Lion Project - Research

With the Lion project, I decide to do more research on how the lion moves as it is different to a different kind of cat such as a cheetah or a leopard. Since a lion is a heavier cat to a cheetah or leopard, it's movement is going to be a bit different to a lighter type of cat.

Similarities and Differences

While animating the lion and looking at different references, the main similarity I have noticed that these types of cats have in common is in the way they walk. Unlike dogs which walk with 2 feet making contact at the same time, lions, tigers and cheetahs move with 1 foot making contact with the ground at a time and it usually starts with the back leg moving first then the front leg and this pattern continues for as long as they walk. Another similarity in the way they walk is that they usually tend to place one foot/paw infront of the other while walking as to a dog which walks with the feet/paw beside eachother.

The main differences I noticed between the different types of cats are the the weight and their muscle group. Since the fastest cat among the cat family is a cheetah its muscle structure would be different to a lion and a tiger as well as the fact that it is the lightest out of the 3 cats it would be able to run at a faster speed.

Compared to a tiger which is the heaviest out of the 3 cats, it also has a different muscle group and is not as fast as a lion or cheetah because of its weight, the weight of the tiger is shown through the way it walks and its movement.

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As I continued to progress with this animation I still continued to look at more references of lions and tigers to see how exactly they move from different angles to be sure I am getting a clear reference.

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Bibliography

Getty images

https://youtu.be/xaV1_M2j200 - cheetah chase

https://youtu.be/9tfZ_ffw3AE - tiger

https://youtu.be/YA6njCN_pRM - tiger