Celebrate World Lion Day with 10 Amazing Lion Facts

Lions are one of Africa’s most recognizable animals and for good reason: more than any other animal in the African wilderness, lions signify courage, strength, and power. Spending up to 20 hours of the day sleeping or resting, lions are the laziest of the big cats. They can be found lying on their backs with their feet up or taking a snooze in the shade. While lazing around, they are very affectionate towards one another, rubbing heads, grooming, and purring.

At Lion World Travel nothing represents the essence of Africa more so than the lion which is at the center of our brand and the nickname for our mascot “Lionel”. He embodies playfulness as can be seen in our logo – Lionel’s tongue is dangling lazily out of his mouth.

Here are some amazing lion facts:

1) Lions Are Social

Lions are the most sociable of all the big cats. They live in groups called prides, which usually consist of related females and their offspring. The typical pride consists of ten to fifteen lions, with several adult females, their cubs and up to four males. Some lion prides can be as large as 40 members!

2) Lions Don't Need to Drink Everyday, But They Do Need to Eat

Lions can go up to four days without drinking water, but if available, they will drink water every day. Lions do need to eat every day. Adult lioness need to eat about 11 pounds of meat each day, while adult males eat 16 pounds or more every day. While lions primarily prey on large herbivores such as zebra, wildebeest, and buffalo, they have been known to prey on smaller animals like mice, birds, hares, lizards, and tortoises.

3) Lionesses Do Most of the Hunting

Lionesses are the primary hunters of the pride. They are smaller and more agile than males and they use teamwork to bring an animal down. After a successful hunt, all the lions in the pride share the meal. But there is a pecking order, with the adult males eating first, followed by the lionesses and finally the cubs. The males protect both the pride and the pride’s territory (which can extend up to 100 square miles) from competing prides and other predators. 

4) Lions Are Superb Hunters

Lions hunt by ambush. Fanning out, they form a semicircle, with the smaller lionesses herding the prey towards the center. A lion’s vision is roughly six times more sensitive to light than humans, giving them a distinct advantage when hunting at night. Lion’s claws are retractable, reaching up to 1 ½ inches in length, allowing for the tremendous control when it needs to go in for a kill. Lions can also reach speeds of up to 50 miles per hour in short bursts and can jump up to 36 feet.  So, it is easy to see why the lion is referred to as the “king of the jungle”, which leads us to our next fact...

5) Lions Do Not Live in Jungles

Although lions are known as the "king of the jungle", lions in Africa do not actually live in a jungle. Instead, their primary habitats consist of Africa’s grasslands and plains. Three of the five largest lion populations are found in the wide-open savannas of Tanzania.

6) Lions Communicate in Many Ways

Lions communicate in different ways using sounds like roars, growls, moans, and grunts. Also, by leaving scent markings and through visual signals, such as the darkness of the mane. They also rub their heads on one another as an act of bonding and to spread the "family scent". A lion's roar can be heard up to 5 miles away. This is a warning to other predators and to protect their territory from competing males, also to attract mating partners.

7) Lioness Raise Cubs Together

Females in the same pride tend to give birth around the same time, which allows multiple litters to be raised together. Lionesses will take care of their cubs until they reach the age of two or three. The mother then goes through estrus (heat cycle) and carries another litter. This is when the pride forces the male lion cubs and some of the female lion cubs out. They must now fend for themselves or find another pride. Male lions do not directly participate in the parenting, but they will protect the pride's cubs from danger. 

8) More Lion Cub Facts

When they are born, cubs are very small, and their eyes are closed until they are two to three weeks old.  Even then, they cannot see properly for another few weeks. This is when they are vulnerable to attack from large birds, snakes and even male lions. A lioness will keep her cubs hidden from other lions for around six weeks until they are old enough to follow the pride.  Lion cubs are full of life and grow up playing with the other youngsters in the pride. They can be seen leaping, rolling, and gently biting. This type of play builds strength and family bonds.

9) Lions Are the Second Largest Cat on Earth

Only slightly smaller than the Siberian tiger, the lion is the second largest big cat, with a muscular, deep-chested body, short, rounded head, round ears, and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. Unlike all other big cats that are solitary hunters, lions are social animals and live together in prides. Male lions can grow up to 10 feet in length and weigh up to 550 pounds, while female lions can grow to a length of 9 feet and weigh up to 390 pounds.

10) Lions Can Climb Trees (If They Have To)

Most lions spend all their time on the ground, but in some parks across Africa they have learned to climb trees. Compared to leopards, they are not very graceful at climbing trees as they are not adapted for climbing. The reason why lions climb or sleep in trees is to get away from pesky biting flies and insects on the ground, and they have a higher vantage point to see if any other animals are nearby. These special tree-climbing lions are most popular in Tanzania. Queen Elizabeth National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, Lake Nakuru National Park, and Tarangire National Park are the best places to possibly see them. With that said, some lucky visitors to the Serengeti have seen lions in trees too.

By booking with Lion World Travel, you can be sure that you are helping to support lion conservation in Africa. For more information, read about our Animal Welfare policy.