A Lionet's Lifestyle

There are a hundred websites on the Internet that tell us the general life events of animals, especially lions. But it happens more than once that these sources don't provide us with a continuing info. They either tell us about certain steps of a lion's life and leave the others. There are not many places where you get a chronological account of such amazing lives. 

For this purpose, I have written this blogpost to remove confusion and provide information in the perfect series of events from before the birth of a cub to what happens till the little haven of cuteness is about a few months old.

For starters,  a lion cub is also called a lionet, hence the title.

By the end of their pregnancy (gestation period: about 4 months) , lionesses cut themselves off the pride for a temporary period. They do this to find a suitable place to give birth. They usually give birth in a thick bush, well hidden from predators. The litter size varies between 2-4 cubs at a time. However, birth of 6 cubs from one mother at a time has been recorded.

 

A lion cub, once born, does not open its eyes until it is about 3-11 days. The litter depends entirely on the mother for food, protection and training, hence, lionesses are given more credit when it comes to rearing cubs. The cubs keep close to their mother for they are very weak and barely weigh 1.5 kg. Newborn cubs have light spots on their fur, which fade away as they grow older and help them in camouflaging themselves when young. Camouflage sounds weird here, but I assure you, you will understand what I mean by the end of this post. 

As the cubs grow up, they learn to walk and play with their siblings and often have playful fights with each other. This fighting teaches them some moves and trains them, in a way, to tackle their prey in the future. The cubs get someone of their own size to play and deal with, which improves their strength, skill,  stamina and provides them with necessary experience during this young age.

It is important to understand here that the lioness cannot live with them all the time, for she has to hunt for herself and the cubs. Thus, she regularly changes the hiding place of these cubs, to keep them protected from other predators. The cubs tend to relax when their mother does this, which makes the process simpler and easier for both. She catches them in her mouth, by the little scruff on their neck.

The need to do this is pretty urgent, for the jungle (the Savannah, rather) works a lot like human politics. The animals in a particular area have a more complicated life than we think. 

When a lioness hides her cubs in one place, she approaches it frequently. The animals around her notice that she is visiting the place and understand that there exists a possibility of lion cubs in that particular area. The herbivores might not bother much, but carnivorous predators, like leopards, hyenas, vultures and African Wild dogs do understand and intervene. Lions become a threat to these animals when they grow up, so they grab any opportunity to get them when young. Moreover, once dead, cubs feed these animals and provide one good meal.

So, the mother has to take special care while approaching her cubs. She does not always use the same path and keeps changing her way to reach the hiding place. This deters the animals that have a watch on her and they begin to goon their own ways. Thus, the mother saves her cubs from potential danger.

Going back to the cubs, they play and have naps all day in their small home, until their mother comes to feed them. They don't have teeth, so they suckle until they grow their baby teeth. Once they reach the age of one month, their mother introduces them to meat. By this time, they can eat well and are physically healthy. They stay inside their little dwelling place until they are 2 months old, after which their mother introduces them to their father, their pride and the outside world.

The lion fathers are not given much credit since the mothers do everything to raise the little ones, but he plays an important role too. A lion takes care of the safety of his cubs, once they are out in the open. He ensures that potential threats stay away from them and the lionesses as a whole, help him in this mission. The father also allows his cubs to play with him for certain amounts of time, after which they are to return to their mother for feeding.

At night, the pride goes on a hunt for food. Lions mainly hunt at night and do not allow their cubs to assist them, since they are not yet trained properly and are too young. So, the cubs along with their cousins, hide in places that are vaguely known by their guardians. They do their best to stay safe, bt it sometimes happens that one or two become feast for certain nocturnal animals.

The lionesses return to their home, situated near suitable resources such as a river, by day. Along with them, they bring food, which is consumed by all the members of their pride. The cubs either come back by this time, or are fetched by their mothers. The cubs, very active, often play with each other while their their guardians take rest and have naps after a long night. 

Pictures taken from: 

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/pictured-three-tiny-newborn-kenyan-3021258

https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/closeup-shot-lonely-lioness-safari-africa_20828814.htm

https://www.quora.com/Can-a-leopard-kill-a-lion

https://www.peakpx.com/en/hd-wallpaper-desktop-neioz