Lions are 1 out of 3 big cats from "The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!".
Appearance[]
A full grown male lion can be 11 feet long and weigh up to 550 pounds. Female lions (lionesses) are two feet shorter and 100 pounds smaller than the males. Only the male lion has big shaggy hair around his neck, shoulder, and throat, which is called a mane. The male's mane makes him look intimidating to other animals.
Information[]
In Real Life[]
Lions are the only cats that live in large social groups called "prides". A pride usually consists of several related females, their cubs, and one or two males. Female lions do most of the hunting and cub-rearing. A lioness can have up to six cubs per litter, but the average is one to four. All the lionesses in a pride look after and nurse each other's children. When it comes to hunting, lionesses often use teamwork. Zebras and wildebeests are their favorite food. A few lionesses stalk behind a herd of ungulates while another hides behind a bush near the herd. When the lionesses drive the herd toward the bush, the hidden lioness jumps out and sinks her sharp teeth into the animal's neck or throat or muzzle. When the kill is made, only the males eat first. After the males, the females eat next, and the cubs eat last. Hyenas, jackals, and vultures take the leftovers. After eating, they drink for about twenty minutes to help digestion. Then, they sleep for up to twenty hours a day. The male lion of the pride protects the territory, which can cover up to 100 square miles, depending on the pride's size and abundance of prey. The male lion identifies the turf by roaring and scent-marking. A lion's roar can be heard up to five miles away. That roar may mean "Keep out! Go away! Or else!" After a fight between a rival male and the pride male, if the rival wins, he'll take over the pride and kill all the cubs to put their mothers in breeding condition.