Lion

Lion

This is the place to learn all about the king of the jungle, wow your friends with some fascinating lion facts, learn about where lions live, how they spend their day and what they eat. Read about what makes lions so important and why their future is being threatened. 

Where do lions live?

Lions were once found all over Africa but sadly are now only found in sub-Saharan Africa. There is also one critically endangered population of lions in India's Gir Forest. 

They are often referred to as the ‘King of the Jungle’, yet lions live in grasslands and savannas (a mix of woodland and grassland), where some cover and plenty of water can be found.

How do lions spend their day?

Lions are the most social cats and usually live in a family group of between 10 and 15 animals called a ‘pride’. The pride often consists of up to 3 male lions and a group of 10 or 12 related female lions and their young. The size of the pride will depend on how much food and water is available.

The role of the male lion is to patrol their territory and protect the pride. They do this by roaring, marking the area with urine, and chasing off intruders. Pride members keep track of one another by roaring. 

A lioness can give birth to 2 or 3 cubs at a time, the name for a baby lion is a cub, whelp or lionet. Female cubs usually stay with the pride as they get older but young male lions will eventually leave and establish their own pride.

Lions are also the laziest of all the big cats and can sleep for between 16 and 20 hours each day, they also enjoy lots of touching, head rubbing, licking, and purring.

What do lions eat?

Lions are carnivores, so their diet consists of meat.

The female lions are the pride’s main hunters, they tend to hunt at night between dusk and dawn. Lionesses are smaller and quicker than male lions, yet they often work together as a team to hunt their prey, this works well as many of the animals that they are hunting are faster than them, so teamwork really pays off!

Their prey includes buffaloes, zebras, hippos, giraffes and other large animals. They will also eat smaller prey such as mice, lizards, and tortoises. Quite often lions may steal food from other carnivores, like hyenas, wild dogs or leopards.

After a successful hunt, all the lions in the pride share the meal but there is a pecking order. The adult males will eat first, followed by the lionesses and finally the cubs. The lions will then rest until it is time to hunt again, generally every few days.

Why are African lions so important?

Lions are the top predators in their environment and play an important role in the food chain. They help to control the numbers of plant eating (herbivore) animals, such as zebra and buffalo, which in turn effects the condition of grasslands and forests. Without lions to control them, these species can also out-compete other animals, eventually causing their extinction. 

The lion is also an iconic symbol to people all around the world. Many communities in Africa rely on the money brought in from tourism, with lions being one of the biggest attractions. 

See all articles in Animal Facts

  • Type

    Mammal

  • Population

    Approximately 20,000

  • Lifespan

    10 to 15 years in the wild

  • Weight

    Up to 250 kg

  • Length

    Up to 2.5 metres

  • Conservation status

    Vulnerable

Amazing facts

  1. The male lions found in Tsavo national park in Kenya don’t have any manes.
  2. Lions are the only cats that live in groups, called a pride.
  3. The lion is the second largest big cat in the world, just behind the tiger.
  4. Lions run at a speed of up to 50 miles per hour, they can also leap over 10 metres.
  5. In the wild, lions live for an average of 12 years however they can survive for up to 25 years in captivity.
  6. A female lion needs 5kg of meat a day and a male needs 7kg or more a day.
  7. A male lion will use their scent to mark their territory, they will use their wee to create a border.
  8. The lion has the loudest ROAR of any big cat and can be heard up to 8km or 5 miles away.
  9. Lions are the only cats to have manes. You can guess a lion’s age by the darkness of his mane. The darker the mane, the older the lion.
  10. Lions have been celebrated throughout history for their courage and strength and are often seen as a symbol of strength, power and ferocity.

Threats

According to the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), lion populations have declined by 43% in the last 21 years with less than 20,000 remaining. They are now officially classified as ‘vulnerable’.

Whilst lions may have no natural predators in the wild, the biggest threat facing their future is human impact; largely loss of living space and conflict with people.

Loss of habitat:

Expanding human populations, the growth of agriculture, settlements and roads have used so much of the land that used to be available to wildlife. As their habitats are lost, lion populations become fragmented or broken up, so they can no longer mix between prides. It is estimated that African lions now live on just 8% of the land that they once occupied.

Conflict with humans: 

As their natural habitats are reduced, lions are being forced to live closer to towns and people. This, combined with a decline in their natural prey can cause them to attack livestock (cows, sheep and pigs). When this happens, farmers will often retaliate and kill lions.

Hunted by humans:

In some areas, lions are still being killed as hunting trophies and for their perceived medicinal and magical powers.

Conservation status