Lions ('Panthera Leo') are the second largest members of the feline family in the world, with only the tiger physically larger. They are found in the open savannah and desert areas of Africa, south of the Sahara Desert. A small population can also be found in the Gir National Park in northwest India. Until about 10,000 years ago, lions could also be found in North America.
Male lions are typically 4 feet in height (1.2 meters), with a large mane of hair that begins to develop around age two that surrounds the neck. The mane can vary in color from tawny/tan to black. A lion's resounding roar can be heard more than 6 miles away.
Male lions weigh on average 400 to 500 pounds while female lions weigh 300 pounds. Lions are tan in color and have a slightly white under-body, with a tuft of black hair at the end of their tales. Females are 44 inches (1.1 meters) in height, and have no mane around their neck. Cubs are born with a slightly spotted coat, which changes to their parent's tawny coloration around three months of age. Female lions live longer than males, and Serengeti female lions can live up to age 18, whereas males typically live up to age 12.
Lions are the only 'social' cats, whereby related female lions live together and form groups called 'prides'. Lion prides are family groups with all of the females related, mothers and daughters, sisters and cousins, etc. While female lions will live with the pride for life, male lions will only last two to four years before they are evicted or killed by a new coalition of male lions that take over the pride. A pride can range from three to 30 individuals, but tend to average about fifteen members, which include male and female lions plus a number of cubs. The number of lions in a pride will vary significantly based on the number of prey animals that live or migrate through the pride's territory.
A pride of lions will live in a territory that they will defend from other lions. Lions identify their territory by roaring loudly or by physically scent marking trees or rocks outcrops. While female lions will hunt and kill most of the animals for the pride to eat, male lions are around primarily to defend the territory from other lion prides or nomadic male lions.
Conservation: Competition from humans for grassland has led to a drastic reduction in the lion's range. Lions now survive in greatest number where humans are scarce. Licensed hunting for sport continues in some areas, but the lion is protected in national parks such as the Masai Mara in Kenya.
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