Young Male Lion Attacked by Pride in Territorial Dispute

Some animal videos are cute and cuddly, but others remind us that nature can be brutal as well as beautiful. An excellent example is this YouTube clip capturing a vicious fight between some lions. There is a lot of emotion and physical aggression here, so let’s carefully examine what may have led to this confrontation.

Lions Fighting

First of all, it is not unusual for lions to fight, and as you can see in this clip, both males and females are prepared to get involved. African lions (Panthera leo) are large and strong animals with sharp teeth and claws and a powerful bite. They can do a lot of damage to each other should they choose to, but why would an individual of a species attack one of their own? To figure this out, we need to delve into the complex world of lion family relationship dynamics.

Relationships Within and Outside the Pride

In this clip, the fight is started by the female lions. A lion pride is made up of genetically related females. They work as a harmonious team to hunt and raise their cubs. However, they will defend their territory (and cubs) from other lions. Here, they are seen attacking an adolescent male. The mature male lion of the pride (he is the one with the mane) turns up to see what all the fuss is about. He initially joins in the fight but then backs off and, more interestingly, calls the females out of the fight too.

Male lion membership of a pride is not permanent. A male must fight the resident male to gain mating rights to the pride, often teaming up with another male to do so. They remain with the pride, father one or two sets of cubs, and are eventually replaced by rival males. This contributes to the genetic diversity within lion populations. Female offspring stay with the pride, but male offspring leave when they are around 2.5 years old.

Who Is Fighting with Whom?

In this particular scuffle, it looks as if an adolescent male has wandered into the pride’s territory. Initially, the females view him as a threat. Outside males will kill lion cubs when they take over a pride, so you cannot blame these ladies for being suspicious of him. The male arrives to help them out, but he soon decides that he does not want to fight this adolescent. The most likely explanation is that the newcomer is his son from a previous relationship. Therefore, the adolescent male is related to the adult male lion, but not to any of the females. This explanation is further supported by the fact that the older male lion tolerates the youngster biting him on the side of his face. He is only likely to tolerate this from one of his own kids. By the end of the clip, the females have accepted the young male’s presence and are tolerating him. A truce has been reached for now!