All Facts About Lions
The lion is Africa’s great apex predator and the only truly social member of the cat family. Here is a field guide to their bodies, their lives and the remarkable ways they survive in the wild.
At a Glance
Females 120–180 kg
Females 1.6–1.9 m
Anatomy of a Lion
Mane
Only adult males grow a mane. It makes them look larger, shields the neck in fights and usually darkens with age; a dark, full mane signals a healthy, strong male.
Eyes
Amber-gold eyes with large pupils give lions excellent night vision, which is why they do most of their hunting after dark.
Teeth & tongue
Long canine teeth grip and hold prey, sharp back teeth slice meat, and a tongue covered in tiny backward-facing spines scrapes meat from bone.
Paws & claws
Soft pads let lions stalk in silence. Their sharp claws stay pulled back while walking and spring out to grab and hold prey.
Coat
The tawny, sand-coloured coat blends perfectly into dry savannah grass. Cubs are born with spots that fade as they grow.
Tail tuft
The lion is the only cat with a dark tuft at the tip of its tail, used to signal and keep track of one another in tall grass.
Male & Female
| Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 150–260 kg | 120–180 kg |
| Mane | Yes, darkens with age | No |
| Main role | Defends the territory and the pride | Does most of the hunting and raises the cubs |
| Life in the pride | Leaves his birth pride at 2–3 years old and must win a new one | Usually stays in her birth pride for life, with her mother, sisters and aunts |
| Typical wild lifespan | Rarely more than about 12 years | Often up to 15–16 years |
The Longest-Lived Lions
Most wild lions live around 10 to 14 years, and very few males survive past 12, worn down by fights over territory and the hard life of a nomad. In zoos and sanctuaries, where food and veterinary care are constant, lions often live beyond 20.
Loonkiito · 19 years
Believed to be the oldest wild male lion in Africa and possibly the world. He lived in the Amboseli ecosystem of Kenya and was killed by herders in May 2023 after entering a livestock enclosure.
Captive record · 26–29 years
The oldest lion on record in captivity is reported to have lived to between 26 and 29 years old, dying in India in 2018.
Oto · 25 years
Japan’s oldest lion, Oto, lived to 25, the equivalent of about a century in human years, with a glossy coat and no chronic illness until her final weeks.
Characteristics & Behaviour
The only social cat
Lions live in prides of related females, their cubs and one or more resident males. A pride can number up to about 20 lions and defends a shared territory.
Teamwork hunters
Lionesses hunt together, spreading out to surround and isolate prey such as zebra, wildebeest and buffalo. Most hunts happen at night.
The roar
Both males and females roar, often together, to announce their territory and keep the pride in contact. Cubs only begin to roar at about one year old.
Feast and rest
A lion can eat 30–40 kg of meat in one meal, then rest for most of the day. Short bursts of intense action are followed by hours of lounging.
Cubs
After a pregnancy of about 3.5–4 months, a lioness gives birth to one to six cubs in a hidden den and brings them to the pride at 6–8 weeks, where other mothers help nurse them.
Where they live
African lions live in the savannahs, grasslands and open woodlands of sub-Saharan Africa. A small population of Asiatic lions survives in India’s Gir Forest.
Their Future
African lion numbers have fallen by more than 40% over the last three generations, mainly because of habitat loss and conflict with people over livestock. Protecting wild space, supporting the communities that live alongside lions, and following the stories of individual lions are all part of making sure the pride endures.
Sources include IUCN, PBS Nature, Zoo Berlin, Lion Guardians and published news reports.