20 Facts About Lions

1. A group of lions is called a pride. They must be very proud of themselves if that’s what they’re named. Despite popular belief, there can be more than one male in the pride. One male is usually dominant, but others can live below him.

2. Lions are the only species of big cat that lives in a group. Every other big cat is a big loner. Lions live in prides that can be up to 30 lions. Good luck being born in a pride with 30 lions. No one knows what will happen to you.

3. The female lions do the hunting in the pride. The men stay at home and protect the land and the young. While human men and women have traditionally reversed these roles, these lions believe in girl power all the way!

4. Male lions get to eat first. The female lions do all the hunting, but then the male lions get first dibs. Sounds like someone needs a union.

5. Baby lions start off with spots at the beginning of their lives. While they will grow into their famous golden tan coats, they start off with little white spots. Move out of the way, leopards, cheetahs, and jaguars.

6. Lionesses are pregnant for around 110 days (almost four months). They’ll have between one and four cubs in their belly to bring into the world. If only it were that common in human pregnancies. Women would only have to be pregnant once!

7. Lions only hunt every few days in the wild. Very different from us humans eating for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and sometimes second dinner. Lions will feast, rest, and then hunt again. In some zoos, they keep this practice by not feeding them for a couple of days during the week. They don’t want them to roll places instead of walk.

8. African lions used to live all over Africa. Now, they mostly only live sub-Sharan region. This is because they’ve been hunted and had their homes destroyed so much, they’re at risk of extinction. You’re very lucky to see a lion in the wild. That is, if you’re in a safe vehicle.

9. A full-grown male lion is 6-7 feet long. This is the ideal height (they say) for most human men. However, lions weigh 370-500 pounds, which is not ideal for the average human man. Unless you play for the NFL.

10. Lion King popularized lions for children everywhere. The animated movie showcased the highs and lows of Simba and Nala’s lives were awed at by all. However, there is a great chance these lovebirds were related. It’s less probable it was through the father, but more probable that their mothers were sisters or cousins.

11. Lions define their territory very well. Each pride has a strict section they’re allowed to roam and hunt in. These areas are marked with none other than urine. Lions pee around the perimeter to let other lions know there will be trouble if they enter.

12. Lions are carnivores. This means they only eat meat. They’ll hunt mostly large, hoofed animals, such as zebras, antelope, and wildebeests. This is why it’s so hard for Alex to not eat Marty in the movie Madagascar.

13. Lions usually won’t attack an elephant pride, despite popular belief. A strong elephant pride can resist a pack of hunting lionesses. However, they will take down a weak or wounded looking elephant. This is why elephants circle their babies when in danger. It helps protect them.

14. Lions tire out after hunting very quickly. This is why they need the element of surprise. They hide in the bushes and sneak up on their victims. If they don’t catch prey right away, they run out of steam. For this reason, a large amount of lioness hunts are flops.

15. Cats don’t notice wind direction. Some predators, such as humans, would stay downwind as to not alert their prey of their scent. However, lions don’t do this, and their prey will often get alerted prematurely. If the prey starts running, it’s less likely mama will be bringing home dinner.

16. Lions spend 21-22 hours a day resting or sleeping. That’s a long time. When you see a lion on a safari, they will most likely be at ease. They only hunt a couple hours a day and must regain their energy for the rest of the day. Similar to humans on the weekend.

17. Newborns lion cubs are blind when they’re born. It slowly fades, but they rely heavily on their mother and pride for protection. They begin learning how to hunt when they are 11 months old but are not able to live on their own until they’re around two.

18. You can hear an adult male lion’s roar from up to 8km away. That is so insanely far, that a normal human has trouble running it. At least that’s what I’ve heard. If you heard that roar in the savannah, you’d better hope you were the full 8km away. Or else you may be dead meat.

19. Lions can run up to 81km an hour. Think about driving a car and seeing a lion running that fast beside you. That’s super fast. They can only run this fast for a very short period of time, though. Just to get the kill when they’re hunting.

20. In the wild, despite being able to roam free, lions have a much lower life expectancy. In captivity, lions can live up to 25 years. In the wild, they live from 12 to 16 years. Their lifelines lessen from natural elements, no access to medical care, and poaching. Further, cubs die much faster in the wild than in zoos.