Sunday Jukani animal Facts
This post is sponsored by SAASA and Jukani Wildlife Sanctuary
Fun Facts about Lions
Lions – fun facts
1 - Lions are the only big cats that live in groups. African lions are the most social of all big cats and live together in groups or “prides.” A pride consists of about 15 lions.
2 - Male lions defend the pride’s territory while the females do most of the hunting. Despite this, the males eat first. Lions do not need to drink every day, but they do need to eat.
3 - A lion's roar can be heard up to eight kilometres away. Male lions will use their roar to scare off intruders and warn the pride of potential danger. It's also a show of power among other males. Lions scent mark their territory, using their wee, to create a border.
4 - A lion may sleep/rest up to 20 hours a day.
5 - Lions are the second largest big cat species in the world (behind tigers).
6 - Lions are extinct from 26 countries they previously roamed. These majestic cats are threatened by habitat loss. The lion is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
7 - The sense of smell in lions is well developed. Like all cats they possess a special olfactory organ on the roof of the mouth called a Jacobson's organ. The lion grimaces (called Flehman) after smelling something, which passes the scent over this organ.
8 - Even though the lion is sometimes referred to as the “king of the jungle,” it actually only lives in grasslands and plains. The expression may have come from an incorrect association between Africa and jungles or may refer to a less literal meaning of the word jungle.
9 - A good gauge of a male lion’s age is the darkness of his mane. The darker the mane, the older the lion.
10 - A lion’s heels don’t touch the ground when it walks.
Come back next week for more exciting fun facts from SAASA and Jukani Wildlife Sanctuary here on Lets Go Big Tunes blog page