关于Pixar
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关系就是皮克斯被迪士尼收购了,皮克斯变成迪士尼的一个工作室了,也就是皮克斯成为迪士尼的全资子公司。
从1997年开始,皮克斯和迪士尼签下一份长达42页的新合约,合约一共包括5部电影,皮克斯是制作方,迪士尼负责市场和发行,双方平分制作费和票房,但是迪士尼还将得到发行收入,更重要的是,它拥有电影最终的版权。
在初期的一段时间,皮克斯的电影通过迪士尼去发行,迪士尼有在片头的署名权,后来皮克斯上市,两家一度闹掰,迪士尼当时的CEO下台和这有很大关系,迪士尼自身的生存面临很大的瓶颈,后来iger上台之后,推动迪士尼收购皮克斯。
皮克斯上市之后,股价其实一路飙升,到了一个比较危险的值,为了减小风险,以及借助迪士尼的乐园、发行、消费品渠道获得更多的变现,卖给迪士尼是个很好的选择。
精心整理
乔布斯的故事:关于好恶与得失,名人故事
幸运的是,我在很小的时候就发现自己喜欢做什么。
我在20岁时和沃兹在我父母的车库里办起了苹果公司。
我们干得很卖力,十年后,苹果公司就从车库里我们两个人发展成为一个市值20亿美元、拥有4000多名员工的大企业。
而在此之前的一年,我们刚推出了我们Macintosh电脑,当时我刚过而立之年。
可后来,我被解雇了。
你怎么会被自己办的公司解雇呢?是这样,随着苹果公司越做越大,我们聘请
画片《玩具总动员》,它现在是全球最成功的动画制作室,励志故事。
世道轮回,苹果公司买下NeXT后,我又回到了苹果公司,我们在NeXT公司开发的技术成了苹果公司这次重新崛起的核心。
我和劳伦娜也建立了美满的家庭。
我确信,如果不是被苹果公司解雇,这一切决不可能发生。
这是一剂苦药,可我认为苦药利于病。
有时生活会当头给你一棒,但不要灰心。
我坚信让我一往无前
精心整理
的唯一力量就是我热爱我所做的一切。
所以,一定得知道自己喜欢什么,选择爱人时如此,选择工作时同样如此。
工作将是生活中的一大部分,让自己真正满意的唯一办法,是做自己认为是有意义的工作;做有意义的工作的唯一办法,是热爱自己的工作。
你们如果还没有发现自己喜欢什么,那就不断地去寻找,不要急于做出决定。
就像一切要凭着感觉去做的事情一样,一旦找到了自己喜欢的事,感觉就会告诉你。
---来源网络,仅供分享学习2/2。
科技人物事迹素材简短苹果公司的创始人史蒂夫·乔布斯(Steve Jobs)是科技界的传奇人物之一。
他以其卓越的创新能力和敏锐的商业洞察力而闻名于世。
以下是关于乔布斯的一些事迹素材:1. 乔布斯的早期创业经历:乔布斯在1976年与另外两位年轻人共同创建了苹果公司。
他们在家里的车库里组装了第一台个人电脑,名为Apple I。
他们的目标是为个人用户带来易于使用的电脑系统。
2. 革命性的产品发布:1984年,乔布斯主持发布了苹果公司的第一台Macintosh电脑。
这是一台简化了用户界面和操作系统的创新产品,为个人电脑市场带来了巨大的变革。
3. 斩获Pixar动画工作室:1986年,乔布斯以创始人身份购买了乔治·卢卡斯(George Lucas)创建的Pixar动画工作室。
乔布斯带领Pixar制作了一系列成功的动画电影,如《玩具总动员》和《超人特工队》,并最终将Pixar卖给了迪士尼。
4. 苹果的低谷与乔布斯的回归:1997年,苹果公司处于困境之中,乔布斯被重新任命为CEO。
他在不到20年的时间里成功地将苹果公司从濒临破产的边缘带回了成功的道路上。
5. iPod和iTunes的发布:2001年,乔布斯推出了iPod音乐播放器,并建立了iTunes 音乐商店。
这个生态系统为用户提供了无缝的音乐购买和管理体验,并成为苹果产品线中的一大亮点。
6. iPhone的推出:2007年,苹果发布了革命性的iPhone智能手机。
这个产品将手机与触摸屏技术以及全新的用户界面相结合,引领了智能手机的新时代。
7. iPad的推出:2010年,苹果发布了iPad平板电脑。
这个产品在市场上引起了巨大的轰动,并开创了全新的平板电脑市场。
8. 乔布斯的离世与继任者:2011年,乔布斯因胰腺癌离世。
他的离去对整个科技行业产生了深远的影响。
蒂姆·库克(Tim Cook)接替乔布斯成为苹果的CEO,并成功地将公司继续带向成功。
舍弃的名人例子
以下是一些知名的舍弃名人例子:
1. J.K.罗琳:在创作哈利·波特系列小说时,她放弃自己的职业生涯和稳定的收入,不得不在结束小说前忍受贫困。
2. 斯蒂夫·乔布斯:乔布斯在苹果公司被剥夺权力后,离开了公司并创立了NeXT 公司和Pixar动画工作室。
在十年的流浪后,他回到苹果公司,拯救了这个陷入困境的公司。
3. 约翰·肯尼迪:在20世纪60年代,肯尼迪成为美国总统后,他选择推行一系列激进改革,包括反战、民权运动以及打击犯罪行为。
尽管这些改革遭到了强烈阻力,但他坚持自己的信念,最终取得了历史性的成就。
4. 奥普拉·温弗瑞:作为著名的脱口秀主持人,奥普拉放弃了一个稳定的演艺事业来创造自己的品牌。
她建立了自己的媒体帝国,拥有杂志、电视节目等内容,并成为了美国最有影响力的女性之一。
5. 马里奥·安德烈蒂:这位网球运动员曾是全球最佳的运动员之一,但因伤退役后,他选择终止职业生涯,转而从事非赢利组织活动。
他创立了安德烈蒂基金会,致力于为全球贫困儿童提供教育和文化机会。
pixar动画工作室现在被迪斯尼收购了专门制作三维动画电影。
下面介绍这个动画工作室制作的一部著名小片子《For The Birds》。
一、关于这个小短片第74届奥斯卡最佳动画短片《For the Birds》"For the Birds"的动画制作在Siggraph的Electronic(数码)剧院上映的所有动画电影中,Pixar动画制作室制作的影片"For the Birds"引起的反响最大。
"For the Birds"是Pixar公司用3D图形最新制作出的一部影片,由Ralph Eggleston编剧、故事板制作和导演。
二、影片的创作来源影片"For the Birds"有一个不同寻常的故事来源。
上世纪八十年代中期,作为CalArts(美国加利福尼亚艺术学院)的一名学生,Eggleston想出了大致的设计方案。
Eggleston不得不做一些手绘练习,于是,他为这些练习构思了一些情节:一只大鸟落在电线上,一群小鸟咯吱咯吱的挤在一起,因为它们不能离开,以此来打发时间。
这个图形练习慢慢引申为一个故事,用来隐喻复杂社会中人的行为举止。
无论如何,这部短片也可以看作是一部经典的搞笑剧。
1、停在电线上的鸟动画指导James Ford Mutphy为先停在电线上的四只鸟刻画了不同的特征:整部影片中,第一只停在电线上的小鸟扮演的是一个欺凌弱小者的角色--它最先讽刺并啄那只大鸟,最后,也是它最先从电线上裸体落地。
第二只名叫"Chipper"是个无忧无虑、懒惰的小家伙;第三只是个势力鬼;第四只是个神经质。
动画设计者把这四个鸟模型用做制作剩下鸟群的起点。
他们不是单纯的复制它们;这四个鸟模型开始只不过是可以滚动的球体。
15个动画师制作出了50个电影镜头。
Murphy为复杂的开场制作了动画,学生Ben Catmull制作了8到10个镜头。
皮克斯:离经叛道的创业者震撼世界(图)皮克斯的“小台灯”和其出品的经典动画电影皮克斯电影票房数据一家非主流的动画公司,如何用20年的时间成为颠覆好莱坞电影和震撼世界的创新典范?“在名为Frogtown的办公室里,首席技术官一边大口嚼着蔬菜卷饼干,一边对着电脑发呆,他正在思考牛仔女郎杰西的情感变化,那是《玩具总动员2》里伍迪的新助手;穿过Bugville大街,另一间办公室里,奥斯卡最佳动画导演约翰·拉塞特狭小的办公室被200多件各式玩偶堆满,他正在努力阻止他的4个孩子撕扯伍迪的玩具人偶;而在Batcave大厅里,皮克斯的老板史蒂夫·乔布斯正在面试新员工,他穿着短衫,光脚斜倚在写字台上;过一会儿,一个前任马戏团魔术师将带领观光者参观皮克斯总部,他们将会路过新任财务总监的办公室,在那里,她正在利用午餐时间学习制作一个玩偶模型……”这是1999年《时代》周刊记者Cathy Booth和Richmond参观皮克斯动画工作室(Pixar Animation Studios,以下简称“皮克斯”)后的描述。
1995年皮克斯推出动画电影史上第一部全部采用CG技术的动画长片《玩具总动员1》。
此片一出,举世震惊,全球票房高达3.62亿美元,也成为电影史上第一部获得奥斯卡最佳原创剧本提名的动画片,并被美国电影协会选入100部最伟大的美国电影。
人们当时对这家公司充满了新奇感,不过也没人知道这个怪异而另类的非主流好莱坞电影企业,到底能走多远。
11年后,皮克斯出品的《玩具总动员3》对这个问题进行了阶段性总结。
截至8月底,《玩具总动员3》全球票房达到8亿美元。
这部电影让皮克斯所属的迪斯尼集团2010年暑期的海外票房比上年同期增长232%,达到了10.9亿美元,位居好莱坞几大公司之首。
时至今日,人们似乎已经习惯了皮克斯作品所带来的这种震撼效应。
因为过去10多年里,皮克斯的每一部作品都会在评论界与票房界双双取得成功,无一失败。
Pixar Animation StudiosThis article is about the animation company. For information on the file format .pxr or thePixar Animation Studios, or simply Pixar (/ˈpɪksɑr/, stylized PIXAR), is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio is best known for its CGI-animated feature films created with PhotoRealistic RenderMan, its own implementation of the industry-standard RenderMan image-rendering application programming interface used to generate high-quality images. Pixar began in 1979 as the Graphics Group, part of the computer division of Lucasfilm before its spin-out as a corporation in 1986 with funding by Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs, who became its majority shareholder.[1]The Walt Disney Company bought Pixar in 2006 at a valuation of $7.4 billion, a transaction which made Jobs Disney's largest shareholder.Pixar has produced fourteen feature films, beginning with Toy Story in 1995. Thirteen of the films have received both critical and financial success, with the notable exception being Cars 2, which, while commercially successful, received substantially less praise than Pixar's other productions.[2] All fourteen films have debuted with CinemaScore ratings of at least "A-", indicating a very positive reception with audiences.[3]The studio has also produced several short films. As of July 2013, its feature films have made over $8.3 billion worldwide,[4] with an average worldwide gross of $597 million per film.[5]Both Finding Nemo and Toy Story 3 are among the 50 highest-grossing films of all time, and all of Pixar's films are among the 50 highest-grossing animated films, with Toy Story 3 being the all-time highest, grossing over $1 billion worldwide.The studio has earned 27 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globe Awards, and eleven Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Since the award's inauguration in 2001, most of Pixar's films have been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, with seven winning: Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, WALL-E, Up, Toy Story 3, and Brave. Up and Toy Story 3are two of only three animated films to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture (as well as the second and third animated film after Disney's Beauty and the Beast). On September 6, 2009, executives John Lasseter, Brad Bird, Pete Docter, Andrew Stanton, and Lee Unkrich were presented with the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement by the Biennale Venice Film Festival. The award was presented by Lucasfilm founder George Lucas.HistoryEarly historyPixar's studio lot in Emeryville. The studio opened in November 2000.A Pixar Computer photographed at the Computer History Museum with the 1986-1995 logo on it.Pixar was founded as The Graphics Group, which was one third of the Computer Division of Lucasfilm that was launched in 1979 with the hiring of Dr. Ed Catmull from the New York Institute of Technology(NYIT),[6]where he was in charge of the Computer Graphics Lab (CGL). At NYIT, the researchers pioneered many of the CG foundation techniques—in particular the invention of the "alpha channel" (by Catmull and Alvy Ray Smith);[citation needed] years later the CGL produced an experimental film called The Works. After moving to Lucasfilm, the team worked on creating the precursor to RenderMan, called REYES (for "renders everything you ever saw"); and developed a number of critical technologies for CG—including "particle effects" and various animation tools.In 1982, the team began working on film sequences with Industrial Light & Magic on special effects.[6]After years of research, and key milestones in films such as the Genesis Effect in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khanand the Stained Glass Knight in Young Sherlock Holmes,[6]the group, which numbered 40 individuals back then,[1] was spun out as a corporation in February 1986 with investment by Steve Jobs shortly after he left Apple Computer.[1] Jobs paid $5 million to George Lucas for technology rights and put them and $5 million cash as capital into the company.[1] A factor contributing to Lucas' sale was an increase in cash flow difficulties following his 1983 divorce, which coincided with the sudden dropoff in revenues from Star Wars licenses following the release of Return of the Jedi. The newly independent company was headed by Dr. Edwin Catmull as President and Dr. Alvy Ray Smith as Executive Vice President. They were joined on the Board of Directors by Steve Jobs who was Chairman.[1]Initially, while awaiting the consequences of Moore's law, that would reduce the cost of computing a film, Pixar was a high-end computer hardware company whose core product was the Pixar Image Computer, a system primarily sold to government agencies and the medical community. One of the buyers of Pixar Image Computers was Walt Disney Studios, which was using the device as part of their secretive CAPS project, using the machine and custom software (written by Pixar) to migrate the laborious ink and paint part of the 2-D animation process to a more automated and thus efficient method. The Image Computer never sold well.[7]In a bid to drive sales of the system, Pixar employee John Lasseter—who had long been creating short demonstration animations, such as Luxo Jr., to show off the device's capabilities—premiered his creations at SIGGRAPH, the computer graphics industry's largest convention, to great fanfare.[7]As poor sales of Pixar's computers threatened to put the company out of business, Jobs invested more and more money and took more and more ownership away from the management and employees until after several years he owned essentially all the company for a total investment of $50 million. Lasseter's animation department began producing computer-animated commercials for outside companies. Early successes included campaigns for Tropicana, Listerine, and Life Savers.[8] In April 1990 Pixar sold its hardware division, including all proprietary hardware technology and imaging software, to Vicom Systems, and transferred 18 of Pixar's approximately 100 employees. The same year Pixar moved from San Rafael to Richmond, California.[9] During this period, Pixar continued its successful relationship with Walt Disney Feature Animation, a studio whose corporate parent would ultimately become its most important partner. In 1991, after a tough start of the year when about 30 employees in the company's computer department had to go (including the company's president, Chuck Kolstad),[10]which reduced the total number of employees to just 42, essentially its original number,[11] Pixar made a $26 million deal with Disney to produce three computer-animated feature films, thefirst of which was Toy Story. At that point, the software programmers, who were doing RenderMan and CAPS, and Lasseter’s animation department, who made television commercials and a few shorts for Sesame Street, was all that was left of Pixar.[12]William Reeves, CTE at Pixar, on rendering algorithms, raytracing and global illumination, 1995, after the release of Toy Story.Despite the total income of these products, the company was still losing money, and Jobs, still chairman of the board and now the full owner, often considered selling it. Even as late as 1994, Jobs contemplated selling Pixar to other companies, among them Microsoft. Only after learning from New York critics that Toy Story was probably going to be a success and confirming that Disney would distribute it for the 1995 Christmas season did he decide to give Pixar another chance.[13] He also began then for the first time to take an active direct leadership role in the company, making himself its CEO. The film went on to gross more than $361 million worldwide.[14] Later that year, Pixar held its initial public offering on November 29, 1995, and the company's stock was priced at US$22 per share.[15]Pixar built a new studio in Emeryville which opened in November 2000.会声会影运行软件开始注册,当出现“剩余XX(30)天”界面,点击左下角的“已经购买”按钮;会弹出激活界面(如果已过试用期请点击左下方的“其它激活选项”),复制序列号到“请输入您的序列号”框中,点击中间的“致电Core(P)”!再弹出激活界面,复制界面中的“安装代码”、“序列号”出来追加提问(不要截图),利用注册机算出激活码World Wide Fund for Natureof wildlife refuges ...for educations among those who would care... For sending experts to danger spots and training... Making it all possible that their needs are met before it is too late.”-Morges ManifestoWWF has set up offices and operations around the world. It originally worked by fundraising and providing grants to existing non-governmental organizations, based on the best-available scientific knowledge and with an initial focus on the protection of endangered species. As more resources became available, its operations expanded into other areas such as the preservation of biological diversity, sustainable use of natural resources, the reductionof pollution, and climate change. The organization also began to run its own conservation projects and campaigns, and by the 1980s started to take a more strategic approach to its conservation activities.In 1986, the organization changed its name to World Wide Fund for Nature, to better reflect the scope of its activities, retaining the WWF initials. However, it continues to operate under the original name in the United States and Canada.[6]That year was th e 25th anniversary of WWF’s foundation, an event marked by a gathering in Assisi, Italy to which the organisation’s International President HRH Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, invited religious authorities representing Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism. These leaders produced The Assisi Declarations, theological statements showing the spiritual relationship between their followers and nature that triggered a growth in the engagement of those religions with conservation around the world.[11]In the 1990s, WWF revised its mission to: “Stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by:• conserving the world's biological diversity• ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable• promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.”WWF scientists and many others identified 238 ecoregions that represent the world's most biologically outstanding terrestrial, freshwater and marine habitats, based on a worldwide biodiversity analysis which the organization says was the first of its kind.[12] In the early 2000s (decade), its work was focused on a subset of these ecoregions, in the areas of forest, freshwater and marine habitat conservation, endangered species conservation, climate change, and the elimination of the most toxic chemicals.We shan't save all we should like to, but we shall save a great deal more than if we had never tried. —Sir Peter Scott[13]In 1996, the organization obtained general consultative status from UNESCO.status as an endangered species, panda is seen to serve the need of a strong recognizable symbol of the organization. Moreover, the organization also needs an animal that would have an impact in black and white printing. The logo was then designed by Sir Peter Scott from the preliminary sketches made by a Scottish naturalist, Gerald Watterson.[14][15]WWF's current strategy for achieving its mission specifically focuses on restoring populations of 36 species (species or species groups that are important for their ecosystem or to people, including elephants, tunas, whales, dolphins and porpoises), and ecological footprint in 6 areas (carbon emissions, cropland, grazing land, fishing, forestry and water).The organization also works on a number of global issues driving biodiversity loss and unsustainable use of natural resources, including finance, business practices, laws, and consumption choices. Local offices also work on national or regional issues.[16]WWF works with a large number of different groups to achieve its goals, including other NGOs, governments, business, investment banks, scientists, fishermen, farmers and local communities. It also undertakes public campaigns to influence decision makers, and seeks to educate people on how to live in a more environmentally friendly manner.It urges people to donate funds to protect the environment. The donors can also choose to receive gifts in return.WWF publishes the Living Planet Index in collaboration with the Zoological Society of London. Along with their ecological footprint calculations the index is used to produce a twoyearly Living Planet Report to give an overview of the impact of human activity on the world.[17]The organization also regularly publishes reports, fact sheets and other documents on issues related to its work, in order to raise awareness and provide information to policy and decision makers.[18]AMPHIBIANSTree FrogTree Frog, or Tree Toad, any of several kinds of climbing frogs or toads. Most live in trees, but some inhabit smaller plants, and a few species are ground-dwellers. Tree frogs are found in most parts of the world. They vary in length from less than one inch (2.5 cm) to more than four inches (10 cm).Tree frogs have pads at the ends of their fingers and toes. These pads help in climbing because they are rough and are covered with a sticky secretion. Some tree frogs have claw-shaped fingers and toes, and most kinds have webbed hands, webbed feet, or both. Many tree frogs can change color, usually to match their surroundings. As winter approaches, tree frogs burrow into the humus on the forest floor. Their tissues and body fluids are protected from freezing by glycerol, a type of alcohol made in the frogs' cells.Tree frogs are noted for the loudness and variety of their mating calls, made only by the male. Most tree frogs lay their eggs in water. There is variety in their breeding habits, however, especially among tropical American species. Some lay their eggs on leaves overhanging water into which the tadpoles, or larvae, fall after hatching. The tadpoles of certain other species are carried from tree to stream on the back of the male frog. The female of some kinds carries her eggs in a pouch on her back where they hatch and the tadpoles remain until they metamorphose.Tree frogs have sticky pads at the ends of their fingers and toes to aid in climbing.Tree Frogs of the United StatesZoologists use the term true tree frogs to describe only those belonging to the family Hylidae. The only tree frogs found in the United States belong to this family. They include:Common Tree FrogTree-dwelling. The body is 2 to 2 1/2 inches (5 to 6.4 cm) long. It is pale gray to brown on back with one or more large greenish blotches, but is capable of marked color change. Found over most of the United States west to the Great Plains and into Canada.The common tree frog is Hyla versicolor.Spring PeeperSome live on the ground, others in trees. About 1 1/4 inches (3 cm) long. Usually brown on back with a dark cross-shaped marking. Range is about the same as that of the common tree frog.The spring peeper is H. crucifer.Pacific Tree FrogGround-dwelling. Body is nearly two inches (5 cm) long. The back is extremely variable in color, with various markings. This frog is found from the Pacific Coast eastward into Nevada, Idaho, and Montana.The Pacific tree frog is H. regilla.Chorus FrogGround-dwelling. Body length is about 1 1/2 inches (4 cm). The back is greenish gray with five darker stripes or rows of dots. The chorus frog is found from the Atlantic Coast west to Montana and southern Idaho, and in New Mexico and Arizona at high elevations.The chorus frog is Pseudacris nigrita.Cricket FrogSemiaquatic. Body length is a little more than one inch (2.5 cm). Wide variation in color from gray to greenish red, with darker or contrasting markings. Found over most of the United States west to the Rocky Mountains and into Mexico and Canada.The cricket frog is Acris gryllus.Check out our awesome range of animal facts for kids and learn some fun trivia about ourfriends in the animal kingdom.Fun Leopard Facts for KidsPart of the cat family, leopard’s bodies are built for hunting. They aresolitary animals, hunting at night and often drag their food up trees forsafe keeping.Read on for more interesting information and leopard facts.∙Leopards are part of the cat family, Felidae. The scientific name for a leopard is Panthera pardus.∙Leopards are well known for their cream and gold spotted fur, but some leopards have black fur with dark spots. These black leopards are often mistaken for panthers.∙Adult leopards are solitary animals. Each adult leopard has its own territory where it lives and, although they often share parts of it, they try to avoid one another.∙ A leopard’s body is built for hunting. They have sleek, powerful bodies and can run at speeds of up to 57 kilometres per hour. They are also excellent swimmers and climbers and can leap and jump long distances.∙ A leopard’s tail is just about as long as its entire body. This helps it with balance and enables it to make sharp turns quickly.∙Leopards are mostly nocturnal, hunting prey at night.∙Leopards protect their food from other animals by dragging it high up into the trees. A leopard will often leave their prey up in the tree for days and return only when they are hungry!∙Female leopards give birth to a little of two or three cubs at a time. By the time a cub is two years old it will leave the company of its mother and live on their own.∙When a female leopard is ready to mate she will give a scent and rub her body on the trees to leave her smell there. Male leopards either smell the females scent or hear her call to know that she is ready to mate.∙Some people believe that the bones and whiskers of leopards can heal sick people. Many leopards are killed each year for their fur and body parts and this is one reason why the leopard is an endangered animal. While they were previously found in the wild in a number of areas around the world, their habitat is largely restricted to sub-Saharan Africa with small numbers also found in India, Pakistan, Malaysia, China and Indochina.Check out our awesome range of animal facts for kids and learn some fun trivia about ourfriends in the animal kingdom.Enjoy these fun lion facts for kids. Learn about lion behavior,how fast they can run, where they are found, how many lions areusually in a pride, the male’s mane, lioness differences andmore. Check out the wide range of interesting facts about lions.∙Lions are the second largest big cat species in the world (behind tigers).∙The average male lion weighs around 180 kg (400 lb) while the average female lion weighs around 130 kg (290 lb).∙The heaviest lion on record weighed an amazing 375 kg (826 lb).∙Lions can reach speeds of up to 81 kph (50 mph) but only in short bursts because of a lack of stamina.∙The roar of a lion can be heard from 8 kilometers (5.0 miles) away.∙Most lions found in the wild live in southern and eastern parts of Africa.∙Lions are very social compared to other cat species, often living in prides that feature females, offspring and a few adult males.∙Male lions are easy to recognize thanks to their distinctive manes. Males with darker manes are more likely to attract female lions (lionesses).∙Lions are the national animal of Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, England, Ethiopia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Singapore.∙Lions in the wild live for around 12 years.∙When lions breed with tigers the resulting hybrids are known as ligers and tigons. There are also lion and leopard hybrids known as leopons and lion and jaguar hybrids known as jaglions.∙Lionesses are better hunters than males and do most of the hunting for a pride.∙In the wild, lions rest for around 20 hours a day.11。