Males can weigh up to 230 kg while females are smaller and lighter. Adults are generally a uniform tawny colour, but some retain the spots that are characteristic of young lions. The backs of the ears are black and contrast sharply with the colour of the body. The most distinctive feature of the lion is its mane. Only the adult male carries a mane, extending from sides of the face on to the neck, shoulders and chest.
Mane colour ranges from pale tawny to black.
In very rare cases unmaned males have been recorded. An adolescent male's mane will begin to grow at 18 months, after which it will continue to grow and darken until the age of five. The man is a visual indicator of gender and power, the mane also serves to protect the lion's neck from other lions. Another distinguishing feature of the lion is its thunderous roar, which can be heard up to 10 km away. The best chance to hear the lion's roar is after a kill, or at dawn or dusk when they sound off in response to roars of neighboring prides.