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Lions have been mistakenly called
the "king of the Jungle," but the fact is,
lions do not inhabit jungles. |
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While lions have also been
referred to as the "king of the beasts," this is
only partially true. Lions, in their habitats, are kings
of the predatory beasts, but they can be easily backed down or
killed by elephants and water buffalo. A pack of hyenas
can also back down or even kill a solitary lion! |
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When it comes to mating, lions are
the champions! Lions can copulate up to as many as 100
times in a 24 hr. period! |
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Lions are the only true social
members of the cat family and live in groups called prides. |
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All females in a pride are
related. |
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All lactating females will allow
any cub in their pride to nurse. |
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Lions run at a rate of 50 mph (81
kmph). |
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Lions sleep up to 20 hours a day. |
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Male lions can usually only hold
on to a pride for 2-4 years before a younger, stronger male or
coalition of males throws him out and takes over. |
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Many people only think of the
females as doing the hunting, but as males spend much of their
lives in search of a pride, they too must fend for themselves
and are quite capable of hunting! |
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White lions occur naturally in the
wild in the Timbavati region of South Africa. There are
no verified records (that I am aware of!) of the existence of
any black (melanistic) lions. |
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Lions are the only sexually
dimorphic members of the cat family. |
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Male lions are the only members of
the cat family to have a mane. |
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Lions are the only felines with
tufts at the ends of their tails. |
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Female lions reach two thirds of
their adult size by the time they are 2 years old. |
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Males begin to really grow between
3 and 3 1/2 years and by 4 will be almost their adult size and
weight. |
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Both males and females continue to
grow until they are 6 years old, primarily becoming more
massive. |
