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Fun Facts About Lions

Guest Writer | Wildlife

Hello again everyone, it has been a while since I have written a blog, I thought that because the Timbavati has been teaming with lions recently I would write a few facts that I find interesting about these feline creatures and often get asked on my safaris. 

  • Although it is always exciting to see lions actively playing or even better seeing them in action, looking for their next meal, the reality is that lions will spend the duration of the day sleeping and can sleep up to 20 hours in a single day. 

  • When asked about fast mammals most of us will immediately think of cheetahs, however, one should not underestimate the speed of a lion. Maybe they can’t reach speeds of 100kmph – 110kmph but I would argue that running 80kmph is still incredibly fast and very impressive. 
  • Most cats are solitary creatures except for maybe a mother with cubs or a breeding pair. However, lions are also the only feline species in the world to live in prides and help one another for the greater good of the pride. 
  • Depending on the time of year you come and visit us at Tanda Tula, you will find that in our rainy season, huge lighting and thunder are a common occurrence at night and are always beautiful to watch roll in over the great Drakensberg Mountain range. Although we might seek shelter, it is optimal conditions for cats of any species, particularly lions, to go and hunt as their prey’s sense will be affected by the storm. So, we often will find lions either with very full bellies or if we are lucky maybe even on a kill the next morning.

  • Although in a pride, the female lions will do most of the hunting and the large and more dominant male/s will often reap the rewards of their hard effort, it is important to know that the males are also exceptional hunters. For a large part of their life, they were part of a pride and would have been active in all hunts, But when kicked out they may have been alone or forced to find other young male lions in the same situation and had to provide for themselves. 

That’s it for me for now, thanks for reading everyone, and hope to see you all soon! 

Trist.

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