Male lions most readily come to mind when we think of lions, but female lions are the heartbeats of their prides and the species. While male lions are the protectors of their pride, female lions wear many hats. They are the hunters, leaders, and child-rearers. They are the ones forming the social structures for the pride.
Like elephants, lion prides are matriarchal. Making up the core of a pride, female lions execute decisions and coordination in order to ensure the survival of their pride. The lionesses, well-renowned for their hunting, have to rely on synchronized efforts to catch their prey as most of their prey is small and can outrun them. Lionesses are the primary hunters, whereas male lions only contribute to less than 10% of hunts. With the pressure of having to secure food for the entire pride, lionesses coordinate to ambush their prey, usually by pursuing and pushing it into the rest of the pride.
Lionesses raise their cubs communally. This shared responsibility allows strong social bonds to develop amongst members of the pride. The lionesses instill social and survival skills in their cubs in order to increase their chances of survival.
While they don’t have as many responsibilities, male lions do have one key role to play. Their main responsibility is to protect the pride and defend their territory, but even these tasks are supported by the pride’s lionesses. Both male and female lions will protect their cubs and territory from leopards, hyenas, and even other lions.
Even though male lions are symbols of power and fearsomeness, without the tremendous skill and support of female lions, the chances of survival for male lions, their offspring, and their prides would considerably decrease.