The
lion (
Panthera leo) is one of the four
big cats in the
genus Panthera, and a member of the family
Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg (550
lb) in weight,[sup]
[4][/sup] it is the second-largest living cat after the
tiger. Wild lions currently exist in
Sub-Saharan Africa and in
Asia with an
endangered remnant population in
Gir Forest National Park in
India, having disappeared from
North Africa and
Southwest Asia in historic times. Until the late
Pleistocene, about 10,000 years ago, the lion was the most widespread large land mammal after humans. They were found in most of Africa, across Eurasia from western Europe to India, and in the Americas from the
Yukon to
Peru.[sup]
[5][/sup] The lion is a
vulnerable species, having seen a possibly irreversible population decline of thirty to fifty percent over the past two decades in its African range.[sup]
[6][/sup] Lion populations are untenable outside designated reserves and national parks. Although the cause of the decline is not fully understood, habitat loss and conflicts with humans are currently the greatest causes of concern.
Lions live for ten to fourteen years in the wild, while in captivity they can live longer than twenty years. In the wild, males seldom live longer than ten years, as injuries sustained from continual fighting with rival males greatly reduce their longevity.[sup]
[7][/sup] They typically inhabit
savanna and
grassland, although they may take to bush and
forest. Lions are unusually
social compared to other cats. A pride of lions consists of related females and offspring and a small number of adult males. Groups of female lions typically hunt together, preying mostly on large
ungulates. Lions are
apex and
keystone predators, although they scavenge as opportunity allows. While lions do not typically hunt humans, some have been known to do so.
Highly distinctive, the male lion is easily recognized by its
mane, and its face is one of the most widely recognized animal symbols in human
culture. Depictions have existed from the
Upper Paleolithic period, with carvings and paintings from the
Lascaux and
Chauvet Caves, through virtually all ancient and medieval cultures where they once occurred. It has been extensively depicted in
sculptures, in
paintings, on national
flags, and in contemporary
films and
literature. Lions have been kept in
menageries since
Roman times and have been a key species sought for exhibition in
zoos the world over since the late eighteenth century. Zoos are cooperating worldwide in breeding programs for the endangered
Asiatic subspecies.
