With films like "The Lion King" hitting cinemas, many people are left with an impression of the magnificent big cat taking centre stage.
Here are nine facts about everyone's favourite oversized feline, the lion:
1. A lion's roar can be heard 8 kilometres away
The lion has the loudest roar of all the big cats. It is so loud that it can reach up to 114 decibels (at a distance of around one metre) and can be heard from as far away as eight kilometres. The loudness is related to the shape of the big cat's larynx; While most animals have triangular vocal cords, a lion has a square and flat one, which allows them to respond more easily to air passing through. This results in a louder roar with less effort.
2. A male lion can eat over 40kg of meat in a day
A female lion needs 5kg and a male lion around 7kg of meat a day. Studies of the animal in the wild show that their average intake is between 8kg and 9kg per day. However, a lioness can eat over 25kg and a male can eat as much as 40kg in a single meal. That's the equivalent of 40 large packets of minced meat.
3. Lions can run as fast as 50 km/h
The lion is the second fastest wild cat (after the cheetah) with a top running speed of around 50 km/h. However, the heart of a lioness (which does most of the hunting) only makes up around 0.57 per cent of her body weight. Endurance is thus not her strong point. This top speed is only for short distances, so the hunter needs to be close to his prey before an attack starts.
4. The darker a lion's mane is, the older it is
A good way to guess the age of a male lion is to inspect the colour of his mane (from a distance, of course). The darker the mane, the older the lion.
A dark mane is also a sign of high levels of testosterone, and therefore strength, so a black-maned lion is likely to attract more females.
5. The lion is the only cat with a tasselled tail
The lion is the only member of the cat family to have a tassel at the end of its tail. This attribute is an important communication tool, used to signal to other members of the pride. It can be used to give directions and commands and even to flirt.
6. The oldest registered lion was almost 29 years old
The average lifespan of a lion is 13 years. In captivity - where they don't rely on strength and hunting skills to survive - they can live much longer. The oldest recorded age of a lion was almost 29 years.
7. A lion's night vision is six times better than yours
During the day, a lion's vision may not be that different from a human's, and fewer cone cells in the retina mean they see fewer colours. However, it's at night that their vision really comes into its own.
A lion's eye is packed with photoreceptor cells to capture light as it enters, and then a reflective membrane behind the retina reflects all light straight back to these light-sensitive cells. They also have white stripes under their eyes to help reflect as much light as possible into their pupils. All this means that a lion only needs one-sixth of the light that humans need to see. This spectacular night vision makes them a dangerous opponent for prey in the hours of darkness.
8. A lion can hear prey from a kilometre away
A lion has incredible hearing, aided by swivelling ears that adapt to the direction the sound is coming from. That sensitive hearing means they are able to stalk prey when it is hidden by dense vegetation and detect their next meal when it is as far as a kilometre away.
9. There may be as few as 20,000 lions left in the wild
The African lion population has undergone a catastrophic decline, dropping by over 40 % in the last three generations. This is due to the loss of natural habitat and prey, and the devastating impact of hunting and poaching. With the number left in the wild estimated at between 20,000 and 39,000, this majestic creature is now officially classified as 'vulnerable'.
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