IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| West, P.M. | |
| The Lion's Mane | |
| 2005 American Scientist (93): 226-235 | |
Neither a token of royalty nor a shield for fighting, the mane is a signal of quality to mates and rivals, but one that comes with consequences. The African lion is one of the world's most admired and best studied species, yet its most striking feature has long been a mystery: Why do lions have manes? Charles Darwin, who knew almost nothing about lions, was one of the first to suggest an answer, writing, "The mane of the lion forms a good defence [sic] against the one danger to which he is liable, namely the attacks of rival lions." This unsupported hypothesis prevailed until 1972, when George Schaller published his seminal work, _The Serengeti Lion. _Schaller suggested that males bore sumptuous manes to signal their quality as a prospective mate, similar to the displays of several other polygamous species. Although these two hypotheses were not mutually exclusive, scientists tended to favor one or the other. When I began my research in 1995 neither theory had been systematically tested. Three basic features guide any thinking about the lion's mane. First, the mane is sexually dimorphic (only males have manes); second, the mane begins development at puberty; and third, the mane is highly variable both within and between populations. Manes vary in color from almost white to deep black and in overall size from the slightest "Mohawk" and side-whiskers to a long, thick coat that covers the shoulders and chest. Furthermore, individual manes are not uniformly sized or colored but are often a patchwork of lengths and hues. These features are consistent with the idea that the mane is a product of sexual selection. Most sex-selective traits are sexually dimorphic, begin development at puberty and are highly variable. According to the theory of sexual selection, such characteristics evolve under the stress of competition for mates. |
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