The lion is a very large cat. Originally commonly found throughout southern Europe, eastern and central India and all of Africa, today they can only be found living wild in Africa. They prefer the grassy plains and savannah, which is common throughout much of the African continent. The most recognisable feature of the lion is its golden mane which only male lions have. Muscular legged and strong jawed with good eyesight, hearing and sense of smell, lions are carnivores (meat eaters) hunting for wildebeest, buffalo, giraffe, zebra and antelope. It is the females who do most of the hunting.
Males can reach over 8’ (2.5 metres) long, and a large male may weigh up to 550 pounds (200 kilos). Lions live in groups of up to 30 which consist of 2 or 3 males, up to 10 related females (sisters and cousins) and their young. This group is called a pride. So many females enable the pride to operate a crèche system, freeing up some females to hunt whilst others tend the young.
With a short gestation period of up to 120 days and up to 6 to a litter, the cubs are very vulnerable for the first few years of life. Once fully grown, however, the lion has virtually no predators. Cubs are born with spots on their fur, which gradually fade as they mature. At 3 years of age the young males are driven from the pride and form single sex groups which roam around trying to take over established prides.
