Printable sheet
This lion cub climbing a giant tree trunk peeks back with a playful grin. Get the free PDF download and print a fun wildlife scene for the kids today.
Printable sheet
Free for personal and educational use
Download PDFPrintA big-eyed cub clinging to a thick tree trunk and looking to the side, with a few branches and leaves below.
Pick dark browns for the bark so the cub's golden fur really pops.
Draw what you think the cub can see from the top of the tree.
Lions keep their claws tucked inside their paws while walking, which helps keep them sharp.
Spotting a lion cub climbing a tree can come as a surprise, since most people think of lions as ground dwellers. And they mostly are. Leopards hold the title of expert climbers among big cats. Still, lions will head up a trunk when they have a good reason.
Young lions have an easier time of it than grown-ups. They are light, curious and always looking for something to test their strength on. Scrambling onto a low branch is a kind of play, much like wrestling with a brother or sister, and it teaches them how their bodies work. A full-grown lion is far heavier, so it needs a tree with low, sturdy limbs.
A few places in Africa are known for their tree-climbing lions. Two of the most famous are the Ishasha area of Uganda and Lake Manyara in Tanzania. People on safari there can sometimes find whole groups of lions stretched out on the branches with their legs dangling, looking a lot like oversized house cats.
Why do they do it? Nobody is completely sure, but there are some good guesses. The air is breezier and cooler off the ground, and there are fewer biting flies up there. A branch also makes a handy lookout. The hard part is the trip down, because lions aren't great at it. Many back down slowly or simply jump the last stretch.
