Lion Coloring Pages

A lion's mane is the only real coloring decision on the animal, the rest of the body is one warm tawny tone from nose to tail. Manes run from pale gold through deep russet to almost black, they darken with age, and a darker mane signals a healthier animal, so whichever end of that range you pick tells a slightly different story. These 14 lion coloring pages cover the roar, the pride, the cubs and the hunt, and each downloads as a free printable PDF sized for US Letter paper.

Simple sheets keep the shapes broad. Lion Roaring With Magnificent Full Mane, Lion Family Resting Together in the Savanna and Playful Lion Cub Batting at a Butterfly suit younger colorists. Detailed sheets add grass texture and layered scenery: Pride of Lions Resting Together at Sunset and Lion Hunting in Tall Savanna Grass reward patience.

Two sheets sit outside the savanna. Mountain Lion on a Rocky Cliff is a cougar, a different species entirely and maneless, and Rare White Lion Standing in an Open Field shows a genuine color variant found in one part of South Africa, cream coat, but still golden eyes and a dark nose.

The rest of the set fills in the pride's day. Sleeping Lion Lying in the Shade of a Tree is the honest one, since lions rest for around twenty hours out of every twenty-four. Lion and Lioness Nuzzling Affectionately and Baby Lion Cubs Tumbling and Playing Together are the social pages, and the cubs are worth a note: lion cubs are born with faint rosettes across the flanks that fade as they grow, so a light dappling there is accurate rather than invented. Lion and Zebra at a Watering Hole is the only sheet with a second species on it.

More in this direction: Elephants, Wolves, Monkeys and Zen and Spiritual. The other great cat sits one page over: the tiger coloring pages trade the mane for stripes and swap the savanna for jungle, snow and river scenes.