World Lion Day: Five facts about the King of the Jungle
World Lion Day started in 2013 with the goal of raising awareness about the challenges lions face in the wild.The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) have also warned that numbers will continue to decrease without proper conservation efforts.This is due to several factors, including loss of habitat and food shortages.Check out our top lion facts, and tell us what you love about the big cats in the comments below...
1. They're really very lazy
They may be pretty tough and scary when they're awake, but that actually isn't very often.Lions love nothing more than a good snooze, sleeping for up to 20 hours a day!
2. They're all about girl power
When it comes to lions, the ladies are in charge. Lionesses do nearly all of the hunting, bringing food back for the entire pride.They are also responsible for raising the children, and typically give birth to a litter every two years, which could between one and four cubs.
3. They don't have great table manners
Despite their huge teeth, lions don't actually chew their food.Instead, they swallow it in huge chunks, using just one side of their mouth.
4. They're not exactly quiet!
A lion can't actually roar until it is two years old.But when it does, it's so loud you can hear it five miles away.
5. They don't like porcupines
They may not be very big, but porcupines are surprisingly a lion's biggest enemy.Tricked into sniffing the little animal, unlucky lions can end up with one of the porcupine's spikes stuck in their mouth for the rest of their lives.
Do you love lions? What do you like about them? Let us know in the comments...
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