Lion facts
Did you know that ...?
• The biggest lion ever recorded measured 333 cm - 131 inch from the tip of the tail to the tip of the nose and weighed 313 kg - 688 pounds!
• Lions are the second biggest cats in the world next to the tiger.
• Lions have a bite force of 600 pounds per square inch.
• The oldest lion ever recorded was Nero, who died at the age of 29 at Cologne Zoo, Germany, in 1907.
• Lions can reach speeds near to 50 mph (80km/h)!
• If you cross a lion with a tiger you get a liger. A liger cannot reproduce but grows much bigger than the tiger or lion.
• Lions live in prides of 3 to 30 lions.
• The name of a male is referred to as a lion or tom.
• The name of a female is referred to as a she-lion or lioness
• Offspring, or a baby Lion, is a cub, whelp or lionet who lives in a lions den.
• Lions are the only social cats in the world that live in groups.
• The lion is the only cat whose tail ends in a tuft. The tuft starts growing when the lion cub is around 5 and a half months old
• Lions sleep up to 20 hours a day.
• Lionesses do most of the hunting for the pride, as they are smaller and faster.
• Although lions have very sharp teeth, they usually kill their prey by asphyxiation (strangulation).
• Most lions hunt large mammals such as antelope, wildebeest, zebras and warthogs but lions living near the Namib coast
feed extensively on seals. Occasionally, when lions are very hungry they will even hunt a baby elephant.
• Lions have the loudest roar of any big cat and can be heard up to 8 kilometres away.
This website is NOT intended to give lions a negative image. We think lions are one of the beautiful creations God put on this planet. This website shows you what damage they can do but also what impressive and magnificent creatures they are. BUT! To be handled with caution! If a lion attacks it’s because people are invading their territory or take dumb risks. Lions should not live as a pet or in captivity.
For more information on big cats protection go to: www.bigcatrescue.org