As soon as you hear someone say, “The King of the Jungle”, everyone immediately thinks of a beautiful male lion, walking through the grassland as his beautiful mane blows in the wind. This is the picture that a lot of people expect to get whilst on a safari. Unfortunately, male lions don’t always play their part, and these large cats will often sleep for hours on end.

We’re all taught as children, that the male lion eats before the lionesses, who in turn, eat before the cubs. This is also true and people will sometimes get upset that male lions will dominate a whole carcass, whilst nobody else gets a share.

The King certainly gets many perks if he rules the territory and in this blog we are going to have a look at some of those perks and why he gets them.

The Kings Rest

As mentioned above, male lions, in fact any lions, spend a large amount of their day fast asleep, especially if it is hot, and they are well-fed. They can easily sleep for 20hrs a day if this is the case. It is easy to see why people get bored with them quickly and move on, but you need to give these guys patience and time.

It is at night, however, that the males come into their own and this is when the dominant males will go out on their territorial patrols. Coalitions may move together, or they may move as independent individuals, covering more ground. Whilst doing this, they will be scent marking areas to show their presence, often vocalizing at the same time. Both of these activities take large amounts of energy that we very seldom witness them doing. After a hardship nights’ work and walking, these large males have earned their rest.

Bring food for the King

Male lions do not hunt, only the females hunt. A terrible saying that so many of us have been used to hearing, that some people actually believe it. This is most certainly not the case and, if it was, all male lions would surely starve to death.

From a young age, both sexes of cubs will practice their hunting techniques. They will stalk one another, pounce on each other and try to pull one another to the ground, as they later will with big animals. Once cubs are old enough to travel with the pride, they spend a good amount of time watching the other members of the pride hunting. It does take the young males a little longer to get it than their sisters, but around two and a half, the young males join in.

Once the young males have been pushed out of their natal pride by either their fathers or new males, they could be nomadic for the next few years. They need to eat in this time, and although scavenging makes up a percentage of their food, they do hunt as well. Large coalitions of young males will often take on larger animals like buffalo and giraffe, in turn strengthening their muscles, making them big and strong.

Dominant males that already have territories and prides will also join in on the hunt when they are present. They will often lay in wait with some of the lionesses and hope that something gets chased right into them. As males are larger and stand out with their manes, prey may see them a little easily and avoid them. Also, males are usually well outnumbered by the lionesses and that means the chances of one of them catching something rather than one of the males is greater.

When these dominant males are off on their territory patrols, they will also hunt if the right opportunity presents itself. Coalitions will often hunt together as well, bringing down buffalo as a team. This gives the prides a break from feeding them as they will stay with this carcass until it is done. Even when with the pride, males can be important when hunting large animals like giraffe, hippo and elephant. Their sheer weight and strength can help anchor an animal and bring it to the ground. Their larger jaws can also wrap around the neck or muzzle of the larger prey species.

The King feasts first

When the males are present at a kill, they completely dominate it. These males will absolutely gorge themselves before allowing anyone else to eat. Young cubs are sometimes the exception though, and as long as they don’t push it too far, they will be allowed to feed with the male.

All members of the pride can be very aggressive around the carcass, with individuals fighting with one another. If there is not enough for the rest of the pride or weaker members, they unfortunately do not get it. The more a lion can eat, the better condition it will find himself in.

Everyone thinks that it is only lions that act like this, but that is not the case. Dominant hyenas will get first choices at meal time as well, happily displacing lower ranked individuals. Male leopards that are wandering through their territories, will also happily take food away from any females with a kill they may come across. Food is energy, and obtaining energy without expending any, is a huge score for any predator or animal.

It may seem to us that this “King of the Jungle”, is spoiled and gets to lie around and be served by his lionesses. This is not the case. By marching around, proclaiming his territory and dominance, he is protecting the pride’s lionesses and cubs from intruding males that could kill them. He may sleep a lot and get more food when he is around, but for good reason. To look after his family and his “Kingdom”, he needs to be in the best physical condition possible.

Next time you see a sleeping male lion, show him a little more respect, as the poor chap has most likely had a long night, not out partying like a king should be, but protecting his family.