Lionesses Role
mother carrying lion cub In prides the females do most of the hunting and cub rearing.
Usually all the lionesses in the pride are related, mothers, daughters and sisters.
Many of the females in the pride give birth at about the same time. A cub may nurse other females as well as its mother.
In a pride, even though the females do most of the hunting, it is often observed that the male will eat first, and then the females. This way, the males get big and strong.
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Lion's Role
The main job of males in the pride is defending the pride's territory.
A male's roar, usually heard after sunset, can carry for as far a five miles (eight kilometers). The roar warns off intruders and helps round up stray members of the pride.
When a new male becomes part of the pride it is not unusual for him to kill all the cubs, insuring that all future cubs will have his genes.
lion and cubs Males who wish to take over a pride will challenge the males in control. One form this sometimes takes is a 'stare-down', where two males will sit a few feet apart, face-to-face, and stare at each other. The first one to break his stare is the 'loser'. This can go on for many hours. Eventually, most pride control power struggles end in some form of physical confrontation.
Fights to the death occur occasionally, and many a male in his prime has fallen acquiring or defending a pride. Surviving losers often become nomads, and have to fend for themselves. They tend to lose weight, and scavenge more than they hunt as they grow older. However, it is not unknown for another lion to share their food with one of these old nomads
