why do male lions and female lions look so different?

Lions have obvious sexual dimorphism, with lions having manes. This is the result of evolution, and is related to the division of labor in lion groups, sexual selection, and the defensive function of manes. Male lions need stronger defenses to reproduce, and manes have become an important indicator, with the genetic characteristics becoming more obvious from generation to generation.

lions are the most sexually dimorphic. Other cats are almost indistinguishable from males to females with the naked eye, except for their size (males are usually significantly larger than females).

But lions are an exception. Even if they are adults, we can tell the gender of the lion at a glance because the male lion has a very obvious feature – a circle of dense and long mane around the neck.

Why do other cats species not have such big differences between the sexes, but lions do? In fact, the answer to this question is generally one thing: the result of evolution. So what prompted lions to evolve towards such a big sexual dimorphism in appearance? Let’s explore this from three aspects: the positioning of male lions, sexual selection, and the relationship between manes and male lions .

Lion’s Positioning

The sexual dimorphism of lions is actually related to the positioning of male lions due to their way of survival. First of all, lions are the only cat species that live in groups. They live in groups in the true sense. Especially once females are in a group, they will never leave until they die. This high degree of sociality is even better than that of wolves, because wolf packs always fall apart because of the exclusive breeding rights of the wolf king and his wife.

Okay, let’s get back to the point. One reason why the relationship between lions is so strong is that each lion has its own responsibilities. In a lion group, female lions are often responsible for hunting, while male lions are responsible for patrolling the territory. Data shows that male lions participate in 1-2 out of every 10 hunting trips, and these 1 or 2 times are when hunting large prey such as African buffalo.

It is not easy for a male lion to patrol its territory. It needs to face the invasion of carnivores, especially stray male lions. Stray male lions need to defeat the lion king to have their own lion group, so the lion king is often challenge. This is very important because the male lion’s opponents are often of the same kind and sex.

At this time, the role of its thick and long mane is reflect. The neck is the most fatal part of an animal, and the canine teeth of a lion are very lethal. Therefore, when the mane is protect, it is difficult for a male lion to be bite in a vital part during a duel. In this way, only victory and defeat can be decid, not life and death. Therefore, the positioning of male lions patrolling their territory determines that their mane is indispensable. While the female lions, their opponents are prey, herbivores, and will not be hurt by the neck, which is a vital part.

Sexual selection

Sexual selection is a special form of natural selection. It is consider to be the main factor that determines the differences between the two sexes of the same species in addition to their reproductive organs. For example, male deer usually have longer and more complex horns than female deer. Male elephants usually have longer and thicker tusks than female elephants, etc. The extra mane of male lions than lionesses is actually cause by sexual selection.

So, what kind of sexual selection leads to this difference in lions? First of all, it is the survival rule of lions. Lions are polygamous animals, which means that the competition between males will be more intense.

So what kind of male lion is more likely to have the opportunity to reproduce? There are two answers: stronger and more defensive ! Under the same strength level, when two male lions fight, it is obvious that the one with longer mane has stronger defense, which we have already mentioned above.

Male lions without manes or with less dense manes can easily be lock on the neck by their opponents, which puts them at a disadvantage in a duel. In this way, individuals with sparse manes are gradually eliminate, and only males with dense manes are left, forming a clear difference over time.

The relationship between mane and lion

We mentioned above that stronger male lions are more likely to reproduce, thus passing on their characteristics to their offspring. This factor is the relationship between manes and male lions.

First, scientists have done an experiment in which they placed four toy male lions of the same size as adult male lions in the wild. The four male lion toys were divide into two groups, one with longer manes and darker colors, and the other with shorter manes and lighter colors. The experimental results show that female lions were more willing to approach the first group, while the second group was attack by nearby real male lions. This means that at least in the eyes of female lions, longer manes and darker colors are a manifestation of being stronger.

Secondly, through observation and statistics of scientists, it is know that male lions with more luxuriant manes are often healthier and stronger than normal male lions. This means that the manes of male lions have become an important indicator of their strength.

Summary

The reason why lions have the biggest difference in appearance between the sexes among cats species is ultimately due to their habit of living in groups and polygamous life. The habit of living in groups leads to a clear division of labor. Which leads to different enemies. While polygamous life leads to extremely fierce competition among male lions.

Under this premise, male lions must have stronger defenses. Be healthier and stronger in order to have the greatest chance of leaving behind offspring of their own. Mane is such a piece of “equipment”. So, with inheritance from generation to generation, this feature becomes more and more obvious.