Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
lion
Table of Contents
References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images & Videos
A male lion male lion lion pride of lions lions chasing a warthog lioness with cubs lioness with cubs cave lion male lion
Inside the Afri-Leo Foundation: Protecting lions in Namibia
For Students
A male lion
lion summary
Quizzes
Dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius). Animals, mammals.
Ultimate Animals Quiz
Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters
Animal Group Names
Lion (panthera leo)
Deadliest Animals Quiz
Young chimpanzee dressed in a shirt and sweater vest, scratching his head thinking. (primates)
Wild Words from the Animal Kingdom Vocabulary Quiz
Mute swan with cygnet. (birds)
Match the Baby Animal to Its Mama Quiz
Related Questions
Read Next
Ruminant. Deer. Red deer. Cervus elaphus. Buck. Stag. Antlers.
9 of the World’s Deadliest Mammals
Leopard. Leopard (Panthera pardus) male leopard on a termite mound in Sabi Sand nature reserve, South Africa. panther, mammal, large cat, animal
6 Real-Life Man-Eating Animals
cat. orange and white persian cat with long hair, snarl, growl, teeth
7 Questions About Mammals Answered
animal. Amphibian. Frog. Anura. Ranidae. Frog in grass.
Abundant Animals: The Most Numerous Organisms in the World
Portrait of a mountain gorilla at a short distance. gorilla close up portrait.The mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei)
Falling Stars: 10 of the Most Famous Endangered Species
Discover
Hemp (Cannabis sativa).
9 Mind-Altering Plants
Titanic infographic. The 30th anniversary of its discovery is September 1, 2015. SPOTLIGHT VERSION.
Timeline of the Titanic’s Final Hours
illustration of the walking titanosaurus, Patagotitan mayorum
Titanosaurs: 8 of the World's Biggest Dinosaurs
Lusitania sinking, illustration from The War of the Nations (New York), December 31, 1919. World War I, WWI. This image is one of three on the page. (See source file for the other two.)
7 of the World’s Deadliest Shipwrecks
New Zealand. Political/Physical map. Includes locator.
Where Is “Old Zealand”?
Illustration for Demystified "How Dangerous is Quicksand"
How Deadly Is Quicksand?
Fish. Lionfish. Lion-fish. Turkey fish. Fire-fish. Red lionfish. Pterois volitans. Venomous fin spines. Coral reefs. Underwater. Ocean. Red lionfish swims by seaweed.
10 of the World’s Most Dangerous Fish

lion: Facts & Related Content

verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/facts/lion
Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As Panthera leo

Did You Know?

  • A lion's roar can be heard from 5 miles away.
  • Lions can run at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour.

Photos and Videos

A male lion
male lion
lion
pride of lions
lions chasing a warthog
lioness with cubs
lioness with cubs
cave lion
male lion
African lion
Inside the Afri-Leo Foundation: Protecting lions in Namibia
Observe a predatory lion pride in a typical day of grooming, playing, hunting, eating prey, and sleeping
Follow wildlife filmmaker Andreas Kieling and learn about the Asiatic lions in the Gir National Park in western India
See All Videos and Images →

Related Topics and References

Topics

Related Quizzes and Features

Quiz
Humpback whale breaching out of the ocean. (sea mammal; ocean mammal)
A Quiz from Shrews to Whales
Young chimpanzee dressed in a shirt and sweater vest, scratching his head thinking. (primates)
Wild Words from the Animal Kingdom Vocabulary Quiz
Lion (panthera leo)
Deadliest Animals Quiz
vulture. An adult bearded vulture at a raptor recovery center. The Gypaetus barbatus also known as the Lammergeier or Lammergeyer, is a bird of prey and considered an Old World vulture.
Animal Factoids
Cougar in woods. Cats, felines, puma.
The Big Cats
Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters
Animal Group Names
Sumatran tiger (panthera tigris sumatrae) in water
“Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!” Quiz
Mute swan with cygnet. (birds)
Match the Baby Animal to Its Mama Quiz
Giraffe standing in grass, Kenya.
Know Your Mammals Quiz
Lion (panthera leo)
Deadliest Animals Quiz
Dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius). Animals, mammals.
Ultimate Animals Quiz
List
cat. orange and white persian cat with long hair, snarl, growl, teeth
7 Questions About Mammals Answered
animal. Amphibian. Frog. Anura. Ranidae. Frog in grass.
Abundant Animals: The Most Numerous Organisms in the World
Ruminant. Deer. Red deer. Cervus elaphus. Buck. Stag. Antlers.
9 of the World’s Deadliest Mammals
Sergeant Stubby or also known as Mascot Stubby. Unofficial mascot dog of the 102nd Infantry Regiment of the United States with the 26th (Yankee) Division in World War I. War dog. Possibly a Boston terrier - also sometimes described as a Boston bull terrier
8 Famous Animals
Portrait of a mountain gorilla at a short distance. gorilla close up portrait.The mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei)
Falling Stars: 10 of the Most Famous Endangered Species