African Lion, Big Cat Sanctuary Royalty-Free Stock Photo

The lion Panthera leo is a species in the family Felidae and a member of the genus Panthera. It has a muscular, deep-chested body, short, rounded head, round ears, and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic adult male lions have a prominent mane. With a typical head-to-body length of 184–208 cm 72–82 in they are larger than females at 160–184 cm 63–72 in. It is a social species, forming groups called prides. A lion pride consists of a few adult males, related females and cubs. Groups of female lions usually hunt together, preying mostly on large ungulates