Interesting facts on Lions
March 22, 2023
Lions are one of Africa’s most recognizable animals, and definitely high up on the list to see when on safari. Did you know these interesting facts about Lions?
- Lions are the second largest cats in the world, with only the tiger being bigger.
- Spending most of the day sleeping or resting, lions are the laziest of the big cats. They have few sweat glands, so they wisely tend to conserve their energy by resting during the day and become more active at night when it is cooler.
- Lions are the most sociable of all the big cats and live in prides. Most cats (wild and domestic) are solitary hunters, but lions are actually very social animals.
- Lionesses are the primary hunters of the pride as they are smaller and more agile than males, but males do hunt too.
- Female lions in the same pride often give birth around the same time and they raise their cubs together. Mothers will nurse any cubs in the pride, not just their own.
- 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 climb trees, but compared to leopards, they are not as graceful at climbing trees as they are not adapted for climbing.
- Lions are apex predators, which means they are at the top of the food chain.
- A lion’s roar can be heard up to 5 miles away.
