# Lion (*Panthera leo*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/lion  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The lion (Panthera leo) is a species in the family Felidae, order Carnivora. Recorded adults weigh 126 kg to 188 kg. It has been recorded in 63 countries, most often in South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania. Its IUCN Red List status is Vulnerable.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 126 kg – 188 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Main food | ungulate |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 108 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 2.5 |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable (IUCN) |
| Recorded in | 63 countries |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Carnivora
- family: Felidae
- genus: Panthera
- species: *Panthera leo* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Felis imperialis*, *Felis leo*

## Where it has been recorded

Countries with openly licensed sighting records on GBIF (records in brackets). Recorded sightings, not a definitive range.

South Africa (1053), Kenya (835), Tanzania (703), Germany (557), Benin (280), Botswana (278), Zambia (263), Namibia (193), United States (144), United Kingdom (92), Uganda (85), Zimbabwe (80), India (67), Denmark (28), Malawi (26), Ethiopia (25), Netherlands (24), Congo - Kinshasa (21), Mozambique (16), Brazil (15), Angola (11), France (11), Sweden (10), Senegal (9), Algeria (8), Gabon (7), Rwanda (7), Sudan (7), Somalia (7), Chad (7), Poland (6), Argentina (5), Central African Republic (5), China (5), Spain (5), Belgium (4), Congo - Brazzaville (4), Côte d’Ivoire (4), Eswatini (4), Ukraine (4), Japan (3), Luxembourg (3), Mexico (3), Niger (3), Burundi (2), Canada (2), Iran (2), Nigeria (2), Slovenia (2), Thailand (2), Austria (1), Burkina Faso (1), Czechia (1), Djibouti (1), Israel (1), Italy (1), Sri Lanka (1), Libya (1), Morocco (1), Mali (1), and 3 more

## Common questions

### How big is the lion?

An adult lion weighs 126 kg – 188 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

### Where does the lion live?

The lion has openly licensed sighting records from 63 countries on GBIF. The most records come from South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Germany and Benin. These are recorded sightings, not a definitive range.

### Is the lion endangered?

The lion is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.

### What does the lion eat?

Its recorded main food is ungulate.

### How long is the lion pregnant?

The recorded gestation period is 108 days.

### What kind of animal is the lion?

The lion (Panthera leo) belongs to the family Felidae in the order Carnivora.

## Sources

- [GBIF Backbone Taxonomy](https://www.gbif.org/dataset/d7dddbf4-2cf0-4f39-9b2a-bb099caae36c), CC BY 4.0, live API 2026-11-11. GBIF Secretariat. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org.
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/), CC0 1.0, live API 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata, the free knowledge base.
- [GBIF occurrence aggregates (CC0 and CC BY records only)](https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search), CC BY 4.0, live API 2026-11-11. GBIF.org occurrence search, country facet counts restricted to CC0 1.0 and CC BY 4.0 records.
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/), Per file, live API 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Licence and creator recorded per file.
- [English Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/), CC BY-SA 4.0, live API 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.

Cite as: Lion (Panthera leo). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/lion