Lions are majestic animals belonging to the Panthera genus and Felidae family. We look at some interesting facts about the “king of the jungle” you may not know.

The lion is the second-largest member of the “big cat” family, after the tiger. The adult male African lion can weigh as much as 420 lbs. (190 kg) and the average weight of adult male Asian lions is 350 lbs. (160 kg). By comparison, adult male Siberian and Royal Bengal tigers can weigh close to 700 lbs. (320 kg).

Compared to other big cats, lions are relatively more sociable animals and live in groups called “prides,” each of which usually consists of related females, their offspring and a small number of males. The male lions will eventually leave the group to establish their own prides.

Male lions have been observed killing cubs below a certain age when taking over a new pride. They do so to bring the females back into heat, thus giving them a chance to mate and sire their own cubs.

Lions are believed to have the loudest roar amongst the big cats; an adult lion at full chat can be heard up to five miles (8 km) away. They roar for a variety of reasons, one of which is to locate members of the pride who may often have wandered away in the search for food.

Lions are the only members of the big cat family to display obvious sexual dimorphism – that is, the male and females look distinctly different. The male has the mane… the female does not. However, there is an exception to the rule – the male lions of Tsavo, Kenya lack manes. Biologists haven’t been able to figure why, so far.

If you thought lions were lazy animals, think again. They’re just smart. Lions have relatively fewer sweat glands, meaning they rest up to 20 hours a day to conserve their strength. They become active at dusk and nights, when it is cooler and their superb eyesight gives them a tactical advantage over their prey.

The female lions – the lionesses – are the pride’s primary hunters and providers. They act in groups and hunt prey as varied as antelope, zebra and wildebeest. Males, meanwhile, work to protect the pride’s territory and defend it against young bucks looking to take over the area and the group.

Lions have special dental aids to help them tear through the meat of their prey – a set of rear teeth called carnassials. The other two types of teeth in their mouth are called incisors and canines. The latter are located on either side of the incisors and can grow to seven centimeters in length.

Female lions go into heat several times a year. However, since they don’t have specific mating seasons, pride females synchronize their mating to produce litters at the same time and so share parental duties.

According to most research, wild lions eat between 10 and 25 lbs. (4.5 and 11 kg) of food per day. Animals in captivity are, usually, fed slightly less – eight pounds for males and six for females.