The lion (Panthera leo) is a species (Abre numa nova janela) in the family Felidae (Abre numa nova janela) and a member of the genus (Abre numa nova janela) Panthera (Abre numa nova janela). It has a muscular, deep-chested body, short, rounded head, round ears, and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic (Abre numa nova janela); adult male lions have a prominent mane. With a typical head-to-body length of 184–208 cm (72–82 in) they are larger than females at 160–184 cm (63–72 in). It is a social species (Abre numa nova janela), forming groups called prides. A lion pride consists of a few adult males, related females and cubs. Groups of female lions usually hunt together, preying mostly on large ungulates (Abre numa nova janela). The lion is an apex (Abre numa nova janela) and keystone predator (Abre numa nova janela); although some lions scavenge when opportunities occur and have been known to hunt humans, the species typically does not.

Typically, the lion inhabits grasslands (Abre numa nova janela) and savannas (Abre numa nova janela), but is absent in dense forests (Abre numa nova janela). It is usually more diurnal (Abre numa nova janela) than other big cats, but when persecuted it adapts to being active at night (Abre numa nova janela) and at twilight (Abre numa nova janela). During the Neolithic (Abre numa nova janela) period, the lion ranged throughout Africa (Abre numa nova janela), Southeast Europe (Abre numa nova janela), and Western (Abre numa nova janela) and South Asia (Abre numa nova janela)but today it has been reduced to fragmented populations in sub-Saharan Africa (Abre numa nova janela) and one critically endangered population in western India. It has been listed as Vulnerable (Abre numa nova janela) on the IUCN Red List (Abre numa nova janela) 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 (Abre numa nova janela) 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 contemporary films and literature. Lions have been kept in menageries (Abre numa nova janela) since the time of the Roman Empire (Abre numa nova janela) and have been a key species sought for exhibition in zoological gardens (Abre numa nova janela) across the world since the late 18th century. Cultural depictions of lions (Abre numa nova janela) were prominent in Ancient Egypt (Abre numa nova janela), and depictions have occurred in virtually all ancient and medieval cultures in the lion's former and current ranges.