The lion, although the most famous of the cat family, is least like any of the other cats. Other cats live alone, the lion lives in a pride. Other cats are solitary hunters; the lion hunts in a group. It is more like a canine than a feline in this respect. The male and females look very different in appearance, with the large mane of the male very clearly distinguishing him from the female; again unlike other male and female felines who's appearances are very similar. One other difference between the lion and all other felines is the tuft of hair at the tip of its tail, as no other member of the cat family has this.

A typical pride consists of between five and ten adult females with their cubs; who do most of the hunting, and several adult males; who defend the pride. When the lionesses hunt they approach their prey (such as zebra or antelope) by fanning out and slowly encircling them, then a break of cover to make a final charge which can be up to 64km (40 miles) an hour. The kill is effected by a blow from the lion's front leg to bring the animal down, it then falls on it grabbing very firmly by the throat which quickly suffocates the prey. 

Although lions hunt co-operatively each attack is effected without reference to their companions. This is a very effective way to hunt because with attacks coming from different directions, the prey become confused, and in their hesitation are soon caught. Even with this kind of hunting strategy it is reckoned that lions only make a kill in one out of four hunts. 

When the males are too old or sick to continue defending their pride, new males will take over, killing all the existing cubs. The old or sick males are forced to live out their remaining years as solitary creatures hunting for much smaller prey. The lionesses will soon produce cubs that are fathered by the new males.

Most of the world's lion population is situated in tropical Africa. There is also quite a sizable population in captivity, as this species is the easiest to breed in wildlife parks and zoos. Lions once populated most of Europe, only in Greece did they survive the slaughter as they were still living wild until around 2,000 years ago. The ancient Romans reduced the North African or Barbary Lion to very small numbers for use in their arenas, any remaining population were exterminated within the 1800's. The last lion to be seen in the Middle East was recorded in 1941, and Asiatic lions are still surviving in very small numbers.

It is to our shame that the 'King of The Jungle' has been treated like this!

The lion population of Africa has fallen from 200,000 twenty years ago to an appalling 23,000 today.

Size: Length of Head and Body: 140-250 cm (55-98 ½ in). Tail: 70-105 cm (27 1/2-41 ½ in).

Weight: males -150-225 kg (330-500 lb); females - 110-150 kg (243-330 lb).

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