Why Do Lions Roar? How Far a Lion's Roar Can Be Heard

What lions say with a roar

A roar is a long-distance message. When a lion roars, it tells every lion within earshot who it is, where it is and that the area is taken. Rival lions can judge from the sound whether the caller is male or female, roughly how many lions are roaring and whether they are familiar or strangers.

Roaring has three main jobs:

• Claiming territory. Resident males and females roar to show that the pride’s area is defended, which can prevent costly fights.
• Warning rivals. Male coalitions roar to deter nomadic males that might try to take over the pride.
• Keeping in touch. Pride members often spread out over a large area, and roaring helps them find each other again.

Lions also roar in response to other lions, so a single roar can set off a chorus across the savanna on a quiet night.

Roaring is cheaper than fighting. A clash between rival prides or coalitions can leave lions badly wounded, and an injured lion may be unable to hunt. By announcing their presence and strength from a distance, lions can often settle who controls an area without ever meeting face to face.

Do lions count roars?

Field experiments suggest they do something close to it. In a well-known study in Tanzania, researchers played recorded roars of unfamiliar lionesses to wild prides from hidden loudspeakers. Lionesses were more likely to approach the speaker when they outnumbered the “intruders” they heard, and more cautious when they were outnumbered. This shows that lions use roars to judge the size of a rival group before deciding whether to confront it.

Male lions react strongly to the roars of strange males, often approaching the sound to drive off the intruders. Females with young cubs, however, may move away from unfamiliar male roars, because new males can be a danger to cubs.

How does a lion roar?

Only four living cats can truly roar: the lion, tiger, leopard and jaguar, all in the genus Panthera. Their voice box has features that allow very deep, loud calls. A lion’s vocal folds are large, with a flat, square-shaped edge and a thick layer of fat inside, rather than the thin triangular folds of most mammals. Laboratory work on lion and tiger larynxes showed that these folds can vibrate at very low frequencies with relatively little air pressure, helping to produce the deep roar.

A lion’s roar also carries because it is so low-pitched: low-frequency sound loses less energy over distance than high sounds. Lions roar standing or lying down, and the whole chest and belly visibly tighten with each call.

What does a lion roar sound like?

A roaring bout follows a recognizable pattern. It usually starts with one or two soft moans, rises to a series of full, powerful roars, and ends with a run of shorter, deeper grunts that fade away. A whole bout can last 30 seconds to a minute or more. Researchers have described the sequence in four stages: moans, full roars, shorter intermediate roars and grunts.

Each lion’s roar is slightly different, so lions can recognize familiar individuals by voice. Male roars are generally deeper and louder than female roars, partly because males are larger, with bigger vocal folds and a larger chest.

When do lions roar?

Lions roar most at night and in the early morning, when they are most active and when cooler, still air carries sound farther. They often roar soon after waking in the evening, before setting off to patrol or hunt, and again near dawn. Roaring is common after a pride reunites, after driving off intruders and during territorial disputes.

Young lions start trying to roar at around one year old, but their calls are weak and higher-pitched at first and deepen as they mature. During the day, when lions spend most of their time resting, they roar much less. Hot, windy afternoons are the quietest time, because sound fades quickly and most of the pride is asleep in the shade.

Other sounds lions make

Roaring is only part of the lion’s vocal repertoire. Lions also:

• Grunt softly to stay in contact while moving through tall grass.
• Growl and snarl when threatened or squabbling over food.
• Hiss and spit in defensive situations.
• Puff, a soft snort used as a friendly greeting.
• Hum and make purr-like rumbles when relaxed.
• Meow and bleat, in the case of cubs calling their mothers.

For comparison, a tiger’s roar is reported to carry about 3 km (1.9 mi), and tigers roar less often because they live alone. Our lion vs tiger guide explains how the social lives of the two cats differ, and how lion prides work shows why group living makes long-distance calls so useful.