Long before The Lion King, kids have been fascinated by these glorious big cats. From their gorgeous manes and enormous paws to their powerful roars and even more powerful jaws, lions have the power to amaze and impress. Share these fun facts about lions with your students to show them just how incredible these creatures really are.
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25 Facts About Lions for Kids
1. The lion is the second-largest member of the cat family, behind the tiger.
Tigers are just a little bit longer in the body, but they weigh a couple hundred more pounds. That’s all due to muscle, which makes tigers incredibly strong. In 2011, a tiger killed a lion with a single swipe of its paw in a zoo in Turkey. However, lions usually fight in groups, so there’s still a chance they could take on a tiger in a head-to-head fight!
2. Male lions weigh up to 500 pounds, while females usually top out around 400 pounds.
A male lion measures up to about 10 feet from nose to the tip of the tail, while a female comes in at about 8 feet. They stand nearly 4 feet tall at the shoulder. Their bodies are strongly muscled, with short legs ending in powerful paws tipped with 1.5-inch claws.
3. Most of the world’s lions live in Africa, except for a very small population in India.
There are two surviving subspecies of lion, the African lion and the Asiatic lion. The latter species lives in a protected reserve in the Gir Forest of western India; there are only about 600 to 700 Asiatic lions living in the wild. They’re very similar to African lions, except they’re a little bit smaller.
4. Simba is the Swahili word for lion. It means “king.”
So that’s why Disney used that name in The Lion King! But not all facts about lions in the Disney movie are accurate. Lion prides don’t usually have a ruling male. In fact, it’s usually a dominant female who’s in charge. And Scar and Mufasa would probably have worked together to protect the pride as brothers, until one or both of them left to join new prides. However, one aspect of the film is true: Lion fathers usually do show great affection for their cubs.
5. A lion’s roar can be heard from up to 5 miles away.
Only four species of big cats can roar: lions, tigers, leopards, and jaguars. They have flexible voice boxes that can stretch and grow, allowing them to let out their earth-shaking bellows. Other big cats like cheetahs and mountain lions don’t have this feature—they’re more likely to purr like a pet cat!
6. Lions live in family groups called prides.
An average lion pride contains about 13 members, though they can be as large as 40. They often split into smaller groups of three to five lions to roam and hunt their territory, which usually averages around 125 miles. Lions are the only cat species to live in groups. The rest are usually loners that prefer to be on their own.
7. Female lions usually stay in their mothers’ prides for life.
There are more females than males in most prides, usually all related to one another. They raise their cubs communally, feeding and caring for each other’s offspring. When food supplies are short, though, some females over 2 years old may be forced to leave the pride. They may try to join another pride that has a more plentiful food supply.
8. Lions live to be about 10 to 14 years old in the wild.
Female lions, known as lionesses, may live up to 16 years, but males rarely survive past age 12. This is because males live more dangerous lives, roaming more frequently on their own and fighting off potential threats. In captivity, a lion may live 20 to 30 years.
9. Lions are hypercarnivores, meaning their diet is made up almost entirely of meat.
Another term that describes lions is “obligate carnivore.” This means they’re unable to properly digest plants and must eat meat to survive. All cats, big and small, are obligate carnivores. For them, a healthy diet requires meat, and lots of it.
10. Female lions hunt for food, while males defend the pride.
While males can and do hunt successfully, there’s usually a division of labor between lions and lionesses. Males protect their territory, marking its boundaries with strong-smelling urine and driving out intruders. Females care for cubs and keep the pride fed.
11. A lion’s favorite foods include wildebeest, zebra, and antelope.
In their preferred grasslands, these animals are common. But lions that live in other habitats hunt different animals, including elephants, rodents, reptiles, and even crocodiles. Lions also steal prey from others like cheetahs and hyenas.
12. Lions usually hunt at night.
Lions hunt in groups, working together to track down and kill their prey. Lionesses walk an average of 7.5 miles in search of food, though longer hunts can take them as far as 25 miles. Once they make a kill, the pride gathers around the carcass for a few days to feast. They often fight over their share, tussling over who gets first choice. Cubs usually eat last.
13. A male lion can eat up to 75 pounds of meat at a single meal.
They usually don’t eat quite so much, though. Males eat around 16 pounds of meat each day, while females scarf down about 11 pounds. If necessary, lions can go up to a week without eating after they’ve dined well. They can also go a long time without water, getting the fluids they need from the food they eat.
14. A lion may rest or sleep for up to 21 hours every day.
Just like house cats, lions can be pretty lazy! It takes a lot of energy to hunt and protect against predators, so lions spend plenty of time lying around and resting up. In fact, if you see lions during the hottest part of the day, they’ll almost always be sprawled out napping in the shade. When dusk arrives with cooler temps, they gear up for the night’s hunt.
15. Only male lions grow manes.
Well, OK, there have been a few cases where female lions grew manes, but they continue to puzzle scientists. Generally, only males have manes (and not all male lions grow them, though most do). Biologists think manes help protect the males’ heads from biting attacks. Plus, it makes them look bigger to other predators and more attractive to females.
16. The darker the mane, the older the lion.
Male lions start to grow their manes when they’re about a year old. At first, they’re light in color, similar to the lion’s other fur. As they get older, though, the mane gets progressively darker. Females usually choose males with darker manes, and these males also often live longer and healthier lives.
17. Lions are called the “king of the jungle,” but they actually prefer grasslands.
In Africa, most lions live in the savanna, a flat grassy plain with a few trees scattered throughout. Unfortunately, savanna habitats are on the decline: About 75% of them have disappeared over the last 50 years. There are only about 10 lion strongholds remaining—areas where lions have an excellent chance of survival.
18. For short distances, lions can run at up to 50 mph.
No one on Earth can beat the cheetah’s 75 mph speed bursts, but lions can really get a move on when they need to. Females use this speed to their advantage during hunts. They can’t keep it up for long though—after a few hundred yards, they slow down, so they have to be quick to catch their prey.
19. Baby lions, known as cubs, weigh around 3 pounds at birth.
Just like a house cat’s kittens, lion cubs are very small and helpless when they’re first born. Mother lions give birth in private, keeping their cubs away from the full pride until they’re a few months old. They feed from their mothers until they’re about six months old, then switch to eating meat caught by the pride.
20. Lion cubs are vocal but don’t begin to roar until they’re around 1 year old.
This is also the same time when male lions start to grow their manes. Male lion cubs stay with their mother until they’re around 2 years old and fully grown and mature. Then, mother lions chase out the young males, who may join with other young male lions to form a protective group until they can join their own prides.
21. Lions are the only cats with a tassel at the end of their tail.
This darker-colored tassel might be easier to see at a distance, making it easier for lions to signal to each other during a hunt. Biologists also think lions might use their tail tassels to indicate their interest in each other during mating—a form of lion flirting!
22. Lions roamed North America as recently as 10,000 years ago.
In addition to saber-toothed tigers, North America had its own lion subspecies, called the American lion. There were also lions in North Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and across India. Like many other ice age mammals, these lions went extinct around 10,000 years ago, possibly due to climate change or overhunting.
23. To be “lionhearted” means to be courageous and brave.
King Richard I of England was known as “Richard the Lionhearted” due to his perceived bravery while fighting in the Crusades. (This is the same king usually featured in the Robin Hood legends.) His arms, featuring three lions, are still used by the British royal family today.
24. A “liger” is the offspring of a male lion and a female tiger.
Though this cross has never been known to happen naturally in the wild, people began breeding the two together as long ago as the 1700s. (A cross between a female lion and a male tiger is known as a “ligon.”) Today, animal scientists discourage this type of breeding, as it often results in birth defects and unhealthy animals.
25. There are only around 20,000 lions left in the wild.
Beloved as lions are, they’re also in decline. African lions now live on only 8% of the land they originally occupied, as humans encroach on their territory. In response, they sometimes attack and eat domestic farm animals, causing humans to hunt them down and kill them. They’re also in danger from the illegal wildlife trade. While they’re not yet listed as endangered, they do qualify as “vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List—one of the saddest facts about lions.
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