Tikiri Animal Knowledge Series
The first in our animal knowledge series was the giraffe so we thought it was only fitting to do the next one on the mighty lion – who happen to be the main predators of the giraffe.
The lion is known as the king of the jungle….hang on wait a minute – lions don’t live in jungles! Their primary habitats are grasslands, scrubland and rocky hills – certainly not jungles! Why king of the jungle then? Well it’s because the word jungle derives from the Hindi word jangle which translates to forest or wasteland where lions do live!
Are there any other lion myths we can uncover in our Lion fun facts? Read on to discover more…
Lion Fun Facts
- Lions are the only cats who live in groups. Their groups are called prides which can contain up to 30 lions. That’s a lot of sharp teeth and claws!
- A baby lion is called a cub and they generally grow up in a pride made up of different mums. They all grow up together and suckle from not just their mum but other females too.
Photo credit: Anthony Evert
3. Lions are heavy….males can weigh up to 30 stone and females 20 stone. They use this heavy weight and power along with their teeth and claws to be fantastic predators.
4. A lion is from the same family as our feline pets at home - our cats!
Photo credit: Samantha Hurley
- Manes are not just a sign of gender….a males mane is also a sign of dominance and they get darker as they get older. They use their magnificent manes to attract females but also to protect their head and neck from injuries during fights.
Photo Credit: Matthew Henry
6. Lions like a big meal – they can eat up to 40kg of food in a single meal! They do this because they only feed every 3-4 days so need to stock up when they can!
7. The female lions are the primary hunters and generally hunt at night due to having excellent night vision giving them the advantage over their prey. The male lions protect the pride whilst the females are away.
8. Lions are highly adaptable – they have to be due to living in very dry areas like deserts. In these dry places if can difficult to find water so they can also get water from plants such as melons.
Photo credit: Avelino Calvar Martinez
9. Lions are top sprinters- they can run as fast 50mph however this is only for short periods as they lack stamina.
10. Lions are the laziest of the big cats spending up to 20 hours of the day sleeping and resting – it’s a lions life eh!
We hope you enjoyed our 10 lion facts – keep an eye out for our next animal in the limelight in the next few weeks.
If your child would like their own miniature lion of their own you can buy our lion comforter and teether toy here or our lion bath/rattle toy here.