Lion Facts

   Lion have been mistakenly called the "King of the Jungle," but the fact is, lions do not inhabit jungles.

   While lion have also been referred to as the "King of the beats," this only partially true. Lions, in their habitats, are king of the predatory beasts, but they can be easily backed down or killed by elephants and water buffalo. A pack of hyenas can also back down or even kill a solitary lion.

    Lions are the only true social members of the cat family and live in groups called prides. All females in a pride are related. All lactating females will allow any cub in their pride to nurse. Lions run at a rate of 81 k mph. Lions sleep up to 20 hours a day. Male lions can usually only hold on to a pride for 2-4 years before a younger, stronger male or coalition of males throws him out and takes over.

    Many people only think of the females as doing the hunting, but as males spend much of their lives in search of a pride, they too must fend for themselves and are quite capable of hunting.

   White lions occur naturally in the wild in the Timbavati region of South Africa. These are no verified records (that I am aware of!) of the existence of any black (melanistic) lions. Male lions are the only members of the cat family to have a mane. Lions are the only felines with tufts at the ends of their tails. Female lions reach two thirds of their adults size by the time they are 2 years old.

    Males begin to really grow between 3 and 3.5 years and by 4 will be almost their adult size and weight. Both males and females continue to grow until they are 6 years old, primarily becoming more massive.

(Taken from: www.barbarylion.com)