This lounging male African lion and lioness joined the Oakland Zoo in California in 2000 as six month cubs. These two are old for wild lions, which typically live ten to 14 years and males rarely pass ten. In captivity, however, they can live to 20. The adult male’s mane is unique among cats and the darker it is, the more sexually attractive. His weight ranges from 300 to 500 pounds. The female is smaller at 250 to 400 pounds. Over 10,000 years ago, there was a huge population of lions that extended through Africa, India, Asia, Europe and parts of the Americas, but today only about 200,000 live in Africa and parts of India.
