Editing Lion (section)

{{Short description|Large cat native to Africa and India}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Distinguish|Mountain lion|Lyon|Loin}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Pp|vandalism|small=y}}
{{Pp-move|vandalism}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Lion
| fossil_range = {{fossil range|Pleistocene|Present}}
<!--Please do not replace these featured images without a consensus-->
| image = 020 The lion king Snyggve in the Serengeti National Park Photo by Giles Laurent.jpg
| image_caption = Male in [[Serengeti National Park]], Tanzania
| image2 = Okonjima Lioness.jpg
| image2_caption = Female in [[Okonjima]], Namibia
| status = VU
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name=IUCN>{{cite iucn |title=''Panthera leo'' |author1=Nicholson, S. |author2=Bauer, H. |author3=Strampelli, P. |author4=Sogbohossou, E. |author5=Ikanda, D. |author6=Tumenta, P. F. |author7=Venktraman, M. |author8=Chapron, G. |author9=Loveridge, A. |year=2024 |amends=2023 |page=e.T15951A259030422 |access-date=30 June 2024}}</ref>
| status2 = CITES_A2
| status2_system = CITES
| status2_ref = {{efn|Populations of India are listed in Appendix I.}}<ref name=IUCN/>
| taxon = Panthera leo<ref name=MSW3>{{MSW3 Carnivora |id=14000228 |page=546 |heading=Species ''Panthera leo''}}</ref>
| authority = ([[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]])<ref name="Linn1758" />
| subdivision_ranks = Subspecies
| subdivision = :''[[Panthera leo leo|P. l. leo]]''
:''[[Panthera leo melanochaita|P. l. melanochaita]]''
:{{dagger}}''[[Sri Lanka lion|P. l. sinhaleyus]]''
| range_map = Lion (Panthera leo) IUCN range 2023.svg
| range_map_caption = Historical lion distribution
}}

The '''lion''' ('''''Panthera leo''''') is a large [[Felidae|cat]] of the genus ''[[Panthera]]'', native to [[Sub-Saharan Africa]] and [[India]]. It has a muscular, broad-chested [[body (biology)|body]]; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the tip of its tail. It is [[sexually dimorphic]]; adult male lions are larger than females and have a prominent mane. It is a [[social species]], forming groups called prides. A lion's pride consists of a few adult males, related females, and cubs. Groups of female lions usually hunt together, preying mostly on medium-sized and large [[ungulate]]s. The lion is an [[apex predator|apex]] and [[keystone predator]].

The lion inhabits [[grassland]]s, [[savannah]]s, and [[shrubland]]s. It is usually more [[diurnality|diurnal]] than other wild cats, but when persecuted, it adapts to being active [[nocturnality|at night]] and [[crepuscular|at twilight]]. During the [[Neolithic]] period, the lion ranged throughout Africa and Eurasia, from Southeast Europe to India, but it has been reduced to fragmented populations in sub-Saharan Africa and one population in [[western India]]. It has been listed as [[Vulnerable species|Vulnerable]] on the [[IUCN Red List]] since 1996 because populations in African countries have declined by about 43% since the early 1990s. Lion populations are untenable outside designated protected areas. Although the cause of the decline is not fully understood, [[habitat loss]] and conflicts with humans are the greatest causes for concern.

One of the most widely recognised animal symbols in human culture, the lion has been extensively depicted in sculptures and paintings, on national flags, and in literature and films. Lions have been kept in [[menagerie]]s since the time of the [[Roman Empire]] and have been a key species sought for exhibition in [[zoological garden]]s across the world since the late 18th century. [[Cultural depictions of lions]] have occurred worldwide, particularly as a symbol of power and royalty.