Lion
Amazing fact
Lion cubs can nurse from other females in their pride as well as their mother.
San Diego Zoo
No sign-up needed. You can save notes on this device.
An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
Lion cubs can nurse from other females in their pride as well as their mother.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Lion
- Scientific name
- Panthera leo
- Japanese name
- ライオン
- Group
- Land mammals
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Carnivora
- Family
- Felidae
- Genus
- Panthera
It lives mainly in Africa south of the Sahara and, unusually for a cat, lives in groups called prides.
The tip of its tail has a black tuft, which is said to be swished to send signals to other members of the pride.
Lions usually hunt in groups, and the females do most of the hunting.
How the Lion lives
They usually hunt at night, especially at dusk and dawn. They eat animals such as zebras and wildebeest. They often climb trees and rest in them.
San Diego ZooSmithsonian National ZooBasic data
- Size
- Head and body length: males 1.8–2.1 m, females 1.6–1.8 m多摩動物公園
- Weight
- males 150–250 kg, females 120–182 kg多摩動物公園
- Lifespan
- up to 18 years in the wild, up to 30 years in captivityUniversity of Michigan Animal Diversity Web
- Diet
- Medium-sized to large mammals多摩動物公園
- Range
- Africa south of the Sahara多摩動物公園
Where the Lion has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- ライオン
- 简体中文
- 狮
- 繁體中文
- 獅
- 한국어
- 사자
- Español
- León
- Français
- Lion
- Deutsch
- Löwe
- Português (Brasil)
- Leão
- Italiano
- Leone
- हिन्दी
- सिंह
- العربية
- أَسَدٌ
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Singa
- Tiếng Việt
- Sư tử
- Русский
- Лев
- Türkçe
- Aslan
- ไทย
- สิงโต
- বাংলা
- সিংহ
- اردو
- ببر
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 多摩動物公園 — ライオンChecked: 2026-11-03
- University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web — Panthera leoChecked: 2026-11-03
- San Diego Zoo — LionChecked: 2026-11-05
- Smithsonian National Zoo — LionChecked: 2026-11-05
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Lion, look for this
- Look at the mane around an adult male’s neck.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
San Diego ZooEXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Lion
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Kanto
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
RELATIVES
Others in Felidae
MORE TO MEET
