One of the most famous of the “big five”, the Lion or Panthera Leo is a member of the family Felidae and is one of the four big cats in the Panthera genus. Large males can exceed 250kg in weight and it is the second largest living cat after the Tiger.

Lions in their natural habitat currently live in sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia and have a critically endangered population in northwest India. They used to live in North Africa, the Middle East and Western Asia but have all been wiped out since.

About 10,000 years ago the lion was the most widespread large land mammal besides humans and they were found in most of Africa, much of Eurasia from Western Europe to India and in the Americas from the Yukon to Peru.

Being a lion cub is actually quite hard however, lionesses in secure habitat such as Kruger National Park may frequently reach an age of 12-14 years old whereas lions seldom live longer than 8 years. There are records of lionesses living for up to 20 years in the wild and in captivity both male and female lions can live for over 20 years.

Lions typically inhabit savanna and grassland and sometimes they take to bush and forest. Lions are quite social compared to other cats and a pride of lions generally consists of related females and offspring and a small number of adult males. Groups of female lions typically hunt together, preying mostly on large animals such as gazelles. Lions are apex and keystone predators and although they will resort to scavenging if the opportunity arises they usually stick to their own pride lands and hunt the food of their choice – or what’s readily available. In general lions do not selectively hunt humans however, some have been known to become man-eaters and seek human prey.

As a vulnerable species the Lion has seen a possibly irreversible population decline over the past two decades and populations are untenable outside designated reserves and national parks. Although the cause of the decline in population is not that well understood, habitat loss and conflicts with humans - such as poaching – are the main concern for animal conservationists.

Lions are a popular zoo species and are highly sought after for exhibitions. Most if not all Zoos are cooperating worldwide in breeding programs for the endangered Asiatic subspecies of the Lion.

Visually, the male is highly distinctive and is easily recognized by its mane. The head of the male lion is one of the most widely recognized animal symbols in human culture. It has been depicted extensively in literature, sculptures, paintings, on national flags and in contemporary films and literature. The lioness has been recognized, however, as the pinnacle of hunting prowess from the earliest of human writings and graphic representations. The lionesses are the hunters for their pride and capture their prey with precise and complex teamwork. Each lioness develops specific skills for her role in the hunting techniques used by her pride and, generally, assumes that role during most hunts.

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