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Introduction

InteractiveWhat’s one of the scariest animal sounds? Some people might say that it’s the sound of a lion roaring. The lion—often called the “king of beasts”—is a ferocious hunter. It is an apex predator, which means it has no natural enemies. It’s also huge. The lion is the second largest member of the cat family, after the tiger. Lions live in parts of Africa and India. The scientific name of the lion is Panthera leo.

Physical Features

InteractiveThe lion has a long body, short legs, sharp claws, and a large head. Adult males are about 9 to 10 feet (2.7 to 3 meters) long, including the tail. They stand about 3 feet (1 meter) tall at the shoulder and can weigh 370 to 500 pounds (170 to 230 kilograms). Females are shorter and more slender.

Lions are covered with yellow-brown hair. A male lion is easy to spot because of its mane. This coarse hair grows on its head, neck, and shoulders. Lionesses (females) do not have manes.

Behavior

Lions live in groups called prides. A pride is made up of related lionesses, their cubs, and one or two adult males. Prides average 15 members.

Lionesses usually do most of the pride’s hunting, mainly at night. They hunt animals such as zebra, wildebeest, and antelope. They often hunt by hiding beside a water hole and then pouncing. Sometimes prides hunt together as a team and share the kill.

Life Cycle

Three months after mating, lionesses bear one to six cubs. The newborns have spots or stripes that disappear within nine months. The mother guards her cubs closely. She teaches them to hunt when they are about 18 months old.

Lions in the wild rarely live more than 8 to 10 years. Lions in zoos have a life span of about 25 years.

Lions and Humans

Humans have hunted the lion for many years as a way of displaying courage. Most lions that are exhibited in zoos have been born in captivity. Today lions are protected in game parks and reserves throughout the world.

Ligers and Tigons

Mating between lions and tigers is not likely to happen in the wild. However, lions have mated with tigers in some zoos. The offspring of a male lion and a female tiger is called a liger. The offspring of a female lion and a male tiger is called a tigon. Ligers and tigons have features of both their parents. They usually cannot have cubs of their own.

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Did You Know?

Lions are the only cats that live in prides.

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