Sandra Markle - Ranger Rick: I Wish I Was a Lion

What if you wished you were a lion?
Then you became a lion.
Could you eat like a lion?
Sleep like a lion?
Live in a lion family?
And would you even want to?
Find out!

Where would you live?
Most lions live in Africa
in a grassy area called a savanna.
Its hot and dry here,
except in the rainy season.

Would you like to
live outdoors?

Lions have a home range.
Thats a place where they can find
food, water, and shade.

What would your family be like?
Lions live in a group called a pride.
There is at least one father lion.
Males are the biggest lions.
Only males have manes.
They guard the prides home range.
There is also at least one
mother lioness.
Lionesses catch most of the food.

A lioness usually has
three or four babies called cubs.
She hides them until they can walk.
Then mother and cubs join the pride.

When the lionesses go hunting,
the cubs stay together.
They also play together.

What could be fun
about being in a pride?

What would you
say in lion?

How would you talk?
Lions growl to say, Leave me alone.
They hum to say, Im happy.
Only adults can ROAR to say,
Stay away from my home range!
Lions talk with their bodies, too.
A head bump says, Hello.
A nuzzle says, Glad were together.

How would you learn to be a lion?
Cubs learn by playing.
They learn to hunt with a game
of sneaking up close and pouncing.
Cubs sometimes gang up to attack.
As adults, theyll use teamwork
to catch animals to eat.

How could teamwork
help you?

Cubs use their senses to learn.
They can see well
both in sunlight and moonlight.

Cubs can hear faraway sounds.
They use their long whiskers
to feel things that are close.

When could long
whiskers help you?

Could you run on
your toes?

Cubs also learn by exploring.
Everywhere they go,
lions walk and run on their toes.
Cubs learn that other animals,
such as elephants, share their home.

What would you eat?
Lions eat meat.
Lionesses catch the food.
Males guard the pride.
When the pride is together,
males always eat first.

If you ate like a lion,
what food would
you miss?

How would you wash up?
Lions lick their furry bodies clean.
Their rough tongues are perfect
for scraping off dirt and food.
Lions also groom one another,
because a lion cant lick
its own head.

Where would you sleep?
Lions sleep on the shady ground.
They sleep in trees when they can.
Being high makes sure
elephants wont wake them.
Lions sleep up to twenty hours a day.
They usually travel and hunt at night
when its easier to sneak up
on other animals.

Would you like to
sleep in a tree?

Would you like to grow up
as fast as a lion?

How would growing up change you?
At five months, a cubs spots fade.
By ten months, a cub is big enough
to hunt small animals.
A young male also grows his mane.
At two years old, lions are adults.
Then they can ROAR!