Lion (Panthera leo): a large cat of the Felidae family
Lions are at the top of the food chain with no natural predators
Although lions are large, powerful cats, their numbers have declined drastically in recent years
African lion numbers have declined by more than 40% over the last three generations, mainly as a result of habitat loss and conflict with humans
Male lions are much larger than females
The length of the female is usually between 46 and 57 feet, while the length of the male is between 56 and 83 feet
Female lions weigh between 270 and 400 pounds, while males weigh between 330 and 570 pounds
Lions are known for their muscular bodies with a deep chest
They have short, rounded heads, round ears, and hairy tufts at the end of their tails
Their appearance is different from other big cats like tigers, leopards and jaguars
It is worth noting that male lions have a mane of hair on their necks
The mane not only helps the lion look more imposing to females, but also more intimidating to other males
The lion’s mane may also protect the lion’s neck during battle, usually with other males over territory and breeding rights
They hunt animals in their environment, which typically includes antelopes and other ungulates
Lions usually hunt at night at dusk or dawn
Female lions or lionesses often do most of the hunting
In pursuit of prey, a lion can run the length of a football field in six seconds
Lion habitats include open forests, dense grasslands and scrub habitats where there is enough shelter for hunting and dens
Lions can be found in African grasslands
There is also a subspecies of Asiatic lions that ranged from the Middle East to India
However, there are now only about 400 to 460 subspecies of this lion left, more than half of which live in a reserve called the Gir Forest
After a four-month gestation, the lioness sneaks out of the herd to give birth to a litter of two to six cubs
The young weigh about 3 pounds at birth, have a yellowish-brown coat and distinct spots or stripes
The young remain hidden from the pride for the first four to six weeks while they gain strength
Cubs born in a pack are twice as likely to survive as a lone lioness
The young stay close to their mother for the first few months
Women tend to stay with their mothers longer than men
Males typically stay with their mother until the age of two, while females may stay with their mother in a pride for life
The immature male will be chased out of the herd by his mother when he goes out alone or joins a bachelor party
A group of bachelors will run together until they are old enough to start challenging older men in an attempt to take pride
Lions are the most sociable of the big cats and live in large groups called “prides” Prides consist of 3 to 30 lions, depending on location
Areas with greater food availability are likely to have greater pride
Prides consist of lionesses, their cubs, and a few unrelated males
Pack members have close social ties and are unlikely to accept a stranger
Both males and females scent mark to mark their territory
Pride participate in communal activities, including hunting, raising young, and grooming
Men and women have different roles in the herd
While the females hunt together and care for the young, the males mark and guard the herd’s territory
The males will guard the young while the lionesses hunt
When a new male tries to join the herd, he has to fight the existing males
Lions spend a lot of time resting and sleeping
Lions have brief periods of intense activity followed by hours of lounging, which can last up to 21 hours in total
Lions live about 15 years in the wild and up to 30 years in zoos
Habitat loss, conflicts with humans, and illegal wildlife trade are the greatest threats to lions
As a result of human expansion, African lions now live on only 8% of the land they once occupied
This loss of habitat has led to small and isolated prides that have a harder time breeding
As human activity expands into the lions’ territory, conflicts between lions and humans have intensified
Lions eat human livestock when their typical prey is no longer available, resulting in retaliation by farmers
Farmers may kill a lion to protect their livestock
Illegal wildlife trade is another major threat to lions
The demand for lion bones is growing because in traditional Asian medicine they can be used to replace tiger bones
Three-quarters of the African lion population is declining
With only about 20,000 in the wild, lions are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List
Conservation groups are working to protect the lions
San Diego Zoo Global supports lion conservation by donating funds to two organizations in Africa that help lions and other wildlife: Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT) and Grevy’s Zebra Trust
The NRT works to protect wildlife in several ways, including anti-poaching operations, habitat management, conservation awareness, and endangered species recovery programs
They also monitor wildlife populations and mitigate human-wildlife conflicts
The NRT wildlife team has been collecting data on lions since 2013
Adopt a Lion: Adopt the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) lion pride Eneiskiriya and be part of a solution to help protect the lions in Mara
Support conservation organizations like WWF and San Diego Zoo Global in their lion conservation efforts
Source: San Diego Zoo, WWF and NATURE lion resources
In this article you will learn about the mass of male, female and lion cubs
You’ll also see how lions stack up against other members of the felid group, especially tigers, and how much the largest and longest lion in history has accumulated total weight and total length, respectively
How much do lions weigh in kg and pounds?
Before we get into the discussion, first of all we need to recognize the two distinct subspecies that lions fall into
The first is the subspecies Panthera leo leo found in north-central Africa, West Africa and India
The second is Panthera leo melanochaita from South and East Africa
The two subspecies of lions are distinct and differ only (albeit marginally) in external size morphology rather than tufts, mane length and color, and skin pigment color
Average weight of lions
The average weight of an adult male lion is 420 pounds (1905 kg), which is more than three times the average weight of an adult human
Female lions weigh around 290 pounds – 1311 kg (slightly more than males in their regions) and newborn cubs typically weigh between 1 kg and 2 kg; relatively lower than the standard body weight of an average human child
Average weight of each subspecies
Panther Leo Leo
The average weight of an adult male lion of this subspecies ranges from 148 kg to 191 kg
The average weight of an adult female lion of this subspecies ranges from 110 to 150 kg across geographic regions
Panthera leo melanochaita
The average weight of adult males of this subspecies ranges from 1749 to 263 kg (386 lb to 580 lb), with species from the southern region having the heaviest weight of 187 kg to 263 kg (412 lb to 580 lb), while those in Africa The eastern has an average weight of 1749 kg to 255 kg (386 lb to 562 lb)
The average weight of adult females of this subspecies is 1242 kg to 1498 kg (274 lb to 330 lb) in South Africa and 1195 to 1458 kg (263 lb to 321 lb) in the eastern part
Lions, or African lions as they are sometimes called, are members of the “big cat” family native to sub-Saharan Africa and northwestern India, and are found mainly in the savannah or grassy vegetation of these regions rather than in dense forests
Lions are generally large, muscular cats with a short, rounded head, tawny coat, deep chest, reduced neck, and a dark, hairy tuft at the end of the tail
Adult male lions (otherwise known as lions) typically have a weight of 327 to 580 pounds (148 kg to 263 kg), a body span of about 18 to 21 meters, and stand firmly at 12 meters from the ground to the shoulder
To put it another way, adult male lions typically weigh up to three times the average adult human weight, and are taller than the average American male (1734 cm) in length, not counting the one meter tail
Female lions (otherwise known as lionesses), on the other hand, typically range in weight from 2645 to 3306 pounds; They weigh between 120 and 150 kg (relatively less than their male counterparts), span approximately 16 to 18 meters in body length, and stand firmly at 11 meters from the ground to the shoulders
Of all the feline or big cat species, lions rival tigers only in body length, weight, and shoulder height
The Siberian tiger, which is considered the largest tiger species, has been recorded to measure up to over 10 feet (35 meters) in total body length (including 1 meter of tail) and weigh up to 660 pounds (or about 300 kg)
(Siberian tigers stand just under 4 feet tall at the shoulder )
Lion cubs, or lion cubs, typically weigh between 1 and 2 kg, which is less than the mass commonly assumed to be human infants
They are born with their eyes closed, which usually open by 11 days of age and are able to walk after a period of 15 days, while developing the ability to run after about 1 month of age
Lions feed mainly on land mammals, and their weight can range from 190 to 550 kg (420–1,210 lb)
Often larger prey items that are killed, such as a medium-sized or even large elephant, are attacked by prides of lions, as single individuals would find them almost impossible
Lions in captivity
Captive lions are often much heavier than their wild counterparts
A single male weighing up to 375 kg has been observed in a zoo in Ireland, while females usually retain their wild weight
The heaviest lion ever recorded
The heaviest lion ever recorded was a captive-bred male lion at Dublin Zoo in Ireland in 1959
The individual weighed as much as 375 kg and had a total body length of over 10 feet (excluding the tail)
The largest lion ever recorded in the wild was a male shot in the Eastern Transvaal of South Africa in 1936
This individual was a man-eater and weighed as much as 313 kg (690 lb)
The largest subspecies of lions
As for the lion subspecies that are the largest, it is the now extinct population of the Panthera leo leo subspecies, known as Barbary lions
This population inhabited the northern part of Africa and was exterminated by bounty hunting
19th-century hunters estimated that Barbary lions weighed between 270 and 300 kg for males
How much do lions weigh?
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