AnimalsLions are the only cats that live in family groups. A pride is made up of related females, their cubs and a few males. Adult males have a mane. The females do most of the hunting, working together. The only wild lions outside Africa live in and around Gir National Park in Gujarat.
Quick facts
- Scientific name
- Panthera leo
- Group
- Mammals
- Diet
- Carnivore (eats other animals)
- Lives in
- Africa and a small part of India
- Habitat
- Grasslands, savanna and open woodland
- A young one is called
- cub
- A group is called
- pride
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable
How it is classified
Scientists sort living things into groups within groups. Reading down, each step is a smaller group, ending with the species itself.
- Kingdom Animalia
- Phylum Chordata
- Class Mammalia
- Order Carnivora
- Family Felidae
- Genus Panthera
- Species Panthera leo
Other members of the family Felidae on this site: cheetah, domestic cat, jaguar, leopard, snow leopard, tiger.
More distant relatives in the order Carnivora: brown bear, dog, giant panda, polar bear, red fox, red panda, sloth bear, spotted hyena, walrus, wolf.
Classification follows the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Other reference works arrange some groups differently. How classification works.
Is it in danger?
The lion is listed as Vulnerable. The species faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
This is the IUCN Red List category as recorded in Wikidata on 11 November 2026. The IUCN Red List itself is the authority and may carry a newer assessment. What the categories mean.