Baby lions are cute and wild. They’re one of the most iconic animals on the African savanna, an absolute dream to encounter on safari. Like all African animals, baby lions have to survive in a very hostile environment.

There are so many threats to their survival and it can seem that everyone on the savanna is out to get them. They can be trampled by herds, shot by poachers, and eaten by other lions or predators!

Baby lions have a lot of growing up to do and a lot to learn before they go on to be the kings or queens of the savanna. The correct word to use when referring to a baby lion is a cub, the same as a baby leopard.

If you prefer to keep calling them baby lions, well that’s perfectly fine too. If you decide to call baby lions Simba, you’re not wrong! Simba actually means lion in Kiswahili feel free to use that to impress your East African safari guides.

The gestation period of a lioness is around 110 days. When it’s time to give birth, the lioness will go away from the pride in order to keep her newborn babies safe from potential harm. A lioness can have up to six cubs in a litter, but two to three cubs are more common.

Baby lions are born blind and don’t open their eyes until about a week after birth. So keeping them hidden from predators is really important as they can’t fend for themselves.

Lion cubs come into the world with little black and tawny spots on their head and back. These spots act as a form of camouflage that hides them from predators when they are young and extra vulnerable. As they grow older, the spots eventually disappear as they no longer need to rely on hiding in tall grass to stay safe.

Mother lions will move their cubs around to make sure that they are not discovered by predators. She doesn’t have long before they start to move around on their own though! Baby lions start to crawl just a couple of days after birth and can walk before they are two weeks old! Because of predators like leopards, hyenas, and black-backed jackals, lion cubs have a pretty high mortality rate.

Getting trampled by large animals like buffaloes also adds to this, so mother lions need to be especially careful about where they keep their cubs during those first few weeks.

Since lion cubs are so well hidden by their mothers, especially when they are first born, it is very rare to spot newborn baby lions while on safari. Sometimes you can see them at lion rescue centers, but make sure you only visit legitimate centers.