The new male is either driven off or succeeds in pushing out the existing males.Ī lion’s life is filled with sleeping, napping, and resting. When a new male tries to join a pride, he has to fight the males already there. Males also guard the cubs while the lionesses are hunting, and they make sure the cubs get enough food. While they do eat more than the lionesses and bring in far less food (they hunt less than 10 percent of the time), males patrol, mark, and guard the pride’s territory. While it may look like the lionesses do all the work in the pride, the males play an important role. Lionesses are versatile and can switch hunting jobs depending on which females are hunting that day and what kind of prey it is. The larger and heavier lionesses ambush or capture the prey. ![]() During hunting, smaller females chase the prey toward the center of the hunting group. Being smaller and lighter than males, lionesses are more agile and faster. This allows them to get the most from their hard work, keeping them healthier and safer. The lionesses work together to hunt and help rear the cubs. Lions and lionesses play different roles in the life of the pride. If one lion yawns, grooms itself, or roars, it sets off a wave of yawning, grooming, or roaring! Lion researchers have noticed that some activities are “contagious” within a pride. Hunting as a group means there is a better chance that the lions have food when they need it, and it is less likely that they will get injured while hunting. Both males and females scent mark to define their territory. In habitats with more food and water, prides can have four to six adult lionesses. In dry areas with less food, prides are smaller, with two lionesses in charge. The unrelated males stay a few months or a few years, but the older lionesses stay together for life. The pride has a close bond and is not likely to accept a stranger. Lions are also the only cats that live in large, social groups called “prides.” A pride can have 3 to 30 lions and is made up of lionesses (mothers, sisters, and cousins), and their cubs, along with a few unrelated adult males. The lion’s thick mane also protects his neck against raking claws during fights with other males over territory disputes or breeding rights. The mane’s function is to make the male look more impressive to females and more intimidating to rival males. The color, size, and abundance of the mane all vary among individuals and with age. Adult male lions are much larger than females and usually have an impressive mane of hair around the neck. ![]() Lions differ from the other members of the large cat genus, Panthera-tigers, leopards, and jaguars. These areas of grassland habitat also provide food for the herbivores that lions prey upon. Prime habitat for lions is open woodlands, thick grassland, and brush habitat, where there is enough cover for hunting and denning. If you lionize someone, you treat that person with great interest or importance. If you call someone lionhearted, you’re describing a courageous and brave person. The Swahili word for lion, simba, also means "king," "strong," and "aggressive." The word lion has similar meaning in our vocabulary. Stars of movies and characters in books, lions are at the top of the food chain. ![]() Lions have captured our imagination for centuries.
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