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Chakrabarti, S.
Sociality in Asiatic lions
2018  Full Book

Lions (Panthera leo) are the only true social felids that live in functional fission-fusion units called prides. A pride comprises of 2-18 adult females, their dependent cubs and a coalition of adult male(s). Coalition males maintain exclusive rights on the females and sire cubs born to the females during their tenure. Unlike most other animal societies, lion groups are egalitarian: all adult females have equal opportunities to breed and all males in a coalition share food and mates with remarkable equity. Pride females come into estrus synchronously, litter around the same time and communally suckle each other's cubs. Asiatic lions (_P. l. persica_), living as a single relic population in the Gir forests and the adjoining landscape of Gujarat, western India, exhibit a contrasting social structure. Males and females do not stay together, instead form like-sex groups, male coalitions: 1-5 males and female prides: average of 2 adult females and their dependent cubs. These gender groups have independent survival strategies and interact primarily during matings and feeding events. In the current study, I investigate: i) how resources are shared between male partners of Asiatic lion coalitions; ii) the costs and benefits for male lions in forming alliances; and iii) female mating strategies and mate-selection in lions. The three questions pertaining to socio-biology of Asiatic lions are compared with studies from Africa to explore differences in the two systems and their potential causes.

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