Lions are one of the worlds most recognizable animals. These beautiful big cats are majestic in appearance and magical in personality.
The male Lions in particular stand out: the male Lions are larger and are the Lions which have manes. Male Lions are also stronger than female Lions. The female Lions aren't as big and look a bit different in appearance: the female Lions don't have manes, they are also sandy-coloured in appearance. Male Lions are also sandy-coloured in appearance, however, male Lions have manes which are darker than their bodies - their mane is usually a dark brown colour and often can be a light black colour too.
Lions are one of the coolest animals and big cats in the world today, let us look at five awesome facts about these gorgeous big cats!
#5 Asia Has Lions!
Lions are most commonly associated with Africa - and, there is good reason for that: Africa has the biggest population of Lions today.
But, did you also know that Asia has Lions?!
Asian Lions are known as the Asiatic Lion. But, they are very rare: Asiatic Lions are an endangered species today. The population of Asiatic Lions is so low today that there are only thought to be 523 of these Lions still existing, which means that they are very rare and also very vulnerable to extinction.
#4 Subspecies Of Lions Are Already Extinct
There are already Lion species which have already became extinct. One of the most recent Lion extinctions came about in the 1960's, when the Barbary Lion became extinct. The Barbary Lion was found across Northern Africa.
Another Lion species that is now extinct is the Cape Lion. Cape Lions became extinct in the 19th century. These Lions were native to Africa.
There are also other Lion species which have now became extinct, such as the Ethiopian Lion and the European Lion.
#3 Lions Are Really Social Animals!
Lions are very unusual cats. Cats, both big and small, are known for being aloof and solitary animals. However, Lions are the only cat species which breaks the mold and are different from your average cat - Lions are far from solitary and aloof, these beautiful big cats are very sociable with each other!
Lions are the only cat species known to be both social with each other and live in groups. A group of Lions is known as a 'Pride'. The size of each Lion Pride can vary, but usually a Lion Pride has between 13 and 30 Lions in it.
#2 Lions Are Sleepy!
Lions are one of the sleepiest animals out there, these adorable big cats sleep for most of the day - they can sleep for a record 20 hours every day! While Lions in captivity seem to sleep less than those in the wild - Lions in captivity are estimated to sleep between 10 hours per day and 15 hours per day.
#1 Lions Have Declined Significantly!
The Lion population has declined significantly. In the 1800's, there was 1.2 MILLION Lions living in the wild! Today, there are now thought to be as few as 23,000 Lions living in the wild. In other words, humans have killed off the vast majority of Lions and there is now only a small population living today.
In the last 20 years, the Lion population has declined by 42%. If Lions keep declining at the rate that they have done or just keep declining, it is estimated that Lions will become extinct by 2050.
We only have - at most - 30 years to save these beautiful cats!
You can help prevent Lions becoming extinct by:
Let's not let the Lions roar die! đŚ