Lion Panthera leo

The Lion is the second largest of the four "big cats" after the Tiger. Lions are native mainly to sub-Saharan Africa but some Asiatic Lions still exist in the wild in India. The range of the African subspecies and the Asian Lions used to be much more extensive but has declined markedly in recent years through hunting and habitat loss.

The colouring of individual Lions varies more than the appearance of the subspecies. The male Lion is larger than the female and usually has the iconic mane.

The lions on this page are African Lions. The mane is often sparser in hot regions and thicker in cooler regions, the latter especially in captivity in colder climates.

Lionesses (female lions) don't have a mane. (It is thought that manes are to protect throats/necks of males when fighting for territory and pride dominance.)

They live in groups (prides) of several females, young and one dominant male. Other males may from bachelor groups or subservient status in a pride.

Lions were previously classified in several subspecies depending on region. In 2008, they were reduced to 2 subspecies, the African as P. l. leo and the Asiatic as P. l. persica. In 2017, they were reclassified as the northern subspecies, P. l. leo, now including the Asiatic with the north, west and central African lions but excluding most of the eastern and all of the southern African populations, and the southern subspecies, P. l. melanochaita, covering most of the eastern and all of the southeastern, southwestern and southern African lions.