A pair of lion cubs play fight

Learning to be lions

Pair of baby lion cubs in a Zoo nursery

Tiny lion cubs will grow a lot, and know a lot, by the time they become adult big cats. At birth they only weigh about 4 pounds, which is so much smaller than the 400 pounds they can reach when they grow up!

Small lion cub walking with mom.

On the catwalk

Lion cubs usually start walking at 2 weeks of age, which is probably a good thing, since their eyes don't open until just a few days before that. Cubs learn to run by the time they are 1 month old.

Two lion cubs play around their snarling father.

Hunting ABCs

Hunting activities typically start when cubs are only 6 weeks old. The little ones learn by closely watching their mothers and the other lionesses in their pride. They rely on the care of the elders in their pride until they're a minimum of 16 months in age. What have you learned by watching the grownups in your life?