Dominant Alpha Male Lion Fights to the Death In a Fierce Show Of Power

A male lion’s life can be full of confrontation and violence. As apex predators, they spend a lot of their time hunting and killing other animals. At the same time, they also use their power, claws, and teeth to take on other males.

In the clip below, we get to see a mature male fighting with a younger male lion. In this particular incident, it is the younger lion that comes off worse.

Watch the Savage Clip Below

Do Male Lions Live In Prides?

Lions are the only truly social cat species. Studies have shown that they have dynamic social interactions and even appear to prefer some lions’ company over others. The basis of their social grouping is pride which is made up of females who are genetically related. The role of the male in the pride is more variable.

A single male, or up to seven males, may join the pride for some time. If males join together to hunt or to defend territories and prides, it is called a coalition. Young males sometimes have to live alone until they can find a coalition or a pride to be a part of.

Males and male coalitions patrol their territory and are not happy about other males turning up. They are defending their mating rights and do not want any other males siring cubs. Male lions stay with the pride for around three years before moving on.

Is It Common for Male Lions to Fight?

Fighting is common when a new ‘intruder’ male tries to take over the pride. The resident male, and even the females, may gang up to try to drive him away. However, if he is strong enough to overpower them all, he will be accepted as the new resident male. This is because he has proved that he is the strongest and therefore the most suitable to father future cubs.

Even though male lions do get into physical confrontations, they know that this is risky and do take steps to avoid them. The resident male may adopt intimidating behavior to drive away the stranger before a fight starts. There are even cases where the imposter male is escorted out of the territory.

Once a fight starts, however, anything can happen! The males attack each other without hesitation and severe injuries can occur. There are also instances of males being killed in this sort of fight.