With the strong muscular body of the fascinating African lion, which weighs over 200Kg, it has a very remarkable and impressive sight.
On top of preying on the antelope, zebra and other herbivores, lions are at the top of the food chain in Africa.
Powerful as lions are, they are sociable animals living in groups known as prides.
Watching the togetherness of lions in a family is a spectacular sight, while on a safari tour in Africa.

Of the huge cats in Africa, the African lion is the largest. However, worldwide, the lion follows the tiger in size and height. It’s the leading predator in the dusty African savannah, where it camouflages with the help of its tawny mane.

The African Lion is regarded as a power symbol by the local tribes people.
Traditionally, killing a lion was a ritual, which a boy had to fulfil before becoming a man, for several of the local tribes present in Kenya. While on tours to Kenya with Kenya wild life safari, you can view the African lions since they are now protected species kept in the Kenya national parks.
Panthera Leo is the African Lion’s Zoological name.

Range:     South Eastern Africa is where the African lion                             mainly prefers living.
Savannah, semi desert and grassy plains, is where it                     loves spending its life.

Estimated population: In the wild, there are approximately                                             16,500 to 30,000 African
lions.
Physical Appearance: World wide, the African lion comes                                                     second to the tiger in
largeness. A dark tuft of fur at the                                                 end, is what comprises a fully
grown male lion, which  sometimes                                                 reaches 9 feet long, inclusive
of is it’s 3 foot long tail.

Grown lions are usually over 200kg in terms of weight and 4 feet tall in terms of height.
Female lions, though not as huge and tall as male ones, are in the same way fierce, and are in most cases tawny or sandy in terms of colour. Orange-yellow to dark brown, is the range or colours in which the male lions lie. The manes usually black in colour, are the unique identifiers of the male lions.

Habitat:  Forests including scrub jungle or open grasslands,                     are the most favourite places
for the African lions. In most cases, lions are seen on                 the ground or where they
can easily survey their territory, say on rocky                             outcrops, though they sometimes climb trees but to                 a small extent.

Diet:     Since lions are carnivores, they usually hunt for their                 prey and among what they
feed on is the antelope, zebra or wildebeest. As if                         that’s not enough, they are
sometimes observed to attack and fight the young                 hippos or elephants till they get
them.

The lions only go hunting for prey when they are                     hungry. It is important to note that
a few of the hunts are successful. It, many a time, goes             without eating for a day,
after having killed and eaten it’s full, until it hunts again.

Behavior: Sociable animals, lions are, and live in groups known as prides, which
usually are comprised of 15 members, including female lions, their cubs and
males. Other Big cats are solitary (live in isolation), but lions are not.

Hunting for prey is done by the female lions, while defence of the pride’s territory is done or provided by the male ones.
Roaring and scent marking are the techniques employed by the lions, to establish their territory boundaries. Female lions bite the necks of their prey as a tactic of killing them, but first, they stalk (follow) their prey up to a time when they manage to approach nearby and then attack.
The moment the young male lions approach 3 years of age, they get expelled from the pride. However, the young lionesses have a liberty to either stay in the same pride or join another one.
The stubbornness and solitariness of the male lions make them not to join any other pride and so they form their own.

Status: Approximately, there are 10,000 to 15,000 African lions in the wild, and are
known to be dangerous species. Threats to the African lion are on an increasing
scale, some of which include; Diseases, encroachment of grazing lands, genetic
inbreeding and human population pressure.