Lions have been idolized since ancient times, endowing them with different characteristics. First of all, their strength and ferocity were valued, they were revered as invincible fighters. In the same Ancient Egypt, the image of a lion on flags, coats of arms and emblems symbolized the power of the pharaohs. It is known that these animals never attack without reason unless there is a threat to their life. However, the king of beasts can be aggressive, defending his right to prey, a female, or pride territory.
Prides
Pride is a family group. Leos prefer group life and are rarely alone. The group size of these predators is not always the same. It ranges from four to forty individuals. Of the entire cat family, only lions live and hunt in groups. A pride of lions usually includes several females with cubs, young males and only one leader. Moreover, the head of the pack is not always the strongest or largest male. But the entire pride of lions recognizes his authority and obeys him. Sometimes the leader kicks young males out of the group. They can later join another group or create their own pride.
How does the life of a pride of lions work?
These animals are very sociable, and often a group can reach a size of forty individuals. The basis of any such team are lionesses. They raise their offspring under the protection of the entire pride. What is noteworthy is that lion cubs can suck milk not only from their mother, but also from any other female who has recently given birth to cubs. Lionesses raise their offspring together and do not divide the cubs into their own and those of others.
All members of the pride are very attached to each other and often show tender feelings, which are expressed in licking each other or rubbing their cheeks when they meet. As in any family, there are some small skirmishes, but they are mainly due to the division of spoils.
Power in prides
Any pride of lions, a photo of which can be seen in this article, has only one leader, who has all the power. This is an adult male that dominates the pack. He has the right to be the first to mate with the lionesses and begin to eat the prey. But the leader also has his own responsibilities - to look after the cubs while their mothers are hunting, to protect the flock from strangers and any dangers.
A pride of lions usually contains no more than three adult males, since young predators, growing up, can begin to challenge dominance. If they lose, they are expelled from the pride. For some time they lead a solitary life, and then create their own family group or join another pack.
How do lions hunt?
Lions hunt in groups, pursuing one chosen victim together. They can develop high speed only over short distances. They prefer to stalk prey and get as close to it as possible. Moreover, it is mainly females who hunt. This is explained by the fact that lionesses are less noticeable than males and are more agile, so the likelihood of catching prey increases several times.
Often females surround the herd from different sides and pounce on the nearest animal. Lionesses try to attack with one powerful leap, breaking cervical vertebrae with their jaws or strangling the victim. For small animals, one fatal blow with a paw is enough. Females provide food for the entire pride of lions, so their main prey is large ungulates (buffalos, zebras, antelopes, etc.). Males usually do not take part in the hunt, except in rare cases when a very large prey is caught. Often lions prefer to remove sick and weak animals or cubs from the herd. Such prey is easier to handle and hunting does not take much effort and time.
Mating season for lions
A lion courting a female is very attentive to her. The mating season begins with the lioness's heat. Until the female becomes pregnant, this period is repeated every 3 weeks. The resulting pair leaves the pride of lions for about five days to a week, going to a secluded place. At this time they are inseparable and are close all the time. Sometimes the “honeymoon” lasts even more than two weeks.
Mating occurs several times a day. A lion can copulate 70 times in 24 hours. The recovery period between matings averages twenty minutes. Usually everything happens quietly and quickly, except for cases when the male begins to growl in ecstasy and pats the lioness by the scruff of the neck. At this time, the lion can sometimes miscalculate his bite force and, in a moment of passion, accidentally kill his girlfriend.
Pride territory
The territory in which a group of any animals lives is almost always marked by them. Lions do the same. A pride of lions sprays the borders of its territory with secretions from the anal glands, accompanying this action with a loud roar. This is done to protect the females of the pack and to legitimize the area in which they will hunt. But, nevertheless, lions do not patrol established borders very vigilantly.
If there is little prey in the territory, then the pride’s possessions can be expanded to 15 km in all directions. And vice versa, if there is enough food for the flock in a smaller area, then the boundaries are reduced. Young males can only conquer pride territory by force. And lionesses will not allow a strange female into their flock if she tries to join their group.
Lionesses are the real embodiment of hard work! They are responsible for feeding the family, for giving birth and raising children, and among other things, they have to support the parasite “hubby” and literally give him the lion’s share after the hunt. What about lions, did they really receive the royal nickname only for their amazing love of love and ability to sleep 20 hours a day? In fact, the way of life of a pride of lions is not as simple as it might seem from the outside.
Of all the cats, lions are the only ones that form families - prides, which usually consist of one male, several females and babies. In rare cases, several sexually mature males coexist in a pride, but of them only one will be the most important - this is the alpha male. He may not be the strongest, but others do not doubt his dominance.
There is no hierarchy between females, and the king of beasts does not have a beloved “wife” either. Often lionesses give birth at the same time, and all the babies become common and can be fed by any mother who happens to be nearby.
Lion cubs of both sexes live in a pride for up to 2-2.5 years. Mature lionesses will remain in the pride and become mothers, and lions with the end of puberty will begin to lay claim to the throne, and will either seize power or be expelled.
Exiled males 1-3 years old may live alone or gather in small bachelor groups. If they are lucky, they will be able to capture some ownerless pride or overthrow a weaker alpha male.
As befits a family, the pride occupies its own territory, on average about 50 hectares. The most favorable environment is savannah with an open landscape, watering holes and an abundance of herbivores.
The life of an alpha male is very dangerous, he marks and defends territory, drives away strangers or engages in bloody combat with them, but on the other hand, he is also the first to eat and the first to mate with females. The reign period lasts on average 2-2.5 years.
Lions live much shorter than lionesses, and rarely die of old age. Expelled from the pride by his strong sons, the lonely and hungry former alpha quickly dies from hunger, disease and wounds.
Lions obtain food in three ways: they hunt themselves, eat carrion, or fight off prey from other predators. Lioness usually hunt; they eat very small prey on the spot, and carry large prey to the family. Papa Leo is the first to eat; he will not share with anyone. Lionesses, by the way, also do not show maternal self-sacrifice; they ferociously drive away the babies until they are satisfied themselves. Lion cubs eat last and this is a harsh law of nature - adult individuals are more valuable for survival than young animals.
Often lions have to take prey from leopards and hyenas, but this happens rarely. In times of famine, lions will not disdain carrion of any degree of decomposition.
It happens that the lion “harem” is left without the head of the family, then the ladies can only sit and wait until a new leader captures them. Most likely, this will be a strong young lion who has already left his native land, but has not yet managed to acquire his own family. The fate of lion cubs in such cases is sad. Lions do not practice adoption, and the first thing the new head of the family will do is kill and eat all the cubs from his predecessor. Of course, this sounds very cruel, but the fact is that until the babies grow up, the lioness does not come into heat, that is, during her short period of reign, the lion may not wait to mate. And the most important thing is to leave offspring!
This predator stands out from other cats. Unlike their closest relatives, lions live in a pride and cooperate with each other. Such a family has its own structure and follows certain rules.
Lion Pack Structure
A pride is a lion group consisting of several females and one or two males. Sometimes such a family consists only of females. Sometimes a full-fledged flock can number about 40 animals. But usually much less.
Everyone lives in the same territory, the size of which mainly depends on the number of heads in the family and the amount of food. On average it occupies 50 sq. km. A pride of lions is a structure in which each animal has its own position. Animals that live in the savannah adhere to a certain routine from generation to generation. Males protect the pride territory from hyenas, cheetahs and other predators. Females go hunting, providing for the whole family. But some lion communities that live in other parts of the Earth may have a completely different structure. Each animal gets its own food, and they gather in flocks only during the rutting season.
Pride Kings
Each pack has its own leader. If there are only females in the family, then their head has died. The leader may be challenged by a young lion to take his position. At this moment a fight occurs. Usually the leaders last only three years, after which they are overthrown by stronger lions. Females spend their entire lives in such families, but growing males eventually (after a couple of years) leave the flock. Two brothers can live together all their lives. “Friends” are looking for a new pride, in which one of them is trying to take the place of leader.
Lion cubs
A pride is a place where lion cubs can appear at any time of the year. To do this, the couple moves away from the others. Upon returning, the female carries the babies for about 100 days. For childbirth, the cat chooses a secluded place, often in bushes. Usually 3-5 kittens are born. Until a certain time, the mother takes care of the offspring on her own, but at the same time she does not lose touch with the pride, calling out to him with a roar. A month and a half later, she introduces the cubs to their family. All members of the pack take care of the babies, and this is really important, since fragile kittens have many enemies from which only a pride can protect. An eagle or a predatory animal can steal and tear babies to pieces.
Family life
During the hot daytime hours, the family prefers to relax. After eating, all the inhabitants of the flock rest in one place. Pride is a convenient structure from which all members benefit. Females are protected, males are fed. The interesting thing is that lions competently dominate their domains. All animals that are located in the territory of the pride belong only to it. But at the same time, lions will never kill an extra animal. They clearly know how much they need to feed themselves. They also control the birth rate of offspring. If there is enough food, lions can bring kittens more often; if there is hunger around, they will not have babies.
On the hunt
A pride of lions knows how much food is needed to feed itself. For example, for a family of four cats, catching one zebra per week is enough. Towards evening, the lionesses begin to hunt. Surprisingly, zebras or other ungulates sense that predators are going to have dinner. After all, when lions are simply resting, the animals do not run away from them, but calmly graze. The cat makes a strong roar to make the prey panic. Frightened ungulates flee from danger, falling into the clutches of other members of the pride, who are hiding in another part of the clearing. Usually the entire hunt is led by an old predator who stands aside, making barely audible sounds to his friends. But sometimes even such cunning tricks may not be successful, because ungulates are distinguished by agility and speed.
Lion's Roar
Those who have heard the roar of a lion understand how impressive and at the same time terrifying this phenomenon is. At night, this powerful sound can be heard at a distance of 8 kilometers. But why do lions roar? A pride is a family in which all members not only cooperate, but also communicate and give signals to each other. This way they can maintain their social connection. The important thing is that the distance over which they can give each other sound “alerts” is much greater than the human ear can hear. Leo always puts meaning into his roar. In addition, both males and females make sounds. But the lioness’s sounds are slightly weaker and higher in tone.
Also, lions are not always together; they can wander around their territory. At the borders, the predator often encounters enemy prides, and if he does not recognize someone else's roar, he will be taken by surprise. Lions from someone else's family are capable of biting a stranger to death. Therefore, the roar for this predator is lions, with their sounds they can notify that the given territory is occupied and protected. Thanks to this, young, immature, single males can safely wait out the time of loneliness and formation and avoid a clash with the dominant lion of a mature pride.
A pride is a lion family. Several lions and a couple - three lionesses with children. In nature, you can find prides consisting of 30 - 40 individuals, but these are the most numerous. As a rule, there are 8 - 10 lions in a pride: lions, kittens and lionesses. Prides are essentially female forms of a pack, in most cases of a related nature. They are united under their leadership by the lionesses to protect their children. Lions simply join the pride. Among lions there is only one main (leader). He's the very first" groom“, the first to rush to protect his “family” from a threat, has every right to the most delicious morsel after a successful hunt."In fact, lions very rarely start fights with other animals first and almost never fight among themselves. Even during heat, trying to get an answer to their feelings, they never fight with rivals. Instead of a quarrel, they leave the right of final choice to the lioness, and the rejected “groom” can go for a walk on the savannah, waiting for his turn, or try to find another girlfriend for himself, because by their nature, lions are supporters of polygamous relationships and, as a rule, the lioness does not mind “twist love” with several partners at once, whom she pleases in turn. And the lion may well start his own harem, or share another lioness with a rival. Therefore, it is not surprising that in nature there are groups of four lions and two lionesses or one lion and three lionesses, and in fact there can be many such combinations. Often, 2 lions born in the same year can have a deep friendship and they live and hunt together for a long time. Cases of great affection between a lioness and a lion have also been observed" (L. Kotlow)
As a rule, young lions leave their family (pride) by the age of two and a half years, so as not to fight for primacy. They live and hunt alone for about two to three years, or in small teams (no more than seven lions). And since sooner or later the lion needs to return to its pride, it is much easier to capture and then defend with a team.
The pride exercises control over the area in which it hunts and tries to expel other prides from it. The leader must mark the pride's territory using urine and discharge from the anal gland. And every lion that approaches this place understands perfectly where someone else’s territory begins.
Lonely young lions are not responsible for cubs and protecting the territory, because of this their nutrition is much better, and in the end they win a territory for themselves, where one or several prides of lionesses feed. First of all, when a pride is captured, all the cubs are destroyed and the lionesses cannot do anything to oppose this, and only babies over a year old can be saved. A lioness, whose cubs have all been killed, begins to come into heat in two to three weeks and after a while she will begin to give birth to a new leader. Killing other people's children is a necessity, otherwise you will have to wait about two years to have your own offspring, and this despite the fact that the leader of the lion family (pride) changes every two to four years, so the likelihood that he will have time to raise his own children is almost equals zero.
"... our car almost hit a pride of several lions who were relaxing in the sun. All of them - a lion cub, three lionesses and a lion - looked at us carefully, but did not even think about getting away from this place... Although the lions saw the car approaching, it seemed to not bother them at all... Five meters from the flock, we slowed down. The lions still lay lazily and looked at us detachedly - all except for the cub, who bared his teeth and growled loudly at the car. The adult lions did not seem to be at all interested in us; they lowered their raised muzzles, and one of the lionesses even closed her eyelids and seemed to doze off. Her companion was positioned a little further away and seemed unable to see us. She stood up and slowly walked towards us, although without looking in our direction. However, the lioness passed very close to us and did not seem to pay any attention to us. Having perked up, I asked the driver to drive up close to the lions’ camp.
We stood about a meter away from the nearest animal. I wanted to take a few shots and, lowering the window, pointed the movie camera directly at the lioness. There was a barely audible buzzing sound and she raised her head again and, squinting a little, looked at me in surprise. Her gaze was full of friendliness and calmness, although some confusion could be seen in it, and it seemed to me that the cat smiled slightly at me. I had a desire to take a few photos, I took out a “watering can” and photographed this luxurious animal. In the end, apparently she got tired of us and she got up and headed towards the nearest bushes, and the rest slowly trotted after her. Their whole appearance expressed complete indifference and contempt for us." (L. Kotlow)
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