From adorable cubs to snarling, no-nonsense apex predators, there's a lot to admire about lions. Maybe, more than anything, the fact that they spend between 16 and 20 hours each day resting and sleeping. That's got to fill them with 'pride.'
The only social member of the cat family, lions mostly hunt from dusk till dawn. Well, the females do. Male lions defend the pride’s territory while females do most of the hunting. Despite this, the males eat first.
Before we jump into the incredible photos - mostly coming from our year-long photography competition, Africa's Photographer of the Year - here are a few more interesting facts about lions;
A lion’s roar is the loudest of any big cat and can be heard up to 8 km away.
Lions were once found throughout Africa, Asia and Europe but now exist only in Africa with one exception. The last remaining Asiatic lions are found in Sasan-Gir National Park in India, which was primarily created to protect the species. Currently, there are approximately 350-400 lions in the park.
Entrance to the Tower of London used to be free if you brought a dog or a cat to feed to the lions.
Lions' tongues are huge, pink and covered with sharp papillae, they are rough enough to scrape meat from bones or make human skin bleed.
During the mating season, lionesses have sex up to 50 times a day for four days and nights in a row with as many as five males – but each bout lasts only ten seconds.
Snarling male lionTwo lion cubs at sunsetTwo young lions sitting in the grassMale lion emerging from a bushTwo lion cubs play fightingYoung lion restingNamibian desert lion Photo Credit: Flip StanderLion sitting in the grass at sunsetLion emerging out of the mist in Sabi SandMother and her two cubsDark-maned male lionMale lion lying between long grassYoung male lion up a treeLions sitting on a rock in the African bush Photo Credit: William J. GreenFour male lions walking along a dirt road Photo Credit: Werner SchmäingLion cubs sitting on a rock Photo Credit: Tea RiemsdykLion with his kill Photo Credit: Stefania UrbiniLion cub close-up Photo Credit: Rodrigues JorgeClose-up of a lioness Photo Credit: Neil PreyerMale lion with a game vehicle in the background Photo Credit: Peter GauchelA rare white lion Photo Credit: Phil JuddLioness chasing off a male lion Photo Credit: Phil JuddDark-maned male lion Photo Credit: Pravin Kumar VanchiLioness drinking Photo Credit: Neil PreyerClose-up of a male lion Photo Credit: Neil PreyerA male lion scratching his mane on a tree Photo Credit: Mike WalshHead of a lion emerging from long grass Photo Credit: Mike WalshThree lion cubs Photo Credit: Mike WalshMale lion standing between trees Photo Credit: Marli PotgieterLion portrait at night Photo Credit: Michael RaddallLions walking across a river Photo Credit: Mike SutherlandLion cubs walking along a road Photo Credit: Mike SutherlandLion sitting by a river Photo Credit: Mike WalshPortrait of a lion in long grass Photo Credit: Marli PotgieterLions up a tree Photo Credit: Marie SchoferYoung lion drinking water Photo Credit: Liam DonnellyPortrait of a lion surrounded by grass Photo Credit: Lalith EkanayakeMale lion snarling Photo Credit: Karin van der MerweYoung male lion sitting in long grass Photo Credit: Jane PearcePride of lions walking along a road Photo Credit: Julie ChapmanPortrait of a lion on the edge of a road Photo Credit: Karen FeldmeierTwo lion cubs biting a branch Photo Credit: Karin KellerLion with a paw over his face Photo Credit: Karin van der MerweFour lion cubs drinking from a puddle Photo Credit: Jane PearceLion cub trying to play with a an adult Photo Credit: Jane PearceTwo lion cubs lying in the grass Photo Credit: Jane PearceTwo male lions resting Photo Credit: Jane PearcePride of lions walking along a dirt road Photo Credit: James WalkerClose-up of a lion lying in the grass Photo Credit: David BrimsMale lion walking down the trunk of a fallen tree Photo Credit: Eddie HydeLion lying in the grass at sunset Photo Credit: Eddie HydeA lone lion at dusk Photo Credit: Gillian MaskellBlack and white portrait of a male lion Photo Credit: Jacha PotgieterLion and her cub walking Photo Credit: David BrimsClose-up of a male lion Photo Credit: Danijel SurićAriel shot of a lion and its kill Photo Credit: Oliver Celerier AbidjanLions and their kill Photo Credit: Mike WalshBaby elephant taken down by a lion with its herd in the background Photo Credit: Luca FrigerioBlack and white close-up of a lion yawning Photo Credit: Camille BoerderieA lion standing among wildebeest and zebra Photo Credit: Chase WellsBacklit silhouette of a lion Photo Credit: Clint RalphTwo lion cubs playing Photo Credit: Clint RalphPortrait of a male lion Photo Credit: Clint RalphTwo male lions walking through long grass together Photo Credit: Anton PretoriousLion drinking from water at night Photo Credit: Anna-MartLion cub playing over a branch Photo Credit: Anja ImmelmanPride of Lions in Madikwe having a drink at a local waterhole Photo Credit: Alex MaasLion lioness walking though long dry grass Photo Credit: Alex MaasTwo lion cubs in the background of a lioness and her kill Photo Credit: Alpesh DabasiaLion lying in lush grass Photo Credit: Andrew Tudor Morgan
Matt discovered a passion for writing in the six years he spent travelling abroad. He worked for a turtle sanctuary in Nicaragua, in an ice cream factory in Norway and on a camel safari in India. He was a door-to-door lightbulb-exchanger in Australia, a pub crawl guide in Amsterdam and a journalist in Colombia. Now, he writes and travels with us.
