What Is a Group of Lions Called?

Johan Siggesson
7 hours ago
3 min read

If you have ever wondered what a group of lions is called, the answer is simple. A group of lions is called a pride.

The word is widely known, but the meaning behind it is more interesting than most people realise.

A pride of lions resting. — A pride of lions.

Why Lions Live in Prides

A group of lions is called a pride. This is the official collective noun used in English.

Unlike many other big cats, lions are highly social animals. They are the only true social cats in the wild, and their group structure is central to their survival. The pride is not just a poetic word. The pride reflects how lions live.

Why Is It Called a Pride?

The word pride likely developed because of the strength and unity seen within lion groups. Lions live, hunt, defend territory, and raise cubs together.

A typical pride consists of related lionesses, their cubs, and a coalition of one to several males. The females usually remain in the same pride for life. The males may change over time.

There is something powerful about watching a pride move across the savannah. There is coordination without noise. Hierarchy without chaos. The word pride feels appropriate because there is a quiet confidence in how they carry themselves.

Do Lions Always Live in Groups?

Most lions live in prides, but not all.

Male lions often form small coalitions when they leave their birth pride. These coalitions usually consist of brothers. They may take over a pride together and defend it as a unit.

Older males that lose control of a pride may become nomadic. Some lionesses can also become temporarily separated.

So while the pride is the standard structure, lions do not always live in large groups. Their social system is flexible but deeply rooted in cooperation.

My Experience Photographing a Pride

I have spent many mornings and evenings with lion prides in Kenya and Tanzania. One moment that stays with me happened in the Maasai Mara.

The pride had just finished feeding. The cubs were restless, climbing over each other. The lionesses were alert but calm. One dominant male sat slightly apart, watching the horizon.

What struck me was not aggression or dominance. It was connection. Small gestures between siblings. A lioness gently correcting a cub. Subtle communication through eye contact and body position.

As a photographer, this is why I am drawn to lion prints and black and white lion photography. A single lion portrait is powerful. But a pride tells a deeper story. It shows relationship, protection, and shared survival.

When I create African wildlife prints of lions, I try to capture that feeling of unity rather than just strength. The pride is not just a group. It is a living structure built on cooperation.