Baby Lion Pictures

Adult lions spend 20 to 21 hours each day resting to conserve their energy for hunting, so in most cases don't provide great picture opportunities.

But baby lions are a different story and should you find a lion pride plus cubs when on safari, keep that camera ready.

Baby Lion Portrait, Mashatu Game Reserve, Botswana

Click on any picture to enlarge
Baby lion creeps up on sibling, Mashatu GR, Botswana	Baby lion pair at play, Mashatu GR, Botswana	Baby lions play fighting, Mashatu GR, Botswana
Lion cub walking, Mashatu Game Reserve, Botswana	Lion cubs ready to romp, Mashatu GR, Botswana	Lion cub yawning, Sondela Centre, South Africa
Baby lion with sleeping mother, Mashatu GR, Botswana	Lion cub eager to play with mother, Mashatu GR, Botswana	Lion cub & adult male rub noses, Mashatu GR, Botswana
Young lion cub relaxing, Sondela Centre, South Africa	Lion cubs practice their hunting skills, Mashatu GR, Botswana	Baby lion learning hunting techniques, Mashatu GR, Botswana
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Baby lions play fighting, Mashatu GR, Botswana	Baby lion siblings romping, Mashatu GR, Botswana	Baby lion lying on belly, Mashatu GR, Botswana
Lion cubs showing affection, Mashatu GR, Botswana	Trio of lion cubs together, Mashatu GR, Botswana	Baby lion pair with mother, Mashatu GR, Botswana
Lion cub lying at full stretch, Mashatu GR, Botswana	Lion cub playing with adult's tail, Mashatu GR, Botswana	Baby lion cub lying in grass, Mashatu GR, Botswana

Playful and Inquisitive
Lion cubs, like other young animals, are playful and inquisitive, providing excellent photo opportunities.

There will often be more than one cub in a litter (usually two to three per litter), meaning they have siblings to romp with. Females in the pride will also often conceive and have their young at more or less the same time (known as reproductive synchrony).

Lactating females will also suckle any of the pride's cubs, showing no favoritism for their own offspring.

Hunting Techniques
When hunting larger animals, a lion usually attacks at an oblique angle before leaping and throwing one paw over the shoulder or rump and then using its weight and strength to pull down the quarry.

If you find two or more lion cubs within a pride, it's fascinating watching them at play as they'll often be mimicking this attack behavior, stalking and grappling with each other as they instinctively learn how to bring down prey.

The cubs will also be seen clambering over their mothers or other lionesses in the pride as they try to get the dozing adults to join them in play.

For more on this, see also Lion Cubs Playing

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