he first time I heard a lion’s roar, it shook me to the bones. I’d been snoozing soundly in my hut in Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park . when the full-throated and low-pitched bellow reverberated through my body, launching me upright. Afterward, I was too excited to go back to sleep. I’d caught sight of that same lion earlier in the day, lounging in the tall grasses in the reserve during an afternoon safari. He looked so docile. That is, until I heard his voice.
Lions have the loudest roars of all big cats, but they’re not the only big cats you’ll find in Uganda. Together, Kenya and Tanzania offer a wide variety of safari diversity—from the Okavango Delta swamplands to ancient salt pans and riverine forest—and with it comes an abundance of wildlife: giraffe and zebra, blue wildebeest, elephants, rhinos, and plenty of big cat predators, including lions, leopards and cheetahs. While watching them in action is incredible, there’s also plenty to learn about these animals as well.
For instance, roaring isn’t the only way that big cats communicate. From leaving behind scent marks to their overall appearance, Africa’s lions, leopards and cheetahs are decidedly complex beasts…and then some.
Ways that Lions Communicate
Lions are at the top of the food chain in the African savannah. If you have any doubt of their ferocity, just listen to one roar. It’s a sound that you can hear for up to five miles away.
In fact, the power and tone of a lion’s roar help to distinguish the cat from others of its genus. Roaring is a way to gauge strength. For example, a strong, guttural roar from a male lion is not only attractive to lionesses, but it helps to indicate his overall prowess.
Lions will use their roar to ward off potential intruders, and/or to protect their territory and their pride. Sometimes they’ll even roar as a way of talking with other lions, and their roars can reach up to 114 decibels—the same noise level as a chainsaw or a snowmobile.
Still, only big cats, such as lions, leopards, tigers and jaguars have the ability to roar. This is due to their large vocal folds, which form a square shape that allows for large vocal vibrations at less lung pressure, resulting in a monstrous sound that resonates for miles.
Roaring isn’t the only way that lions communicate, either. They often make a “scratch pile” with their urine, or claw trees as additional ways to mark their territory and keep a distance between other lion prides. Physical features, including the darkness of a male lion’s mane, are another way of displaying their abilities to others. Generally, the older the lion, the darker the mane. However, a particularly thick, dark mane indicates a lion that’s especially healthy and well-fed—and not an animal you’d want to mess with.
Lions may growl, moan, groan, huff and puff and emit gurgling growls that resemble purring, because unlike traditional purrs—which are continuous—the vibratory sounds that lions produce are only evident when they exhale. Lions also show affection to one another through actions like nuzzling and head rubbing.
Africa’s Other Big Cats
Along with the lion, Uganda is home to two other species of big cats that use their calls to communicate: leopards and cheetahs.
Leopards
Leopards are recognizable by their rosette-marked fur and white-tipped tails and ears—markings that help them to recognize one another—as well as their roars. While not as loud as that of a lion, a leopard’s roar is quite unique: in fact, it’s known as a “saw” because that’s exactly what it sounds like: a saw cutting through a plank of wood. This sort of “rough cough” can carry for up to two miles, and leopards use it most frequently at dusk and dawn to give others of their kind a nod (most leopards are solitary creatures) that they’re in the area.
Cheetahs
Cheetahs are the fastest land animal on the planet, as well as the most endangered of Africa’s large cats. But while they’re lean, muscular and substantial in size—they can reach nearly five feet in length and weigh up to 130 pounds—they’re not scientifically classified as “big cats.” This is in part because rather than having a long vocal fold like lions and leopards, they have a fixed vocal box similar to that of house cats. While it’s a feature that keeps them from achieving bona fide big cat status, it also allows these tawny-colored, spotted felines the ability to purr authentically. Cheetahs communicate additionally through a series of growls, bleats, hisses and even high-pitched chirping. Scent markings and chin rubbing are also par for the course.
