110 Amazing Facts About Lions

If you're a fan of wildlife, you've likely heard about lions, the majestic and powerful predators that rule the savannas of Africa. Lions are one of the most fascinating and iconic animals on the planet, with a rich history and a unique place in our culture. In this article, we'll take a deep dive into 110 fascinating facts about lions, from their physical characteristics to their behavior and habitat. Get ready to be amazed by the incredible world of these magnificent big cats.

110 Amazing Facts About Lions: A Comprehensive Guide to the King of the Jungle

The scientific name for lions is Panthero Leo.
A group of lions living together is called a pride. A pride usually consists of related females and their offspring and a small number of adult males.
The lion is the second-largest type of cat. The largest is the tiger.
Lions are primarily nocturnal (active at night).
Tigers, jaguars, leopards, and lions are the four species of the genus Panthera.
An adult male lion can weigh 500 to 600 pounds.
A full dark mane is a sign of a healthy male lion.
A lion’s heels don’t touch the ground when it walks.
A lion may sleep up to 20 hours a day.
Lions usually live in groups of 10 or 15 animals called prides.
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.
Lions become weak and worn between the age of 10 and 15.
A few fun facts about lions for kids are actually roaring some enough to intrigue them and put their little minds to work. Here are some such fascinating facts about this big cat species.
When lions are kept in captivity they are also bred with other big cats like tigers, leopards, or jaguars. The resulting hybrids are referred to as ligers, tigons, leopons, or jag lions.
Female lions are attracted more to male lions with darker manes.
Simba, weighing 380 kilograms, is the heaviest lion on record to date. He was kept captive at Colchester Zoo in England.
Lions have to protect their dead prey from hyenas and vultures so that it can serve as another meal for them.
A lion’s roar can be heard from as far as 5 miles away.
Even though the lion is sometimes referred to as the “king of the jungle,” it actually only lives in grasslands and plains. The expression may have come from an incorrect association between Africa and jungles or may refer to a less literal meaning of the word jungle.
A good gauge of a male lion’s age is the darkness of his mane. The darker the mane, the older the lion.
Lions go on the hunt for food mostly from dusk till dawn. Female lions do 85-90% of the prides hunting, whilst the male lions patrol the territory and protect the pride.
In the wild, lions live for an average of 12 years and up to 16 years. They live up to 25 years in captivity.
Lions are very sharp-sighted as they have five times better eyesight than human beings.
Lions are among those at the top of the food chain and have no other predators. But is that entirely true? Unfortunately, No! Because lions have predators too and sadly it’s us. Humans! Here is some information about the risks that lions are at because of the human race.
Lion hunting or trophy hunting is still legal in some countries. This is one of the leading causes of reduction in their population since 1880 when there were more than 1.2 million African Lions in the world.
We are left with less than 40,000 lions on our planet now.
Asiatic lions are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the Red List of Endangered Species since 2008. Asiatic Lions are found only in India’s Gir Forest National Park and the surrounding areas in Gujarat state, which is the only habitat of lions in all of Asia. The population of lions living here is critically endangered.
Lions are at a high risk of poaching. It is due to the illegal hunting of lions for their bones, which are used in traditional medicines as well as in vineyards for making expensive wines.
Another important cause for the decline in their population can sometimes be conflicts with humans, scarcity in finding food, and prey due to shrinking forests.
The lion has forever been a symbol of strength, power, and ferocity. During WWF tours to Africa, seeing the majestic species up-close is sure to be a spine-tingling experience.
10. African lions are the most social of all big cats and live together in groups or “prides.” A pride consists of about 15 lions.
Male lions defend the pride’s territory while females do most of the hunting. Despite this, the males eat first.
These majestic cats are threatened by habitat loss. The lion is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
African lions eat larger animals like zebras, antelopes, and other wild beasts. The Asiatic lions, on the other hand, eat large as well as smaller animals.
White lions are a rare find. Their skin color is due to a rare genetic condition caused by leucism.
When the water is scarce, the lions drink fluids from wild melons. This is to avoid dehydration and retain moisture in their bodies.
The territory of a lion can range anywhere from 260 to 300 square kilometers.
Lionesses work together in a team while hunting and the whole pride share the kill. But they follow an order: the males eat first, then the females, and lastly the cubs.
The digestive system of lions is pretty fast, which is why they go for a hunt not long after they’re devoured the previous kill.
Lions are more social unlike the other members of the big cat family. Lions prefer to live in pride that has more female lions and a few male lions to patrol and protect their territory and the cubs.
The cubs are vulnerable to predators like leopards, hyenas, and black-backed jackals and have a mortality rate of 65-70%.
Pride can be as small as three lions living together or as big as 40 lions together.
On average, a female lion weighs 120 to 182 kilograms. Male lions are much bigger and heftier than female lions and weigh nearly 150 to 250 kilograms.
The length of lions can be anything between 4.5 to 6.5 feet.
The height of a male lion is about 72 to 84 inches, and that of female lions can be 63 to 72 inches tall.
Lions have a denture formula of 3.1.3.1 / 3.1.2.1, with a total of 30 teeth. Their canine teeth are exceptionally big and are used for hunting and killing prey.
Lions do not chew; they directly swallow the food after chopping or ripping it apart from the body of their prey.
Lion cubs are born just like puppies and kittens and do not open their eyes until one week after birth.
Cubs are entirely dependent on their mommies for feeding and nourishment in the initial three months of birth, after which they are introduced to meat.
Lionesses do not entertain or tolerate any female lion from outside of their pride, as they have a fixed social unit comprising of their own family.
The lion was once found throughout Africa, Asia, and Europe but now exists only in Africa with one exception. The last remaining Asiatic lions are found in Sasan-Gir National Park in India, which was primarily created to protect the species. Currently, there are approximately 350-400 lions in the park.
Often known as the ‘king of the jungle’, most lions actually live in the savannah or grasslands. Just one population of wild forest-dwelling lions remains, in Gir Forest National Park, India.
Female lions reach two-thirds of their adult size by the time they are two years old.
Lions run at a speed of up to 81kmph.
Lions hunt large animals such as zebra and wildebeest.
Lions spend much of their time resting and are inactive for about 20 hours a day.
Lions are very powerful and fast, but they have very small hearts, so they do not have a lot of stamina.
Lion cubs do not participate in hunting until they are about a year old. They hunt effectively by the age of 2.
Lion cubs are born blind; their eyes do not open for about a week.
Head—rubbing-nuzzling the forehead, face, and neck against another lion—appears to be a form of greeting as it is often seen after a lion has been apart from others.
Lions belong to the Felidae family. It is a pedigree of meat-eating animals commonly known as cats.
Lions are the second largest big cat species in the world.
The genus and sub-species of a lion are called Panthera Leo.
Lions are the national animal of Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, the Netherlands, Norway, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Togo, and England.
The life span of a lion living in the wild ranges between 10 and 14 years.
Lions are carnivorous, and they usually hunt big animals.
Sometimes, a lion is referred to as hyper-carnivore as meat forms about 80% of its diet.
A lion can run at a speed of 80 kilometers per hour.
Lions are the laziest among all the big cats.
A two-year-old female lion grows up to two-thirds of an adult’s size.
They preferably inhabit the Savannah or grasslands.
A lion’s mane is the most distinct feature that separates it from the others in the cat family. The mane starts growing at the age of one; lions with a darker mane have higher reproductive strength when compared to other lions.
The gestation period of a lion is four months or 110 days. Like other cats, lionesses prefer to hide away while giving birth.
A lioness can give birth to 2-4 babies at a time and keeps the infant cubs hidden for the first six weeks. Later, all the females of the pride take care of the cubs.
A newborn cub weighs around 1.5 kilograms at the time of birth.
Most wild lion population lies in the southern and eastern parts of Africa.
Lions can leap as high as 36 feet. (Jaw-dropping!)
Lions are ready to mate by the age of 3 or 4 years.
When close to a source of water, lions drink water every day. But they can also go without water for 4-5 days as they obtain moisture from the bodies of their prey.
Lions are among the animals that are at the top of the food chain, which is why they are also referred to as alpha predators.
Cubs and young lions do not take part in hunting, but the adult lions train them by showing them stalking behavior. The cubs start training in hunting when they are one or two years old.
When another male lion attacks or usurps a pride, he kills all the males and the cubs but not the females.
These majestic big cats, especially the African Lions, are also threatened due to a loss in their natural habitat. Lions are listed as vulnerable in the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Red List of Threatened Species.

Lions are truly awe-inspiring creatures, and learning about them can be a fascinating and enriching experience. From their incredible hunting skills to their social dynamics and unique physical features, lions are a true marvel of the animal kingdom. By exploring the 110 facts about lions in this article, we hope that you've gained a newfound appreciation for these magnificent creatures and the vital role they play in the delicate ecosystem of the African savanna. So, next time you see a lion in the wild or on TV, take a moment to marvel at the incredible animal that it is.