Typically a mature male stands 4 feet at the shoulder and is 8 .5 feet long, plus tail. He'll average 450 pounds. Females are considerable smaller, weighing less than 300 pounds. Adult lions usually have a plain unspotted coat, light brown to dark ochre in color. Cubs are marked with spots which sometimes persist on the legs and belly until they are fully grown.
Male lions have a brown mane, which tends to grow darker and fuller as the animal ages.
The tail has a black tuft at the end. Thousands of years ago, lions were common throughout southern Europe, southern Asia, eastern and central India and over the whole of the African continent. Today, with the exception of some 300 highly protected animals in the Gir National Park of India, the only naturally-occuring lions are found in Africa. Lions do not live in heavy forests and jungles and they do not inhabit desert areas due to a scarcity of game. Lions feed on a variety of large and medium-size prey.