When we talk about beasts of the jungle, lions top the list for being a symbol of courage, bravery, and strength. This apex predator is characterised by a muscled long body, short legs, a large head, and a big mane in males. Although we generally imagine them as savannah animals, lions also live in woodlands, grasslands, and large forests in the world. In this blog, you will read some interesting facts about lions that might help you understand what makes this beast the king of the jungle.
Amazing Fun Facts About Lions
1. A group of lions is known as ‘pride’. There can be up to 40 members in a pride.
2. The roar of a lion can be heard from 5 miles away.
3. There are two recognised subspecies of lions, the African lion and the Asiatic lion.
4. The African lion is found in Africa and a small population of Asiatic lions exist in India’s Gir Forest National Park.
5. Asiatic lions are smaller than African lions.
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6. The average weight of a male lion can be around 190 kg whereas a female can weigh up to 126 kg.
7. Female lions tend to live longer than males.
8. Female lions also do most of the hunting while males guard the territory.
9. Young lions have spots and rosettes on their coats which help them camouflage. They gradually disappear as they grow up and mature.
10. Lions can grow manes up to 16cm long. It helps them show their dominance over other members of the pride.
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11. Maneless lions are more common in parts of Africa. It can be the result of adaptation to the local climate as manes tend to reduce heat loss.
12. Lions can easily adapt to extreme weather conditions and survive in dry areas like the Kalahari Desert.
13. They can drink water from some plants such as Tsamma melon.
14. Lions can eat up to 40kg of meat in one meal.
15. Their tongues have papillae or sharp-pointed rasps which help them to scrape meat off the bones.
16. They prefer to hunt at night and during storms as it makes it difficult for the prey to see or hear them.
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17. During a hunt, some lionesses play the role of ‘wing’ and their job is to chase the prey towards other lionesses who are playing as the ‘centre’.
18. The litter size is about 3 to 6 cubs. Once the cubs have been born, lionesses hide them from the pride until they are strong enough to keep up with others.
19. Female lionesses tend their cubs at the same time to increase their chances of survival.
20. A pride of lions roar together to mark their territory and ward off potential rivals.
21. Lions can sleep up to 21 hours a day, allowing them to preserve their energy for hunting or survival fights.
22. Factors such as a decrease in the population of prey, loss of habitat, and killing of lions are constantly contributing to a rapid decline in their population.
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FAQs
5 interesting facts about lions are that they can eat up to 40kg of meat in one meal, their litter size is about 3 to 6 cubs, they can sleep 21 hours a day, they ward off rivals by roaring, and lastly, their manes can be 16 cm long.
Some unique features of a lion are that they have a strong and long body with powerful forelegs. Their sharp teeth and strong jaws help pull down and kill the prey. Moreover, their long manes help assert dominance over other members of the pride.
Lions have always been admired for their strength and hunting skills. They are powerful beasts who prey on smaller animals, like zebra, leopards, and hyenas. They also live in big prides which may contain up to 40 members.
Hope you had fun reading these interesting fun facts about lions. If you like reading about facts, you can visit our interesting facts page to read more such blogs.