A large male is about 10 feet long, including the tale, and stands about three feet at the shoulder. Males weigh up to 500 pounds. Females are smaller. Lions have short fur, pale yellowish to dark brown in color, with a dark tuft on the tip of the tail. The male lion's outstanding characteristic is his mane.
Lions usually live in a group, called a pride, based on one or more family units.
Prides can have more than 30 members. Lions patiently stalk their prey which includes many kinds of animals, from insects to antelopes and giraffes. Death for the prey occurs after a short and rapid charge by the lion in which its speed can reach up to 37 miles per hour. In a successful hunt, the lion's momentum knocks the prey to the ground where the lion dispatches it with a suffocating bite to the throat. While it may seem that a lion is more than a match for most prey, lions are successful in killing their prey in less than half of their attacks.