Lion Facts

• 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.

• Today, wild lions live in sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia; an endangered population also lives in a part of India.

• The lion is the second largest type of cat. The largest is the tiger.

• The life span of a lion is 10-14 years in the wild; in captivity, they can live up to 20 years.

• Female lions do the majority of the hunting.

• 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.

• 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.

• Lion cubs weigh 2.5 to 5 pounds at birth.