Lion Facts for Kids

Many of you have probably seen a lion on TV or maybe in books and magazines. But sometimes you, as kids might not follow what the TV is trying to show as, not always is the program made for kids only. So here are some interesting lion facts for kids only, which you can go through and which will help you to get to know this magnificent beast well. So here goes.

Interesting Facts

Lions, I am sure you all know, is the king of the jungle. What with its majestic look and thick mane, the animals have not made a mistake in choosing the lion as their king. As kids, you have probably heard about several stories regarding the lion. Won't it be interesting to know about these fantastic animals even better? So here are some facts about lions.

Weight, Height and Physical Description
The lion belongs to the carnivorous cat family called the Panther leo. They are huge cats whose length is around 5 to 8 feet long (without the tail) and the tail is around 24 to 40 inches. The height of these animals is at least 4 feet and they weigh around 330 to 500 lbs, i.e., around 150 to 227 kg. Do keep in mind that the size, weight and the height of the female lion is always less than that of male ones. These wild cats have tawny or golden brown colored coat and a tuft at the end of their tail. The males, as you know, have a huge mane around their head and neck. It is this mane which makes them look so majestic. They have strong powerful legs which help them run fast behind their prey. They have strong jaws to kill the prey and then feed on it.

Species of Lions
Lions, like other animals, consist of various species. The most famous of the species which you have probably heard about are the African lion, Asian lion, American lion, Cave lion, White lion and Mountain lion. The color and the habitat of these cats varies according to the species. The mountain lions are now protected by the Government. Earlier it was a sport to hunt wild mountain lions.

Habitats
These lions are mainly found in the grasslands and the savannas. You will also find them in the dense bushes or in the woodlands. They are mainly found in Africa, mainly around south of the Sahara and north of South Africa. In India, a very small portion of the northwestern part of the country is the home of the lion. Otherwise, they are almost on the verge of extinction.

More Facts
The male lion is either called the tom lion or simply the lion, while the females are called she-lion or the lioness. Although the male lions are usually the more majestic ones, they are not as good hunters as the females are. The latter is the one who does all the hunting for the family. I have to tell you here that the lions are very social. They move around in a pride; cubs and all. They are the only 'social animals' of the entire cat family.

Food or Natural Diet
You have seen on TV how lions hunt for food. They are carnivorous animals and they usually feed on animals like zebras, wild buffaloes, giraffes, rhinos, hippos, etc. They also feed on animals like deer and small rodents. Sometimes lions also steal from other predators, like hyenas or feed on domestic livestock when they come near villages.

Reproduction and Cubs
One of the strange fact is that all the lionesses give birth at the same time. They reproduce after every two years. The mating season of the lion is on entire year and the gestation period is around 110 days. The young lions are called cubs and each litter has at least 3 or 4 cubs. The mother or any other lioness can nurse the cub. The first three months, the cubs drink milk from their mother and later, they move on to meat of other animals. Many times, it happens that the lion, while in a pride, kills the cubs of the other genes this is because he wants his own gene cubs to live. Also, the cubs are easy preys for animals like hyenas. But, their mothers are very protective about cubs.

Endangered
If you visit the Sahara desert, you can still find the king. But on the other hand, when it comes to Asian lions, they are almost on the verge of extinction. You will find very few of them in the Northwestern part of India. Due to man's careless attitude towards nature, these lions, like any other animal, have suffered and are still suffering. One day a time will come, when all that we will have is virtual forests and virtual forest animals. Right now there are just around 21,000 lions existing in the world today.

After reading this, I am sure that you kids are interested in lions. If so, then lend a hand in saving these magnificent cats, the kings of the jungle.