Lion

With their impressive mane and their muscular body the males among the lions appear truly regal. With a loud roar they defend their territory in nature, frighten away rivals and defend the pride. While the females are somewhat smaller, the males reach a weight of up to 200 kilograms and a height of about 2.50 metres. As a result, the lion is Africa’s largest land carnivore. Here they live in semi-deserts, steppes and savannahs.

Living in a pride
In contrast to most other solitary big cats, lions live in a pride. This mostly consists of one to two males, several females as well as their young animals. The females generally provide the pride with meat. With united women power they go hunting for antelopes, zebras or wildebeests. After feeding, the impressive big cats rest extensively in the shade. The lions at the zoo get about 4 to 5 kilograms of meat daily. In order to recreate the absent hunting successes in natural surroundings, our lions fast on one day a week.
At the Rostock Zoo the lions inhabit an open grassland savannah. Thanks to large glass fronts and viewing platforms, visitors get close to the animals, as it would hardly be possible in nature.