Meet our new lion, Khari. He's adventurous, confident and extremely handsome, and has joined us from Blackpool Zoo while their Big Cat House is being renovated.
Khari, which means ‘King-like’ in Swahili, moved in in May 2022 is settling in really well - have you spotted him yet?
We'll have more exciting updates on our new pride very soon… watch this space!
Gifts for lion lovers
Interesting facts about the king of the beasts, the majestic African Lion.
Common Name:
African Lion
Scientific Name:
Panthera leo
Distribution:
Extinct in North Africa. Now found in Africa, south of the Sahara
Size:
Length: Male: 2.6 - 3.3m excluding tail
Female: 2.4 - 2.7m excluding tail
Tail: 60 - 100cm
Weight: Male: 150 - 250kg
Female: 110 - 180kg
Breeding:
Lions reach sexual maturity at 2 years old and mate at all times of the year. The gestation period is 102-112 days which usually results in 2 to 5 cubs.
Lifestyle:
Lions are social and territorial animals who live in family groups called prides
Diet:
Carnivorous, mainly mammals from giraffes to buffalo, deer and carrion
Habitat:
Varied, from grasslands of East Africa to sands of the Kalahari Desert
Status in the Wild:
Range constantly being reduced but not endangered yet.
Special Features:
Lions are unique among cats in that the male can be easily distinguished from the female (lioness) because he possesses a mane of hair. As in most cats, the eyes are adapted for seeing at night when they do a lot of hunting. The claws can be retracted in sheaths to prevent them getting blunted when walking across the savannah, which they can do almost noiselessly on soft pads.
