African lion

Common Name: African lions

Scientific Name: Panthera leo

Type: Mammals

Diet: CarnivoreGroup

Name: Pride

Size: Head and body, 4.5 to 6.5 feet; tail, 26.25 to 39.5inches

Weight: 265 to 420 pounds

What is the African lion?

African lions have been admired throughout history for as symbols of courage and strength. These iconic animals have powerful bodies—in the cat family, they’re second in size only to tigers—and lion roars that can be heard from five miles away. An adult lion’s coat is yellow-gold, and juveniles have some light spots that disappear with age. Only male lions typically boast manes, the impressive fringe of long hair that encircles their heads.

Habitat

The species once roamed most of Africa and parts of Asia and Europe. But African lions have disappeared from 94 percent of its historic range and can only be found today in parts of sub-Saharan Africa. These lions mainly stick to the grasslands, scrub, or open woodlands where they can more easily hunt their prey, but they can live in most habitats aside from tropical rainforests and deserts.

Asiatic lions (Panthera leo persica) are a subspecies of African lion, but only one very small population survives in India's Gir Forest.

Behaviors

They are the most social cats.

While most cat species are solitary, this big cat is an exception. It has developed a social system based on teamwork, division of labor, and an extended family unit. The average pride consists of about 15 individuals, with five to 10 females, their young, and two or three territorial males. These are usually brothers or pride mates who have formed a coalition to protect their females.

They are affectionate.

When resting, which may be up to 20 hours a day, these cats seem to enjoy good fellowship with lots of touching, head rubbing, licking, and purring.

Their parenting styles are wildly different.

Usually, two or more females in a pride give birth around the same time, and the cubs are raised together. Some mothers carefully nurture their young and will even permit other lion cubs other to suckle, sometimes enabling a neglected infant to survive. However, at times, a female may also neglect or abandon her cubs, especially if food is scarce.

Diet

African lions are both hunters and scavengers.

Antelope, zebra, and wildebeests are common prey for this big cat. However, scavenged food provides more than 50 percent of their diets—these big cats will often take over kills made by other carnivores—and cooperative hunting enables them to take down prey as large as buffaloes, rhinos, hippos, and giraffes. The female does 85 to 90 percent of the hunting, usually by setting up an ambush for its prey. The kill is not shared equally within a pride, and at times of prey scarcity, cubs might experience higher mortality rates as hungry females may not even share with their offspring.