Lion Motherhood – Superpride | National Geographic

any pride exists to create lots of cups
this pride excels at it
countless lions trace their roots to
this dynasty making them a source pride
a ruling family of the Serengeti
now this great pride comprises eight
adult one emails to males twelve
adolescents and cups 22 in all they are
a super bride
typically only a quarter of Serengeti
lion cubs get to adulthood they must
make it through a gauntlet of perils
disease and starvation hit hard other
predators present a more violent threat
– one less lion cub is one less
competitor and one more meal
to increase the cubs chances of survival
new mothers join forces and form what’s
known as a crash in a crash
the mothers share the responsibility of
feeding rearing and guarding the Cubs
lions are the only Wildcats that raise
their young this way
in a super pride crash more mothers mean
even more lines of protection for the
Cubs
but these mothers face a dilemma they
need to protect their cubs from other
predators but they also must leave them
to find prey and the Cubs are too small
to join their mothers on the hunt or
defend themselves at home the crash
provides the solution mothers can go
hunting while their cubs remain under
the watchful eye of the other lionesses
and this year they don’t have to go very
far to find prey
the migration feeds the new mothers and
helps them produce milk for their cubs
but by now some of the Cubs are old
enough to eat meat they receive their
initiation into the world of carnivores
between their mother’s milk and this
meat the new super pride Cubs get a good
start in life