The pride depends on the lionesses

Photo courtesy of Jaci's Lodges

This is a guest post. The original post is by Christine Marot from Jaci's Lodges in Madikwe and appeared on their blog on 15 November here

While the male lion is larger and more powerful (growing up to 2.5m in length, and weighing up to 240kg), it is the females, working as a coalition, that hunt to feed the pride. Lionesses predate on hoofed mammals like buffalo, zebra, antelope, giraffe and warthog, but if their preferred food sources are scarce, they have been known to take down young elephant or rhino.

Photo courtesy of PMdT Photography

Males, on the other hand, tend to steal kills from their carnivorous counterparts, leopard, cheetah and wild dog, although at times they use their superior weight and strength to help females bring down larger prey.

Photo courtesy of PMdT Photography

Females become sexually mature at the age of three and give birth to a litter of two to four cubs which are hidden in a carefully concealed den until old enough to venture out with the pride. Due to their need to find prey every few days to keep the pride fed, females have to leave their cubs to hunt together. To ensure that their offspring are adequately cared for in their absence, lionesses practice communal suckling, taking turns to feed the cubs of other females, while giving preference to their own offspring.

Lions are highly social felines that live in prides comprising eight to 10 females and two to three adult males and their cubs, and engage in a great deal of communal grooming such as face licking and rubbing up against one another. This behaviour serves to strengthen bonds within the pride.

Photo courtesy of PMdT Photography

Read more about  Jaci's Lodges and Madikwe on The Game Lodge Index