Species Name Panthera leo

Family Felidae

Order Carnivora

Distribution

The lion is found across Africa. Lions once lived in the wild in India, but now they are only found in National Parks.

Habitat

Lions are abundant in open plains where there is plenty of grazing, lots of game to eat, and a permanent water supply. They can also be found in semi-desert regions like the Kalahari Desert.

Numbers

Lions are relatively abundant for a large dangerous animal. The lion has declined in numbers in Africa in the last 150 years. Today it is estimated there are only between 30,000-100,000 lions, mainly in east and southern areas. In west Africa numbers have greatly declined. Throughout most of Africa lions are becoming increasingly rare outside of protected areas. Lions are seen as a threat to stock and are shot and poisoned. As scavengers they also pick up poisoned meat left for other animals.

Related Species

Tigers, leopards and jaguars are related to the lion. The panther is a relative as it is considered a form of leopard, and the cheetah is also a distant relative.

Interesting Facts

White lions are known animals, often considered albinos, when in reality they are just a light colour variation. They result from an unusual combination of recessive genes. The whiskers of the lion are not the same width as the body, nor are they in domestic cats.