Lions

Lion skulls have specially adapted temporal bones that support strong jaw muscles for biting and holding struggling prey.

Lions usually avoid attacking humans, but they might if food is scarce, they feel threatened, or they’re protecting their cubs.

Young male lions work together to challenge and take over a pride from older males, in coalitions of 2–4 individuals.

When taking over a pride, new male lions often kill young cubs so the females will be ready to mate again sooner.

Lions appear in ancient art from many cultures, including Egyptian, Greek, Chinese, and Persian civilizations.

A lion’s whiskers are arranged in distinct patterns that can be used by researchers to identify individual lions.

The pink spot on a lion’s nose, called a rhinarium, has a unique pattern like a human fingerprint.

Lionesses have four nipples, regardless of how many cubs they birth.

A lion’s saliva contains mild antiseptic properties that help clean wounds and prevent infection when they groom themselves.

The average adult lion’s heart beats about 60 times per minute, which is similar to a human’s resting heart rate.

Lions can go from a standstill to top speed in just a few bounds, thanks to powerful hind leg muscles.

A lion’s pupil can expand to cover almost 80% of its iris in low light, compared to about 50% in humans.

Lions usually sleep lying on their sides, but they can also sleep on their backs or sitting up.

Lions in captivity need at least 10,000 square feet (929 square meters) of space to maintain good physical and mental health.

The lip and chin whiskers of a lion are typically arranged in rows of 5–8, with 10–12 whiskers in each row.

The manes of male lions who live in hotter regions tend to be less full and lighter in color than those living in cooler areas.

A lion’s nose has about 60 million scent receptors, giving it a sense of smell about 6 times stronger than humans.

Scientists have discovered that lions living in different regions have distinct “dialects” in their roars!

All lion cubs in a pride share the responsibility of babysitting younger cubs!

Lions avoid hunting adult elephants or hippos — they’re too big and dangerous!

Lions pant to cool down because they don’t sweat like humans. Their mane can make them extra hot!