Eight Weird Facts on the Lion.

1. A Lion's Pride: The lion is quite social unlike the other members of the big cat family. Approximately 10 to 15 lions will live together in a group also known as a pride. Of these members, five to ten of the members will be females accompanied by their young. Only two to three lions within a pride will be males who are either brothers or pride-mates. The lion’s social tendencies can also be seen in its actions; a lion will often play, groom and lay with other lions in obvious displays of affection. 
2. The Power-Hungry Male:  Males will only last as the leader of their pride for between two and four years. To gain power, males must overpower the leader of another pride. He will either do this alone or will be aided by other young “bachelor” males, who are often related. Once in power, all of the existing clubs within the pride are usually killed by the new leader(s). 

3. Gender Roles: Most would assume that male lions are responsible for hunting, but it turns out that this important role is the job of the females. The lionesses will work together to chase down various animals averaging 250 pounds. Once they have caught their prey, they will allow the males to eat first. Male lions defend the territory of the pride, which can stretch up to 100 square miles and is composed of grasslands, scrubs and open woodlands. The male lion will urinate to create territorial markers (the lion has a very good sense of smell)  roar, as well as chase intruders. 

4. Working Girls: Female lions are known for working together. They are usually all related and will aid in each other in taking care of their young. An example is that all lactating female lions will allow any cub to nurse, regardless if it is her offspring or not. When the other female lions go hunting, one will remain with the cubs to “nanny” them. Lastly, the female lions will often hunt a small antelope and bring it back to the den, alive, so that the cubs can practice their hunting skills.

5. Lions are Lazy: Lions are represented to be powerful, majestic creatures who spend much of their day hunting and guarding their territory. However, contrary to this popular believe, lions are actually the most lethargic of the big cat family and spend most of their day relaxing and sleeping with their pride. On average, a lion will spend between 16 and 20 hours resting!

6.Big Eaters: Although the lion only eats about two times per week, it makes up for it in portion size per sitting. The lion will eat on average 40 pounds of meat in just one meal and will proceed to sleep it off, in a nap lasting up to 24 hours. Lions obtain their food by hunting zebras, wildebeest, and other similarly sized wild animals. They also scavenge up to 40% of their food by stealing it from other animals or by finding discarded animal carcasses.

7. The Mating Ritual: Lions have been known to mate up to 100 times in just one day. This is because when a lioness is in heat, the male and female lion will copulate between 2 and 4 times per hour, with each session lasting between ten seconds and one minute. This activity will continue for four to five days.

8. Lions have Loud Roars: The lion’s roar is a popular sound in mainstream American culture due to “Leo the Lion”, the famous MGM mascot whose roar continues to open every one of their movies. The lion is able to roar at the age of two and uses it to communicate with other lions and to protect its territory. This powerful roar can be heard up to 5 miles away!