The lion is affectionately known as the King of the Jungle, although it actually only lives in open woodland, thick bush and grassland. This wild cat exudes an aura of strength, power and ferocity. However, these five male lions were spotted lounging together affectionately (creating an ‘ag moeder’ moment), in this video, near the Renoster Koppies in the Kruger National Park.
A few facts about male lions, you may not know
Photo by Melanie van Zyl
1. The darker a male lion’s mane is, the older he is. The females prefer to mate with males with long and dark manes as they appear to be larger and more intimidating.
2. When taking over a new territory, some male lions will form a group of 3 or 4. They fight the resident male lion and kill all his cubs.
3. A lion’s roar is the loudest of any big cat and can be heard up to 8 kilometres away.
4. Lions can be nomads too. Not all lions live in a pride. These kind of lions are grouped based on social behaviour. Nomad lions move about sporadically, singularly or in pairs. Male lions commonly move in pairs who have been excluded from their birth pride.
5. Male lions spend 18 to 20 hours sleeping a day, while the females sleep for 15 to 18 hours.
6. The lion is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, as the animal is threatened by habitat loss.
Also read: Support Trek for Big Cats
