Lions like to roar, and sleep

Cute kittens with big jaws, ready to eat you if you move too much like a springbok.

How can you look at this cute baby and not go "aaaaaw"? / Pictures by Tambako the Jaguar & Venki

Overview of the majestic

The lion (Panthera leo) is one of the five big cats in the genus Panthera and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger. Wild lions currently exist in sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia while other types of lions have disappeared from North Africa and Southwest Asia in historic times. Photos: Tambako the Jaguar & Venki

Fun facts about lions

• Lions live for 10–14 years in the wild
• In captivity they can live longer than 20 years
• They typically inhabit savanna and grassland
• Groups of female lions typically hunt together

How many subspecies?

Traditionally, 12 recent subspecies of lion were recognised, distinguished by mane appearance, size, and distribution. Because these characteristics are very insignificant and show a high individual variability, most of these forms were probably not true subspecies, especially as they were often based upon zoo material of unknown origin that may have had "striking, but abnormal" morphological characteristics.

Etymology

Where the lion gets its name from

The lion's name, similar in many Romance languages, is derived from the Latin leo,¹ and the Ancient Greek λέων (leon)². The Hebrew word לָבִיא (lavi) may also be related. It was one of the species originally described by Linnaeus, who gave it the name Felis leo, in his eighteenth-century work, Systema Naturae³.

Heraldic depictions

Royal cats

1. Throne Chair of Denmark
2. Throne Chairs of Norway
3. Coat of arms of Denmark
4. Coat of arms of Norway