Something to roar about
Lions are often called “The King of Beasts.” As top predators, lions are important to the health of their habitat.
They are also different from other kinds of cats in many ways. Get a paw up on what makes these cats so cool:
"Mane" attraction
A male lion’s mane gets thicker and darker with age. But there are male lions living in hot dry areas that have no mane!
A team effort
They are the only cats that live in a group, called a pride. Working together to hunt helps them get bigger prey, like a zebra or Cape buffalo. A lone lion usually takes down smaller animals, like a Thomson's gazelle.
Tale of the tail
Lions are the only cats with a tuft on the tip of the tail. Scientists think the cats wave it to signal each other during a hunt.
Connect the dots
Every whisker sprouts from a black dot on the lion’s face. The pattern of those dots is as different as our fingerprints. Scientists can use this to tell lions apart.
Lions have been an important part of the San Diego Zoo for 100 years! In fact, it’s because of a lion that the Zoo was even “born.” Our founder heard the roar of a lion left behind after a fair, and decided to care for the cat and start a zoo!
