- It’s funny how a lion can be both a lazy glutton and a beast straight out of your nightmares.
In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight… For being such a famous tune, The Lion Sleeps Tonight sure got a lot wrong about lions.
They don’t live in the jungle.
Today is the World Lion Day. This celebration of all things leonine aims to raise awareness of these majestic but threatened big cats.
We at Oddee decided to do our part to help these big cats in the only way we know how. So, here are nine fun and weird facts about lions you may not have known about.
9. The Lion Isn’t the King of the Jungle…
Well, we kind of spoiled this one already, but it’s true. The lion’s reputation as the King of the Jungle is completely unwarranted since they don’t live in the jungle.
Instead, lions populate Africa’s wide-open savannah and shrubland. It’s a perfect environment for these big cats to hunt zebra, gazelle, and other large prey.
Sure, a wayward lion occasionally finds its way into one of Africa’s many forests. But that’s one lost lion — they really don’t belong in the jungle.
8. …But the Lion Does Sleep Tonight (and All Day Long)
The Lion Sleeps Tonight does get one thing right. The lion does sleep tonight, and tomorrow morning, and probably for most of the day.
Lions have a fearsome reputation, but they’re even lazier than your average housecat. Your average lion spends up to 22 hours a day sleeping, resting, or otherwise lounging around at its leisure.
That leaves them a scant two hours of active time a day. They have to cram everything they do into that brief period — including hunting.
7. Lions Are Gluttons When They Eat
Since lions are awake for only a couple of hours a day, they may not be able to catch food every time they’re active. So, when they finally do score a gazelle, they absolutely gorge themselves.
A lion can eat up to a quarter of its body weight at one time. Considering that an average lion weighs between 300 to 400 pounds (depending if it’s a female or male), that equals 75-100 pounds of meat.
That’s equal to the average human choking down 37.5 pounds of food at one time. It’s no wonder lions can go for days on end without eating after a meal.
6. Lions are Born with Spots
While many other big cats are famous for their fur patterns, lions are pretty drab in comparison. Unless you look at baby lions.
Baby lions (or lionets) have dark brown spots on their fur immediately after they’re born. The pattern helps the (relatively) little kitties blend into the shadows of savannah grass.
The spots disappear as the lion grows, but they may remain on their lower legs well into adulthood.
5. Lions Live Only in Africa — and One Place in India
Lions bear a strong association with their African homeland, and that’s where 99% of them live. But there’s one small place in India where you might also run into a lion.
The Gir National Park in western India is home to roughly 650 Asiatic lions. They were separated from their African cousins around 100,000 years ago.
4. Lionesses Prefer a Mature Man
Had he not taken a tumble off a cliff, Nala would’ve probably rather gone for Mufasa than Simba. That’s because lionesses prefer an older rugged man to a young stud.
If you’re wondering how we know that, it’s a matter of simple logic. Scientists have observed that female lions are attracted to males with long, dark manes.
Male lions’ manes grow longer and turn a darker color the older they are. Putting two and two together shows that lionesses go weak at the knees at the sight of a handsome figurative silver fox.
3. The Lion is the World’s Most Popular Heraldic Beast
Heraldic beasts are animals that appear as motifs of crests, coats of arms, and other pieces of heraldry. Out of all the animals, the lion is the most popular choice by far.
Lions appear on the coats of arms of places where an actual lion would never even dream of going, like the Nordic countries of Sweden and Finland. It’s all because of the lion’s reputation as the “king of the beasts,” symbolizing strength, courage, nobility, and honor.
2. The Largest Lions Ever Lived in America
Today, lions live only in Africa (and that one place in India) but they used to be much more widespread around the world. They were also a whole lot bigger.
The largest lion to ever live is the American cave lion. This massive beast was about 25% bigger than modern lions, weighing nearly a ton.
They once lived in much of the area of what is today the U.S. and Mexico. Yet, they disappeared around 11,000 years ago.
1. Lions Love Storms
Considering how cats behave around water, you might think lions hate the rain. But it’s quite the opposite — when it storms, the lions know it’s time to hunt.
Their penchant for storms makes sense. Thunder helps cover the noise of the creeping lions, the wind blows their scent away, and the blinding curtain of rain prevents their prey from seeing them.
Imagine seeing a glimpse of a lion ready to pounce in a brief flash of lightning.
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