influences lion eye color is the tapetum lucidum. This is a reflective layer behind the retina that helps improve vision in low light. The tapetum lucidum causes eyeshine in lions, making their eyes glow yellow, green, orange, or red when illuminated.
Here’s how it works: in low light, the tapetum lucidum acts like a mirror, reflecting visible light back through the retina and increasing the light available to lion retinas. The specific color reflected depends on the angle at which light hits the tapetum lucidum.
So while melanin content determines the baseline eye color, the tapetum lucidum adds an extra glow or sheen when light conditions are low. This helps explain why lions’ eyes can look different colors in photos depending on the lighting and angle.
Differences Between Lion Subspecies and Sexes
Lighter Eyes in East African Lions
Studies have found that lions in East Africa tend to have lighter-colored eyes compared to their southern and western African counterparts. According to research published on the Zoological Research journal website, East African lions were examined and found to often have yellow, hazel and greenish-brown eyes.
This is likely an adaptation to aid their vision in the brighter, more open savannas found in eastern parts of Africa.
In contrast, the forests and woodlands inhabited by lions in western and southern Africa receive less direct sunlight. Lions native to these areas were found to usually have darker brown or amber eyes. Their eye coloration may help them better see prey and threats in lower-light conditions.
Male Lions Tend to Have Darker Eyes
Additionally, differences have been noted between male and female lions’ eye colors. According to veterinary research, male lions typically have darker pigmentation in their irises than lionesses. This results in many male lions having brown or amber eyes while females often have lighter yellow, green or hazel eyes.
The cause behind this sexual dimorphism in lion eye color is not fully understood. One possibility is that it relates to differences in territorial patrolling and hunting behaviors between male and female lions.
Darker eyes may aid male lions in their duties of scanning savanna grasses for threats and rivals encroaching on their pride’s domain.
Changes in Eye Color as Lions Age
A lion’s eye color undergoes fascinating changes as it ages from a cub to an adult. Here’s a detailed look at how and why a lion’s eyes transform over its lifetime:
Cubs: Blue Eyes
Lion cubs are born with beautiful blue eyes. This blue hue is caused by a lack of melanin pigment in their irises at birth. Melanin is the pigment that determines eye, skin, and hair color. Cubs’ eyes stay blue for the first few months of their life while melanin slowly starts to accumulate in their irises.
Juveniles: Green Eyes
As lions mature past infancy, their eye color gradually changes from blue to green. This shift starts taking place around 3-4 months of age. The emergent green tint comes from low to moderate levels of melanin in the eyes.
It often takes up to a year for melanin concentrations to increase enough for green to become the dominant eye color.
Adolescents: Hazel and Amber Eyes
In the second year of life, lion eye color progresses to light brown or hazel. This results from higher melanin levels as the big cats approach adulthood. Some adolescent lions may display amber eyes rather than hazel depending on subtle variations in melanin production.
Adults: Brown Eyes
By the time lions are mature adults, usually around 3-4 years old, their eye color darkens to brown. Adult male lions in particular tend to have very dark brown eyes. This comes from abundant melanin in the irises.
The rich brown hue serves an important purpose by protecting lions’ eyes from harsh sunlight on the open savanna.
Why the Color Change Occurs
The melanin pigment that controls lions’ eye color has two primary benefits:
- It protects the eyes from ultraviolet light damage.
- It improves visual acuity for hunting prey.
Young cubs don’t need as much eye protection while sheltered in the den. But as lions mature and venture out into the bright habitat, melanin production ramps up to shield their vision. The pigment also allows sharper focus for successful hunts.
Other Factors Influencing Eye Color
While melanin levels are the main driver of lions’ eye color, other factors can impact the exact shade:
- Genetics – Each lion has a genetically determined maximum melanin level that limits how dark the eyes can become.
- Diet – Nutrition provides the amino acids needed to produce melanin.
- Injury/Illness – Trauma or sickness can disrupt melanin synthesis, lightening eye color.
In a nutshell, the transformation in lions’ eyes from blue to brown serves critical functions. The awe-inspiring process allows lion cubs to grow into formidable predators rule the African wilderness!
Conclusion
A lion’s distinctive eyes play an important role in its ability to hunt and dominate its terrain. The typical amber, brown and yellowish hue is specially adapted to improve their vision and intimidate rivals.
Now you know exactly why lions have the colored eyes they do, adding to their regal presence as kings of beasts.
