lion shield with ribbon and crown over dark background

>"Lions" redirects here. For the album by the Black Crowes, see Lions (album). The Lion (Panthera leo) is a mammal of the family Felidae. The male lion, easily recognized by his mane, may weigh up to 250 kg (550 lb). Females are much smaller, weighing up to 136 kg (300 lb). In the wild lions live for around 10–14 years, while in captivity they can live over 20. Lions are predatory carnivores who live in family groups, called prides. The family consists of related females, their cubs of both sexes, and one or more unrelated males who mate with the adult females. Although it was once thought that females did most of the hunting in the pride, it is now known that males contribute much more to hunting than the amount for which they had been previously given credit. Both males and females will defend the pride against outside intruders. Typically, males will not tolerate outside males, and females will not tolerate outside females. Males are expelled from the pride or leave on their own when they reach maturity. When or if a male coalition takes over a pride and ousts the previous coalition, the conquerors often kill any cubs that they did not father. See more at Wikipedia.org...

>This article is about the defensive device. For other meanings of the word see shield (disambiguation) A shield is a protective device, meant to intercept attacks. The term often refers to a device that is held in the hand, as opposed to armour or a bullet proof vest. The oldest form of shield was a protection used to block attacks by hand weapons and missiles. Shields have varied greatly in construction over time and place. Sometimes shields were made of metal, but wood or animal hide construction was very much more common; wicker and even turtle shells have been used. Many surviving examples of metal shields are generally felt to be ceremonial rather than practical, for example the Yetholm-type shields of the bronze age or the iron age Battersea shield. See more at Wikipedia.org...