Meet the Animal Park's Lions

NATIVE RANGE

Listed as vulnerable, with fewer than 25,000 left in the wild, lions today live only in Africa (with a small population of Asiatic lions in India’s Gir Forest). In Africa, they are concentrated largely in preserves and national parks, are not found in the tropical rain forest near the equator, and are extinct in North Africa.

DIET

Lions normally hunt from dusk till dawn and eat a variety of prey, from zebras and wildebeest to rodents and reptiles. They will steal kills from hyenas and leopards, but also can lose their own catches to groups of hyenas and wild dogs.

BEHAVIOR

Lions are the only social big cats, living in groups called prides. These are family units that may include up to 15 or more animals (groups of up to 30 or so have been observed) including one or more males, 5 to 10 females, and their young.

FASCINATING FACTS

• Lions are the second-largest big cat (tiger, lion, jaguar, leopard) and Africa’s largest predator. A male may stand 4 feet high at the shoulder and weigh up to 550 pounds.
• Lionesses are the pride’s primary hunters, though males will assist when the prey is very large. Males are the primary protectors of the pride and its territory.
• Lions nap or rest up to about 20 hours per day.
• The lion’s roar is used to communicate with other pride members and warn intruders of territorial boundaries. In Africa, a roar can be heard up to 5 miles away.