Slide 1 Lion Cubs Grow Up Have you ever seen a baby lion? What was it like? What do you think baby lions need to learn as they grow up? When a mother lion is ready to have her babies, she finds a safe, hidden place called a den. There she will give birth to one to four cubs. The newborn cubs are very tiny. They weigh only about three pounds! Their eyes are closed tight, and their fur is covered with spots. The babies drink their mother’s milk and spend a lot of time sleeping. Soon the cubs begin to change. After about a week, they can open their eyes. When they are three weeks old, they get their first teeth. During this time, they stay hidden in the den. Their mother stays there to protect them, except when she must go off to hunt. When the cubs are ready to go outside, the mother carries them in her mouth.

Slide 2 Lion Cubs Grow Up (Cont.) After about six weeks, the cubs are old enough to leave the hidden den. Now they will meet the other members of the lion group, which is called a pride. Lions are the only big cats that live together in a group. At first, the cubs are a little nervous around the other lions, and they stay close to their mother. But soon, they begin to feel comfortable, and they enjoy playing with the other cubs in the pride. The cubs spend a lot of time exploring and playing. They like to run, tumble, and wrestle with each other. Playing is important because it helps the cubs practice some of the skills they will need to use as hunters. Chasing after grasshoppers and butterflies, and pouncing on other cubs’ tails may just be fun now, but some day the cubs will use these skills to catch their food.

Slide 3 Lion Cubs Grow Up (Cont.) As the cubs get larger and stronger, they travel with the pride and learn how to hunt. They do this by following their mother and imitating what she does. The female lions, or lionesses, are the hunters of the pride. They go after animals such as zebras, antelopes, and gazelles. Since lions have very good eyesight, they often hunt at night. When the cubs are about one year old, they are able to catch and kill small animals on their own. For larger animals, they still need help from the adult lions. But by the time the cubs are two years old, they have learned to hunt for themselves. Therefore, the mother lions are able to stop looking after them. Also, by this time, the mother lions have new babies to care for.

Slide 4 Lion Cubs Grow Up (Cont.) Lions become adults when they are about two years old, even though they will keep growing until they are about six years old. Adult female lions stay with the pride. Most of them have become good hunters, so they can help provide food for the group. They usually begin to have cubs of their own when they are four years old. However, adult male lions are forced to leave the pride when they are between two and three years old. If they stayed with the pride, there would not be enough food for the cubs. The young males are not very good hunters yet, so they often stay together as a group for a year or two. Hunting together, they have a better chance of catching enough food to survive. During these years, the young males get stronger and larger and their manes grow. Then they are ready to fi nd a pride of their own, and have their own little cubs. Unit 1, Week 3 Lion Cubs Grow Up 1. What job would you like to do when you are an adult? 2. How have you changed since you were a baby? 3. Do you feel more comfortable at home or at school? Why? 4. What kinds of animals live in a den? 5. If you’re playing outside, what kind of weather might force you to go inside? 6. How would you imitate a lion’s growl? 7. What are some things you have learned this year? 8. What makes you feel nervous? 9. What kinds of things does a puppy pounce on? 10. What is something that you practice in order to do it better?