MALE LIONS CAN WEIGH 30 STONE
On average, male lions weigh 190kg (almost 30 stone) and females weigh 126kg (almost 20 stone). They need this weight and power behind them to hunt large prey and defend their pride.
LION CUBS ARE REARED TOGETHER
A pride of lions is usually made up of related females and their cubs, plus a male or small group of males who defend their pride. The lionesses rear their cubs together and cubs can suckle from any female with milk.
LIONS CAN GET THEIR WATER FROM PLANTS
Lions are highly adaptable and can live in very dry areas like the Kalahari Desert. Here they get most of their water from their prey and will even drink from plants such as the Tsamma melon.
LIONS ARE BIG EATERS
Lions can eat up to 40kg of meat in a single meal - around a quarter of their body weight. Their tongues have sharp-pointed rasps, called papillae, which are used to scrape meat off the bones.
Lions have great forebody strength which enables them to bring down and hold prey sometimes with just a swipe of their larger front paws. Lions' night vision is highly developed.
Lions stand between 3.5 and 4 feet (1 and 1.2 meters) tall at the shoulder.
Their coats are yellow-gold, and adult males have shaggy manes that range in color from blond to reddish-brown to black
Lions inhabit a wide range of habitats, from open plains to thick brush and dry thorn forest
Lions inhabit a wide range of habitats, from open plains to thick brush and dry thorn forest
Zebra, warthog, blue wildebeest, impala, buffalo, and waterbuck are frequently taken (Hayward and Kerley 2005; Loveridge et al. 2006)