If you missed our Swimming Lions Live Chat With Peter Gros, wildlife expert and former co-host of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, we've got the transcript of all the answers to your lion questions right here.
Animal Planet: Welcome to our live chat, and thank you for joining us after Animal Planet's Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom special, Swimming Lions.
Animal Planet: Do you want to know more about the lions that swim and what makes the Okavango Delta so unique? Well, Peter Gros, our guest wildlife expert and former co-host of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, is here to give you the answers.
Peter Gros: Welcome. This was an amazing show, and I look forward to talking about it. It was some of the most incredible lion footage I've ever seen!
Kellie: Where is the Okavango Delta?
Peter Gros: The Okavango Delta is found in the northern corner of the Kalahari Desert, the most unlikely place you'd expect to find one of the largest swamp and marsh areas in the world. It's unique in that hundreds of miles into the Kalahari, temperatures can range from well over 100°F to almost freezing in sand and savanna conditions. Thanks to the flooding from the Okavango River each winter, this amazing desert is turned into a lush wetlands, attracting thousands of herds of wildlife.
Carly: Why are lions naturally averse to water?
Peter Gros: Most cats are averse to water, except tigers, who love it. (But then, they spend their time in very warm locations, except for the Siberian tiger.) Almost all other large cats, except our North American mountain lion, prefer to stay away from water, since their body temperature when wet drops drastically — 25 times faster than air temperature. Large cats also have protective oils in their fur, which help to keep insects away and protect their fur, and these oils should not be washed off.
