Lions

Lions (Panthera leo) are the only truly social cats — living in groups (prides) of up to 40 individuals. Females (lionesses) do 90% of the hunting — coordinating attacks on prey 3–4x their size. Males protect the pride's territory (up to 260 km²) through roaring (audible 8 km away) and scent marking. A lion's roar is the most powerful territorial signal in the animal kingdom. Lions once ranged across Africa, Europe, and Asia; today only 20,000–25,000 remain in sub-Saharan Africa and a critically small population (600+) in India's Gir Forest. They have declined 43% in the past 20 years. The killing of Cecil the lion by an American hunter in Zimbabwe (2015) generated global outrage and attention to trophy hunting. Lion conservation is complicated by human-wildlife conflict as lion habitat is converted to farmland.