One of our most amazing experiences has been sleeping in a tent in lion country and hearing the lions roaring in the distance. A lion’s roar is so loud that it can reach 114 decibels at one metre (I might ask what you are doing within 1 m of a roaring lion?) This is above the human pain threshold of 110 db and it is no surprise that we humans can hear a lion roaring up to 5 miles or 8 km away. Male lions roar primarily to project their strength and dominance and to defend their territory from competing males. The lion has the loudest roar of all the big cats. Large prides, with up to 30 individuals, have a competitive advantage in hunting and in protecting their territory.Īfrican lions are the second largest cats in the world, after the tiger, with some males exceeding 250 kg (550 lb) in weight.
The typical pride consists of ten to fifteen lions, with several adult females and their offspring and up to four males. Lions are the most social of the felines, forming matriarchal groups called “prides” that consist of females in stable social units. Lions communicate overall health, fighting ability, and desirability as a mate through sounds, sights, and smells.
The males roar to protect their territory from competing males, to attract mating partners, and to discourage other predators. Lions communicate through vocalizations such as loud roars, by leaving scent markings, and through visual cues, such as the darkness of the mane.
We’ve visited Africa several times and always look forward to the thrill of being in a land rover surrounded by lions sitting in the shade of our vehicle! Having the opportunity to view wild lions up close has been one of the top highlights in our quest to see wild creatures throughout the world.