The African Lion (Penthera leo) is the largest and most impressive of Africa’s big cats and the second largest big cat in the world after the Tiger, which is found in Asia. Lions are significantly more gregarious than any of the other wild cats and form cohesive groups called prides. The cooperative nature of the pride allows for greater success at hunting and raising young. An apex predator; the lion hunts primarily at night and it is the agile females who do most of the hunting, feminism in the wild? While on a game drive in Africa you are most likely to see lions sleeping away the day, although in private game reserves it is possible to go on night game drives increasing your chances of seeing lions in action. Personally I quite like to see them chilling out, they are a lot less scary that way!
Did you know: The Swahili name for Lion is ‘Simba’!
Male lions weigh around 200 kilograms and females up to 150. While we are all used to seeing males with manes you can find them sans their impressive hairy neck and in two places in Africa, Sanbona and the Timbavati Game Reserve, you can find the rare White Lion. In the Kalahari Desert and Namibia male lions have unusually large and dark manes. Lions are found in savannas, grasslands, dense bush and woodlands; one of the best places to see them in the wild is the Kruger National Park which has one of the largest lion populations in the world.
Interesting Fact: One of Africa’s most famous lions was Elsa of ‘Born Free’ fame, raised by George and Joy Adamson, Elsa was eventually reintroduced into the wilds of East Africa.
Unfortunately lions are listed as vulnerable with the global population dropping drastically in the past 50 years. This is mostly due to human pressure through hunting, habitat destruction and disease. The Indian Lion once found throughout Asia and the Mediterranean is now restricted to just one game reserve and the population is estimated at only 300 individuals.
