The lion (Panthera leo) is a species in the family Felidae and a member of the genus Panthera.
It has a muscular, deep-chested body, short, rounded head, round ears, and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adult male lions have a prominent mane. With a typical head-to-body length of 184–208 cm (72–82 in) they are larger than females at 160–184 cm (63–72 in).
It is a social species, forming groups called prides. A lion pride consists of a few adult males, related females and cubs. Groups of female lions usually hunt together, preying mostly on large ungulates. The lion is an apex and keystone predator; although some lions scavenge when opportunities occur and have been known to hunt humans, the species typically does not.
Typically, the lion inhabits grasslands and savannas, but is absent in dense forests. It is usually more diurnal than other big cats, but when persecuted it adapts to being active at night and at twilight. During the Neolithic period, the lion ranged throughout Africa, Southeast Europe, and Western and South Asia, but it has been reduced to fragmented populations in sub-Saharan Africa and one population in western India.
Lion facts
Lions are the second largest of the big cats.
There are two surviving species of lions the African and Asian.
The scientific name for lion is Panthera leo.
There are about six subspecies of African lions.
Panthera leo is the scientific name of the lion.
A female lion is called “lioness”.
A baby lion is called “cub”.
Lions can live up to 10 to 14 years.
A lion’s roar can be heard from 8 km away.
Until they reach 2 years old a lion can’t roar.
Lions can run up to 81 kmph for short periods.
Lion claws are three inches long.
A male lion can weigh 400–500 pounds.
Females typically weigh 250–350 pounds.
Male lions are the only big cats that look different than the females of the species.
The darker a male lion’s mane is, the older he is.
The majority of hunting is done by the lionesses.
Lions in the wild eat more than 40 kg of meat per day.
Lionesses eat around 25kg per day.
Lions live in groups called prides.
Each pride is composed of one or two males and large number of females.
Larger prides can consist of around 40 members.
Male lions usually can keep control over a pride for 4 years.
A lion pride’s territory can stretch up to 100 square miles.
lions are great swimmers.
A lion can leap as far as 36 feet.
A lion can travel more than 12 miles in a single day or night.
The lion is known as “the king of the jungle”.
Lions do not live in jungles, they live only in grasslands and plains.
There are only 15,000–32,000 left in the wild.
The color of the fur varies from tan, brown, yellow, and even red.
The lions from a hot area usually have a lighter color.
The mane starts growing when the lion turns one year old.
Lion back teeth are called carnassals.
Lions can see six times better in the dark than a human.
Lioness will give birth to 1-3 cubs each 2 years.
A lion can hear prey up to a mile away.
Lions have protractible claws.
A lion’s bite is 30 times stronger than the bite of a housecat.
They actually have the weakest bite of all the big cats.
Tanzania has the largest population of lions in Africa.
There are fewer than 300 Asiatics Lions left.
The only place they live in the wild is in Gir National Park in India.
Lions sleep up to 22 hours a day.
Lions hunt mostly at night.
Lions will scavenge whenever they get chance.
The lion is also used as a symbol for the Gryffindor house in Harry Potter.
Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia was a lion.
The most famous lion in ancient Greece mythology is the Nemean lion.
It is represented in the constellation Leo and is also a sign of the Zodiac.
In Swahili, a lion is called simba.
