Species Information

The Lion (in this case a male) is a magnificent animal that appears as a symbol of power, courage and nobility on family crests, coats of arms and national flags in many civilizations.

Lions at one time were found from Greece through the Middle East to northern India but today only a very small population remains in India. In the past lions lived in most parts of Africa, but are now confined to the sub-Saharan region.

While most cat species live a fundamentally solitary existence, the Lion is an exception. It has developed a social system based on teamwork and a division of labor within the pride, and an extended but closed family unit centered around a group of related females. The average pride consists of about 15 individuals, including five to 10 females with their young and two or three territorial males that are usually brothers or pride mates.

Mature male lions are unique among the cat species for the thick mane of brown or black hair that encircles the head and neck. The tails of lions end in a horny spine covered with a tuft of hair. Females do 85 to 90 percent of the pride's hunting, while the males patrol the territory and protect the pride, for which they take the "lion's share" of the females' prey.

When males take over a pride they usually kill any cubs. The females come into estrus and the new males sire other cubs.

When resting, lions seem to enjoy good fellowship with lots of touching, head rubbing, licking and purring. But when it comes to food, each lion looks out for itself. Squabbling and fighting are common, with adult males usually eating first, followed by the females and then the cubs.

They typically spend 16 to 20 hours a day sleeping and resting, devoting the remaining hours to hunting, courting or protecting their territory.

Lions may hunt at any hour, but they typically go after large prey at night. They hunt together to increase their success rate, since prey can be difficult to catch and can outrun a single lion. The lions fan out along a broad front or semicircle to creep up on prey. Once with within striking distance, they bound in among the startled animals, knock one down and kill it with a bite to the neck or throat. Hunts are successful about half the time.

They eat everything from tortoises to giraffes but tend to hunt the prey they grew up eating, and food preferences differ among prides. They take prey as large as wildebeests, zebras, buffaloes, young elephants, rhinos, hippos and giraffes, any of which can provide several meals for the pride. They also eat mice, lizards, tortoises, warthogs, antelopes and even crocodiles. Because they often take over kills made by hyenas, cheetahs or leopards, scavenged food provides more than 50 percent of their diets in areas like the Serengeti plains.

Females are lifelong residents of their motherss territories - unless food is too scarce, in which case extras migrate.

Most lions drink water daily if available, but can go four or five days without it. Lions in arid areas seem to obtain needed moisture from the stomach contents of their prey.

Information source: African Wildlife Foundation and the National Audubon Society Field Guide to African Wildlife