The lion (Panthera leo) is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae.
With some males exceeding 250 kg (550 lb) in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger.
Wild lions currently exist in Sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia
with an endangered remnant population in Gir Forest National Park in
India, having disappeared from North Africa and Southwest Asia in
historic times.
About 10,000 years ago, the lion was the most widespread large land mammal after humans.
They were found in most of Africa, across Eurasia from western Europe to India, and in the Americas from the Yukon to Peru.
The lion is a vulnerable species, having
seen a possibly irreversible population decline of thirty to fifty
percent over the past two decades in its African range.
Lion populations are untenable outside designated reserves and national parks.
Although the cause of the decline is not
fully understood, habitat loss and conflicts with humans are currently
the greatest causes of concern.
Lions live for ten to fourteen years in the wild, while in captivity they can live longer than twenty years.
In the wild, males seldom live longer
than ten years, as injuries sustained from continual fighting with rival
males greatly reduce their longevity.
Lions are unusually social compared to other cats.
A pride of lions consists of related females and offspring and a small number of adult males.
Groups of female lions typically hunt together, preying mostly on large ungulates.
Highly distinctive, the male lion is easily recognised by its mane, and its face is one of the most widely recognised animal symbols in human culture.
