This is how they test to see if lions can swim

Some adorable lion cubs were given a test -- in swimming!

Handlers put the cubs in the water ... and pretty much watched to see if the little ones could figure it out.

The test took place at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in D.C. And don't worry -- no cubs were hurt in the making of the video.

"All cubs born at the Great Cats exhibit must undergo the swim reliability test and prove that they are ready to be on exhibit."

WUSA says the four cubs, three male and one female, all proved they were ready.

Mashable joked that with Michael Phelps coming out of retirement, he might want to be on the lookout for these four adorable swimmers. What's next? After vaccinations, the cubs should be ready to be viewed by the public in mid-June.