Male lions are born to defend their pride and territory from intruders.
Lionesses rarely leave their territory. All lionesses in an area are related. Women’s territorial rights are often passed down from generation to generation.
Although both males and females are territorial, they play different roles in defending their territory. The females, who make up the majority of lions, are responsible for hunting to feed the pride. They are faster and more agile than males, which makes them better suited for chasing prey that is equally or even faster.
Male lions may join female lions when they try to hunt large game such as buffalo.
Females try to keep other females and competing prides from mixing into their territory. Strange females not only compete for prey, but also kill the young of rival females.
A lion is the true definition of a fighter. It often has to fight to maintain control of the pride and protect it from other males eager to take over.
When competing prides invade the pride’s territory, the dominant male will likely be called upon by the female to defend the pride.
Although such spectacular situations occur from time to time, they are rarely captured on video. But a visitor at the Mavila game lodge spotted a clash between rival lion prides that nearly escalated into a vicious fight until a dominant male strode in gracefully and let the rival pride flee to safety.
©Peter Betts/Shutterstock.com
Why are they defending the territory?
Lions defend their territories to ensure the continuation of their pride. Territories vary in size and often contain everything a pride needs to survive, from watering holes to dens to raise their young.
Owning a territory is a matter of life and death, because without it, survival is much more challenging. Furthermore, it ensures food security and continuity through breeding.
Male lions can survive on their own, but always seek to join or even take over territories. Young males sometimes migrate from one territory to another, fighting and taking dominance of the new territory.
The lion’s ancestors likely started living in prides to make it easier to defend territories.
How do they defend their territory?
Lions roar to demonstrate their territorial behavior. The lion’s roar is arguably the most iconic vocalization in the animal kingdom. It can travel up to 5 miles to advertise the male’s presence, readiness, and willingness to defend his territory and pride.
Lionesses and males also roar to inform pride members of their location.
Lions can count intruders by roaring. Knowing the number of invading males is crucial because it can allow them to decide to hold their ground, defend their territory, or flee to safety.
Females will respond to the roar of a rival pride if they know they have enough numbers to beat them. However, if they find themselves outnumbered by their opponents, the females will not react and will likely flee in the opponent’s direction.
Next:
- Watch two male lions play hide and seek over dinner
- Watch crazy footage of adult lion and tiger fighting in China
- Watching this tiger cub ‘fight’ with a lion cub is so cute
I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.
