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Lions are believed to have existed on Earth for 2 million
years or longer.
| Male lions are the only cats
with manes, and only the male
lions have manes. Male lions have manes to make them look fierce and to protect their throats when fighting with
other males. The darker a lion’s mane, the older he is.
| Unlike most cats, lions are
great swimmers.
| A lion’s roar can be heard up to 8
kilometers away.
| Lions are the only social cats. They live in
groups. A group of lions is called a pride.
| Lions remember each other from their scents. When they rub their heads on each other,
they transmit their personal odor on the other members
of the group.
| Lions spend most of their day resting. In fact, they remain inactive for about 20 hours
a day and they hunt during the night hours.
They wait for the coolest, darkest
times to hunt.
| Lions are Africa’s largest carnivore. They hunt large
mammals such as zebras, buffaloes and even elephants.
Female lions do most of the
hunting.
| Without their coats, lion and tiger bodies are so similar that only experts can tell them apart.
| A typical meal for an adult lion is 7 kilograms
of meat. But lions can eat as much as 27 kilograms at a sitting.
| When lions walk, their heels don’t touch the ground.
| Lions drink with their tongues, and it usually takes about 10 minutes
for a lion to drink.
| Lions can run at a top speed of 58 kilometers an hour, but not for
long.
| Female lions give birth to 1~5 cubs every
2 years. Their average weight at birth is 1 to 2
kilograms. Lion cubs are born with grayish spots. The spots
disappear by the time they
are 3 months old.
| A fully grown adult male lion can weigh between 150 and 250
kilograms or more. It can reach a length of 3 meters.
Female lions are slightly smaller.
| The average lifespan of lions
in the wild is 15 years. But they may live nearly 30 years in captivity. |
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