Of all the big cat species the lion is the second largest after the tiger
The world
record for the heaviest lion recorded was a male that weighed 375kg (826
pounds)!
When a
new male has taken over a pride, any young cubs are normally killed. The reason
he does this is that any females within the pride that have young that are
killed will very soon go into estrus and be ready for mating with the new
male.
Of all
cat species the lion is the only one that lives in permanent groups. The
collective noun for a group of lions is a 'PRIDE' of lions.
Females
do most of the hunting but when hunting large games species such as buffalo,
giraffe, rhino or elephant the males will often join in.
Even when
a kill has been made by the females the male still feeds first as he is the
strongest in the pride. Females and cubs will often not feed at all if a small
animal was killed.
The roar of a lion can be heard over 8km (5 miles) away. Roaring is a form of communication between lions.
Lions are
very lazy animals spending up to 18 hours a day sleeping.
A large
male lion can eat as much as 25kg (55 pounds) on one feeding!
At a top
running speed a lion can reach 80km/h (49mph) for short distances.
Lions
were once found throughout Africa, Europe and Asia. Africa has the largest
population today with only 300 to 400 lions living in the reserves in India.
