Posted: May 22nd, 2023

Lion’s Physical Characteristics

Although they take the second position in the cat family in terms of body size and length, lions are among the strongest wild animals existing in nature, because of their predatory characteristics. They usually have a very powerful jaw, with almost three inches long canine teeth hence, their ability to handle even larger animals, when they are hunting for food. Depending on their global position in terms of habitat and natural environmental conditions, the lions’ fur can be of a buff, reddish, dark brown, or a yellowish coloration, although most of them have black tail clumps and lighter stomachs. Lions usually have a rough tongue, because of the existence of bumps on the exposed sections of the tongue. Such bumps are of great help during hunting and grooming, for they assist the lion to grasp their prey and to get rid of parasites from their female targets respectively (Defenders of Wildlife 1). In terms of body size, there is a great variation in body size and weight between male and female lions; whereby, males have almost a thirty-five percent extra body size and are almost twice as heavy as female lions. That is, depending on their habitat, female lions can have a body weight of between one hundred and twenty three to one hundred and eighty two kilograms, whereas male ones can have a body weight that ranges between one hundred and fifty to two hundred and forty one kilograms. In addition to body weight, lion’s body length also varies, although the average length of a mature lion’s body is eight to nine feet