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    • Lion Profile
    • Interesting Lion Facts
    • Related ‘Big Cat’ Facts

    The Lion (Panthera leo) is the second largest cat in the world, following the Tiger. It is a species in the cat family ‘Felidae’, which includes Tigers, Leopards and Jaguars. They inhabit the grasslands and savannahs in Sub-Saharan Africa, and there is a critically endangered population in a small section of India.

    1. African lions live in groups called ‘prides’.

    The African lion is actually the most social of all big cats on the planet. A pride can include up to 30 animals, but typically are made up of 10-15, with five or six females, their cubs (both male and female) and two males who breed with the females in the group.

    2. Young male lions get kicked out of the pride by older males when they reach sexual maturity, at about 2 years old.

    These young males then live and roam in small groups (often with brothers and cousins), until they find another pride that they could take over and breed with females. This will often lead to fights with existing males in the pride. 1

    3. When a male lion takes over a pride, it can kill all the lion cubs to bring the pride’s females into heat again.

    This allows the new males to breed and raise their own offspring. 2

    D. Main (2013), “Becoming King: Why So Few Male Lions Survive to Adulthood”, via Live Science.
    A. Taylor (2012), “Why infanticide can benefit animals”, via The BBC.
    A. Tucker (2010), “The Truth About Lions”, via Smithsonian Mag.
    M. Price (2015), “Knowsley Safari Park lion Kenya put down after being attacked by lionesses”, via Liverpool Echo.
    • Savannas, Grasslands, Scrub, Open Woodlands
    • 4.6-8.2 ft (1.4 to 2.5 m)
    • 10-15 Years
    • Lions are not “king of the jungle” Despite being dubbed as the “king of the jungle”, lions very rarely enter a closed forest, and they are totally absent in rainforests of the world.
    • The lion is an apex and keystone predator. An apex predator is a predator residing at the top of a food chain upon which no other creatures prey. And if a keystone predator is removed from the ecosystem, the populations of the species which it preys upon explode uncontrollably, driving out most other species.
    • They can be seen at elevations up to 4,700 meters. On Mount Elgon, an extinct shield volcano on the border of Uganda and Kenya, Lions have been recorded up to an elevation of 3,600 m (11,800 ft) and close to the snow line on Mount Kenya (which is around 4600-4700 meters or more than 15,000 feet).
    • Lions can also be found in Asia. Asiatic lion (Panthera leo leo) only lives in Gujarat, India. There are around 650 wild individuals.
    • Natural Lion Habitats. King of the beasts? Sure. King of the jungle? Not really. Lions rarely enter closed forests, where potential prey can escape up the trees.
    • The Most Dangerous Land Animal in Africa. This among other facts about lions will surely amaze you. If you see a hippo, run! It is responsible for 500 human deaths each year, making it five times worse than lions.
    • Lion Species. Not much diversity here. Unlike ants and spiders with thousands of species, lions only have one: Panthera leo. However, several sister species existed in prehistoric times, and we know more about them thanks to fossil records.
    • The African Lions. African lions used to stomp all over the continent, even reaching parts of Europe and Asia. Now survivors are scattered around sub-Saharan Africa.
    • Lions usually live in groups of 10 or 15 animals called prides.
    • An adult male’s roar can be heard up to 8km away.
    • A female lion needs 5kg of meat a day. A male needs 7kg or more a day.
    • The name for a baby lion is a cub, whelp or lionet.
  1. Top 10 facts about lions. 1. Nearly all wild lions live in Africa, but one small population exists elsewhere. In the wild, there are two formally recognised lion subspecies. The African lion ( Panthera leo leo ) is found in Africa, south of the Sahara desert. The Asiatic lion ( Panthera leo persica ) exists in one small population around Gir ...

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  3. Jun 29, 2011 · African lions are the most social of all big cats and live together in groups or “prides.”. A pride consists of about 15 lions. 9. Male lions defend the pride’s territory while females do most of the hunting. Despite this, the males eat first. 8. These majestic cats are threatened by habitat loss. The lion is listed as vulnerable on the ...

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