5 Facts About Lions

We bring you 5 interesting facts about one of the biggest cats – Lion!

1. Male lions spend most of their time resting. They are inactive for about 20 hours a day and females about 13 hours a day.

Big cats are most active from groves until dawn so most of the day is spent sleeping, hunting also takes a lot of energy so they need a lot of sleep. An adult male weighs an average of about 225 kg.

2. Lions reach sexual maturity with 18 months, and using fragrance determine whether the female is ready to mate. And the strongest males can mate only if them allow female, regardless of whether they are leaders of the pack. Young males stay in the pack two to three years, until they reach sexual maturity. After that, pack expel them.

3. From the moment of entry into the pack, the cubs do not suck only their mother, all the lionesses that currently breastfeeding allow all the pups in the pack breastfeeding. With about six months, the cubs are weaning from breastfeeding, but remains with the mother for about two years.

The young lions goes to hunt with their mother when they have three months, but only in the age of two can be said that they have learned the technique of hunting. This is primarily stalking and cooperation.

4. The life span of lions is fifteen to twenty years. But as a rule, only females experience this age. Males are much earlier expelled from their position of leader of the pack by younger males, and they do not find a new pack and often die of starvation. Very often in nature do not live longer than seven years. But in zoos there were cases that males live up to 34 years.

5. Males rarely participate in the hunt, and only in the case of atypical large prey. When the hunt is completed successfully, comes to the fore the importance of ranking in the pack. The first eating the alpha male, but then most important females, and finally the cubs. Victims of lions are usually young or sick animals.

The most common they hunt in the dark or in the early morning while it was still pleasant weather – not too hot. As lions are not very persistent nor fast runners (up to 60 km/h, and this only in the short term), the only option for a successful hunt is their cooperation.