Lion

Lions are known as the ‘King of the Beasts’ with good reason: Few creatures in the world are as courageous or majestic. Largest of all African cats, they once freely roamed most of Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Today, they are found in patches in Africa and in India. These powerfully built cats have a long body, large head, and short legs. Males are known for their manes, which vary from nonexistent to full and shaggy. Lions are social creatures and live in prides. Females hunt together, while males form coalitions competing fiercely for pride supremacy. In the early 20th century, there were around 200,000 lions. Today, fewer than 20,000 remain, in part because of human poaching and geopolitical  conflict. Wild lions live around 10-14 years. Protected in captivity, they can live up to 25 years.