These sub-adult lions (“sub-adult” means a nearly full-grown cub) are crashed out under a tree escaping the heat of the day. Lions sleep up to 20 hours a day. (They are cats, after all!)

Did you know: cheetahs and leopards aren’t the only big African cats with spots: lion cubs have spots too! Look closely and you can see these youngsters still have spots remaining on their heads, but on young cubs they’re clearly visible on their legs and bellies.

The African Lion (Panthera leo)
is on the IUCN Red List for Threatened Species as “vulnerable”.
Population trend: decreasing