@
0
6
Overview
ED_PRIDE.TXT
3
2
A Day In The Life...
ED_PRIDE.TXT
4
4
Leadership
ED_PRIDE.TXT
5
3
Outsiders
ED_PRIDE.TXT
6
3
Pride Structure
ED_PRIDE.TXT
7
5
Territoriality
ED_PRIDE.TXT
8
3


@
1
14
Alert lioness
4033_51P.PCX
0
0
Battle-scarred lion
4069_20P.PCX
0
0
Gazelle still life
4033_40P.PCX
0
0
Lioness
4059_31P.PCX
0
0
Lioness standing
4080_06P.PCX
0
0
Lioness taking a break
4097_54P.PCX
0
0
Lioness with cubs
4010_43P.PCX
0
0
Lions in the grass
4269_38P.PCX
0
0
Lions resting under tree
4008_04P.PCX
0
0
Majestic male
105091P.PCX
0
0
Male and female pair
4185_48P.PCX
0
0
Male by watercourse
4035_19P.PCX
0
0
Unconcerned lions
4185_31P.PCX
0
0
Yawning lion
4272_41P.PCX
0
0


@
2
4
Attacking the camera
4005_29P.FLC
100
0
Playing at night
4399_37P.FLC
100
0
Pride of the Serengeti
4061_56P.FLC
100
0
Snarling at the outsider
4061_15P.FLC
100
0



@
3


#
17
In this section, introduce your-
self to life inside a lion pride.

Here, discover how the lions 
relate to each other, and how the 
males and females share the 
workload.

Find out how the male guards the 
pride area, and what signs are 
used to keep unwelcome visitors 
out!

Explore the different ways a male 
can become a pride leader...and 
how he can lose that leadership.



#
5
Take a day off and spend it with 
the lions as they go through a 
typical day on the plains of the 
Serengeti.



@
4

#
19
The Serengeti is renowned both 
for its beautiful, silent nights 
and its sun-baked, golden days.

And, whether the sky is filled 
with stars or brightened by 
moonlight, nighttime finds the 
lion pride on the prowl.

Lions are most active at night. At 
about 5:00 p.m., the lions stretch, 
groom each other, and play. After 
this spurt of activity, they often 
rest for another hour, only to 
indulge in a second round of 
touching and grooming prior to 
actually setting out on their 
nightly walk.



#
15
The subsequent "hunting walk"
usually lasts one to two hours.

Ordinarily, a female lioness leads 
the group, and, over the course 
of the walk, several different 
females may take the lead.

Most often, the males bring up 
the rear.

However, during courting, a male 
may walk alongside a female, or 
close behind.



#
20
The normal walking speed is 
about 2 to 3 miles per hour (3 to 
4 kilometers per hour), and a 
pride can cover a distance of 13 
miles (21 kilometers) or more.
		
Of course, the lions' hunting 
habits are dependent upon the 
seasons and the availability of 
prey, and they are constantly 
alert for opportunities to feed, 
day or night.

Under normal circumstances, if 
the hunt is successful, they spend 
a little under an hour eating, 
although this amount of time 
varies depending upon the size of 
the kill and the time that has 
elapsed between kills.



#
7
At the break of dawn, the lions 
once again groom themselves and 
each other, enter into a play 
period, and then settle down 
for a rest during the heat of 
the day. 



@
5

#
19
All lions within a pride have a 
healthy appreciation for the level 
of strength -- and the fighting 
ability -- of the other members.

While prides in general demon- 
strate little presence of a rigid 
hierarchical system, relative 
strength among the males does 
count in terms of mating and 
obtaining greater portions of 
food at kills.

In defending their pride, male 
lions roar as a means to keep 
non-pride male lions away. They 
may also chase and attack the 
intruder.



#
20
The "intimidation" method 
usually works, and the 
threatening non-pride male 
detours in another direction.

But, pride leadership is not 
always threatened by those lions 
from the "outside."

Young males, when they reach 
adulthood, sometimes oust the 
older males of the pride and 
assume control.

Or, the young males become 
pride leaders on their own by 
leaving their pride and finding a 
group of  resident lionesses in 
need of a male.



#
20
And, of course, a male pride 
leader may lose his position -- 
and his life -- at the hands of a 
human predator: be it a poacher, 
or a local tribesman whose 
grazing lands he has entered.

In general, males are transitory 
members of prides, staying for as 
short a period as a few months, 
or as long as five or six years.

They switch between three 
distinct lifestyles: independent 
nomadism, temporary membership
of a pride, or actual leadership 
of a pride where they take up 
residence with the pride lion-
esses and assume ownership of 
a pride area.



@
6


#
19
The lions of the Serengeti share 
their land with many others: with 
prey and other wildlife, with 
competing predators, with other 
lions, and with man.

Both male and female pride lions 
are hostile to "foreign" lions of 
the same sex.

Once a lion is recognized as a 
"stranger," any semblance of a 
"welcome mat" is quickly 
withdrawn.

However, during estrus, female 
pride lions may mate with a male 
nomad.



#
17
Male pride lions also mate with a 
female nomad, but will usually 
kill any cubs she may already 
have to ensure that only his 
offspring are raised.

The relationship between man 
and the lions is an interesting 
one, because the lions seem to be 
able to distinguish between friend-
ly and hostile humans.

The lions do not appear to be 
afraid of vehicles, and, in fact, 
have been observed resting in the 
shade they provide.



#
18
In general, the lions do not react 
adversely to humans, as long as 
they are standing around cars. 
But, once a human leaves the 
vicinity of a car, something sets 
off a "danger" signal, and the 
lions flee instantly.

Unless, that is, a camera should 
be glimpsed, in which event, the 
lions may react in one of two 
ways. They may become curious 
about the photographer, or, some 
lions, who may have been 
photographed too many times, 
display an emotion akin to 
boredom!



@
7

#
13
Lions, for the most part, live 
amiably with one another, 
choosing to live together, rather 
than alone.

Any combination of 2 or more 
lions is called a pride.

Prides average 15 members, but 
generally break down into 
smaller groups, containing 
3 to 4 members.



#
16
It is not a requirement that pride 
members spend all their time 
together in the same spot. In fact, 
there is much coming and going, 
with members of the pride 
becoming widely scattered, 
especially during courtship, 
mating, and when prey is scarce.  

A pride generally contains 1 to 4 
adult males, 2 to 3 times as many 
adult females (all of whom are 
directly related), and an assort-
ment of cubs, sub-adults, and 
elderly lions.



#
18
While pride members readily 
associate with each other, there is 
a tendency for males to be with 
males, and females to be with 
females, unless involved in 
courting and mating activities.

Cubs are introduced into the 
pride at about 8 weeks old, when 
they are strong enough to keep 
up with the adults when walking.

Sub-adults associate closely with 
one another until they become 
official members of the pride as 
adults, or until they leave the 
pride to go off on their own.



#
19
Within the pride, the male's role 
is principally to defend the land 
occupied by the pride, called the 
"pride area."

But, even though he is "The King 
of Beasts," it is the lioness who is 
the major hunter of the family.

One of the advantages of pride 
living is that it allows the lions 
to participate in communal hunt-
ing. Because of the combined ef-
forts of several lionesses, or 
males and females together, they 
can bring down more prey, as 
well as prey that is larger than 
themselves.



#
5
And, when the hunt is over, and 
it is time to rest, the pride 
stretches out contentedly under 
a tree to take a snooze.



@
8

#
19
The region occupied by a resident 
lioness with cubs and attending 
males is called a "pride area."

All the members of a pride share 
the pride area.

Pride areas may be as small as 8 
to 15 square miles (20 to 40 
square kilometers), or as large as 
150 square miles (400 square 
kilometers). There is considerable 
overlap between pride areas.

Males leave scent markings on 
bushes, trees, and the ground to 
establish their claim of ownership 
to a pride area.



#
16
Lions may remain in a particular 
spot for days or weeks, depend-
ing on the availability of prey, 
before moving on to other 
locations.

For instance, during the dry 
season, animals tend to 
congregate around watercourses. 
And, where there is prey, the lion 
is not far behind.
			
Lions are very protective of their 
territory, and have few inhi-
bitions when it comes to 
defending it.



#
14
Ripped lips, tears on ears, legs, 
and parts of the body, all show 
the effects of claws and teeth 
upon fighting lions.

Males are hostile toward non-
pride males, and females toward 
non-pride females.

However, when in estrus, female 
pride lions may accept the 
attentions of a male nomad, and, 
male pride lions, those of a 
female nomad.
