Lions ranges across all of sub-Sahara south of latitude 18 degrees except in the great forests. The Panthera leo are the biggest cats after the Siberian Tiger. They are the only truly social cat species.

The roar of an adult lion can be heard up to 8 km away. Lions roar to keep intruders away from their kingdoms and roaring helps to keep together the members of a pride.

They are the only social cats and form prides of 3 - 12 females with their cubs, and 1 - 4 attendant males.

The Lion is the largest of all African carnivores, the African Lion is undoubtedly one of the most impressive of Africa’s species.

The prides have well defended home ranges and defend them vigorously. They feed on all warm blooded prey from mice to buffalo, but in lean times will eat almost anything, even insects and reptiles. They have been known to tackle larger animals such as young elephant and hippopotamus, and sometimes are successful in the kill. The females do most of the hunting, but at a kill precedence is given to the males. The call of a Lion at night is one of the most unforgettable sounds of the African bush.

The appearance a male Lion is 1.2 meters tall at the shoulders and has a mass of up to and over 200 kg. Females are slightly smaller and weigh about 130 kg. Their under parts are whitish with a general tawny to sandy tinge. Rosettes and spots are characteristic of young animals and females often retain these on their under parts. Only males have a long tawny mane on the sides of the face and on top of the head. In some individuals this mane can become almost black.

Lions prey mainly on large animals such as Zebra, Wildebeest, Buffalo, Gemsbok and even Giraffe. Smaller prey like Impala, Steenbok and even Porcupine are taken when the opportunity arises. The task of hunting is often left to the lionesses of the pride, which hunt as a team.

Lions are non-seasonal breeders, yet females of a pride often synchronize births. After a gestation period of 110 days, one to four cubs are born. Cubs start taking meat after ten weeks. Females suckle their own and one another’s cubs for up to six months. After birth, cubs are hidden for six weeks after which mothers bring them to the pride’s crhche. The young remain dependant on the organizational success of the pride for up to three years.

Prides consist of two to 12 related females and their young, and dominant males. Such males may form coalitions of two to six, and collectively hold tenure over prides. The roar of the Lion is an impressive sound and is perhaps the sound most associated with the African wild.

Apart from roaring, Lions also communicate by scent-marking their surroundings, and even by their facial expressions and body postures. Lions display their aggression by showing their impressive canine teeth, retracting their ears and displaying the dark patch behind the ears, their tails twitching in irritation. Where they are found Sub-Saharan Africa is the last refuge of these supreme animals and South Africa offers some of the best opportunities to view lions in their natural habitat.

These tawny animals are the largest of Africa’s cat family. The young lion have characteristic rosettes and spots which usually disappear as they mature. Male lions have manes, some being darker than others. The lion has a white beard and long white whiskers growing from dark spots on the upper lip. The back of the lion’s ears is black and the tail ends with a tuft of black hair.

The large paws are padded and have well developed claws.

Statistics:

Shoulder Height: 0.95 -1.2 meters at the shoulder.

Weight: 175 - 250 kg.

The lifespan of the lion is 15 years. [in captivity they reach an age of up to 30 years].

Physical Traits:

The Lion looks pale yellow, with under parts lighter and the back frequently darker. The manes range in color from blonde to ginger to black. Male lions have manes encircling the neck, the lengths of which are dependant upon their geographic location and habitat.

They have a long tail with a tuft of dark hair at the end. Nose to tail measurements range between eight to ten feet. Female lions are considerably smaller at about two thirds the size of the males.

Facts about Lions:

Class: Mammilla

Order: Carnivora

Family: Felidae

Genus species: PANTHERA Leo

Note: Lions prefer to live in lightly wooded country, rich grasslands and thickets on the borders of plains. Lions do not like dense forests. Lions favorite time for hunting is in the early morning, the coolest hours of the day. The lionesses do the most of the hunting. They stalk as close to their prey as they can, until about 20 meters and then launch an attack. They can reach a speed of 55 km/h. Often the lionesses hunt together. Several of them lie in wait downwind of a herd, while another one goes around the herd to the upwind side. Suddenly she breaks cover and chases the frightened wildebeests, zebras or antelopes towards the other lionesses waiting in ambush. After a good hunt, lions eat enough for several days.

Lion females can breed several times a year, but after a litter, the next will come after about two years. Lion cubs are born blind and very small. Lions cubs weigh only 1 to 2 kg at birth. Their eyes open after about two weeks. The cubs suckle not only with their own mother, but also with other lionesses. So each lioness is promoting her own genes, because the females in a pride are closely related. Cubs eat meat from their sixth week and they remain weaned six to eight months. Newborn cubs have grayish spots in their skin, which fade away in about three months.

Think of this: there are only few lions left in nature. That is because of human hunters. Of course, lions kill other animals too. But that is not for joy, that is for keeping the populations of herbivore animals in balance with their surroundings.