Lion ... The lion (Panthera leo) is a large cat of the genus Panthera, currently ranging only in Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the tip of its tail.
lion, (Panthera leo), large, powerfully built cat (family Felidae) that is second in size only to the tiger; it is a famous apex predator (meaning without a natural predator or enemy). The proverbial “king of beasts,” the lion has been one of the best-known wild animals since earliest times.
There are two types of lion subspecies. One is named Panthera leo melanochaita and lives across South and East Africa. The second lion subspecies has the scientific name Panther Leo and lives in West Africa, Central Africa, and Asia. You may see references to African and Asiatic lions.
The world's most social felines, lions roam the savannas and grasslands of the African continent, hunting cooperatively and raising cubs in prides. Lions have strong, compact bodies and powerful forelegs, teeth and jaws for pulling down and killing prey.
Lion prides can be as small as 3 or as big as 40 animals. In a pride, lions hunt prey, raise cubs, and defend their territory together. In prides the females do most of the hunting and cub...