Litters can be anything between 1 - 7. at this Park the litters have indeed been from 1 up to 6.
How big are the cubs when they’re born?
They weigh between 1.5 and 2 kilos. Their eyes are open unless they are born prematurely, but they cannot focus for the first few weeks. Their eyes start off blue, becoming darker before changing to the amber colour seen in adults. The eyes of the Whites are slightly lighter and sometimes stay blue.
Why do the cubs have spots?
When they are very young, cubs are covered in a fluffy fur and the dark spots are for camouflage. These spots tend to disappear from their head and back at around 4 months old, and the spots on their legs are covered by the new hair that replaces the fluff at around the same age. Spots can still be seen on the skin but hidden by fur on the legs of older lions.
When does the mane grow?
It starts to grow on the male lion when the cub is five or six months old. The mane will only reach it’s full potential by the time he’s 5 years old.
When do they reach Maturity?
They reach maturity and height by 3 years abut they continue to fill out, especially in the head and neck area, until they are 5½ years of age.
How long do they usually live for?
In the wild they would normally only survive for 10 – 15 years, depending on their strength and ability to hunt. In captivity, lions can live to 20 years or more since they do not have to hunt and risk injury. Even at this ripe old age they can still produce!!
