Lions live in family groups, called prides, in parts of the tropical world called savannas. A pride may have six or more lionesses and one or two lions.

Lions are hunting animals. They hunt to get their food. Hunting animals are rare. Grazing animals are much more common. Some of the most common of all large savanna animals are wildebeest. Other common grazing animals are zebra, giraffe and antelope.

A lion is fast, but it does not have the staying power of an animal like a cheetah. So it has to get very close to its prey so that it will only need a quick sprint to catch it. Stalking, crouched down and moving slowly is one way to do this. Many animals see in black and white, so it is not necessarily the tan colour that is the camouflage, but the light tone which is similar to the tones of the grass around. Most animals are very sensitive to movement, so slow movements will be less detectable. When there is low light and lots of shadow, it will be hardest to spot a stalking animal. This is an important reason lions hunt at dawn.