Conservation Status: Vulnerable

An adult male African lion weighs over 400 pounds. The lionesses do most of the hunting but the males eat first. They are social animals and live in groups called a pride. They are the only big cats that live in a group. Of the big cats, lions have the loudest roar. This is because they have the longest larynx, specially designed to achieve their boisterous roar. The roar can be heard from as far away as 8km/5miles. Lions are considered vulnerable because there are as few as 23,000 living in the wild.

Fun Facts about Lions

• Their tongues have sharp-pointed rasps, called papillae, which are used to scrape meat off of bones.
• The average lion sleeps 16-20 hours a day, between dozing and sleeping.
• The darker the lion’s mane on the males, the older it is.