African Lion

Fascinating facts about the African Lion

• A lion's roar can reach 114 decibels and carries across 8 kilometres of open savanna.
• Lions are the only truly social cats, living in prides of up to 40 individuals led by related females.
• Africa has lost over 80% of its lion population in the last 100 years, with fewer than 25,000 remaining.
• Male lions sleep up to 20 hours a day to conserve energy for explosive bursts of territorial combat.
• Lions can sprint at 80 km/h but only sustain it for about 300 metres, relying on cooperative hunting to secure prey.

At a glance

About the African Lion

No sound on Earth announces power quite like a lion's roar rolling across the African plain at dawn. Masters of cooperative hunting, lions live in matriarchal prides where females do most of the hunting while males defend territories against rival coalitions. Once found across Africa, Europe, and Asia, they now cling to fragmented pockets of savanna, their numbers halved in a single human generation.

African Lion photographed on Feravox

Discover more wildlife