About Lions

The lion population has been rapidly decreasing, especially over the last few decades. These big cat predators are an important part of the food chain, and it would be a shame if they were to become extinct. It is because of their threatened status, as well as just their natural beauty, that it is important that people educate themselves about these beautiful mammals.

  1. Family

    • Lions live in groups known as prides composed of up to 3 males and about a dozen females and lion cubs, if the pride has any. The females in a pride are usually related, and female lion cubs will usually stay with the pride they are born into. Male lion cubs, however, generally leave the pride they are born into at sexual maturity, and then take over an already existing pride by overpowering that pride's male leader. In the pride, it is the job of the male lion to defend the pride's turf. A pride's females are generally responsible for hunting so that the pride can eat, doing so by working together.

    Geography

    • Today, lions can be found in Africa in the savanna grasslands. A few hundred lions live in the Gir Forest, located in India. Previously, lions could be found in Africa as well as parts of Europe and Asia. Lions can also be found living in zoos, where they are brought for educational purposes, and they may also be bred in attempts to boost the lion population.

    Features

    • Lions have powerful jaws, strong legs and huge canine teeth, all of which help them to capture and kill their prey. Lion cubs are born with darker brown spots on their body which fade as they mature. A lion's body is tallest at its shoulders and slopes down slightly toward its tail, which has a tuft of black fur at its end. Male lions can be distinguished by their large mane, and the mane can generally be used to tell how healthy a lion is. The deeper the color of the mane, and the thicker it is, the healthier the lion is, generally.

    Hunting

    • Lions are carnivores or meat-eaters. They prefer large mammals such as wildebeest, zebra and buffalo. The lions kill their prey by first stalking it, getting as close to it as they can, before attacking it. Lions are generally slower than their prey and can't run for long, so they get as close at they can before attacking and work in groups to bring the animals down.

    Mating

    • When a female lion is in heat, she may mate with multiple partners, mating with each partner 20 to 40 times a day, sometimes for days at a time. Lion gestation lasts around 110 days, after which the lioness gives birth to 1 to 4 lion cubs. The lioness gives birth to the cubs away from the rest of the pride, living alone with her cubs until they are a 1 1/2 to 2 months old.