Another ghost response to a proudly asserted falsehood - misconception maybe..?

"Lionesses are the true badasses of the Serengeti. they will kill a male lion at will ." - HUFFPOST SUPER USER lizsobelcolumbus

In Reply:

I don't disagree that Lionesses are badass -- but saying "..they will kill a male lion at will.." is pretty inaccurate.  The pride male is typically nearly twice as large as the largest lioness - and far more powerful - and she moves the hell out of the way when he charges in to take the first spot at her kill (their kill).  There are, naturally, quite varied personalities in any pride (like people - they're individuals), but by and large the pride male is definitely the badass - but he's also smart enough to avoid an angry lioness outside of the kill site or when attempting a pride takeover.   The stereotype of the lazy male letting the lionesses do the hunting and cub-rearing is well-deserved, but - credit where it's due - that same male is at least half the reason that her cubs will make it adulthood.  His continual "marking" the territory, dissuading, killing or chasing off all sorts of  threats - including competing males who will kill all their cubs as part of taking over the pride (a very common occurrence - unthinkable, but a part of the lion's genetic diversity imperative).   For a lioness to defeat, let alone kill, a healthy male lion - is the extremely rare exception. 

I knew this for a fact myself, but - anticipating some stubborn refusal to acknowledge (my apologies, just a gut feeling you could say) - I found a renowned and honored expert, and quickly located a quote of his assertions regarding this subject:

Prof Craig Packer, director of the University of Minnesota's Lion Research Center, told the BBC this sort of attack is "unprecedented".  Said Professor Packer, "We've seen examples of males killing females, and groups of females chasing away males, but a single female killing a male? Never heard of it."

Ph.D. in Behavioral Ecology, From 1978 was the head of the Serengeti Lion Project, the founder and director of both the Lion Research Center and Whole Village Project, as well as the co-founder of Savannahs Forever Tanzania. 
 

As for my own experience and reading, (naturally not worth mentioning after listing Craig packer's background ;-) - I've visited a few preserves in S. Africa, and to be honest never witnessed these confrontations, except for the male charging the lioness' kill (they usually do get outta the way) - but this is general knowledge that's easily verified.  The "cool" male lion - the "Pride Male", earns his keep by protecting his (and her) cubs from invading males intent on killing the cubs - as well as standing his ground with water buffalo (cub killers for sure -- they hate lions), packs of hyenas, etc..  (btw,  hyenas are an example of a true matriarchal species).    Anyway - I totally share your admiration of Lionesses, but the fact is that, frequently (i.e. statistically frequent), even two or three lionesses are too few to defend their cubs from a nomadic male lion in his prime.  Cubs get killed - all the time; the lionesses posture, fight valiantly, and often inflict injury but are no match for a massive male in prime -- and a few weeks later they go back in to estrus and end up mating with the new pride male - the very male lion that killed their cubs (provided he killed or chased off the previous pride male).   Brutal and unthinkable - but it's the way nature runs it's course for lions.  To give credit where credit is due, there are certainly times when lionesses succeed in fighting off a hopeful usurper, and there is plenty of ying & yang to be had - on average, a male lion is only able to remain dominant for about 2-1/2 years.  His reign is pretty brief, and his life is certainly no cup of tea on the whole (ejected pride males generally subsist - beaten and chased away from their pride/family, their large size and huge manes make them too visible to be the efficient stealth hunters the lionesses are.  They rely on scraps, etc.. and stealing kills from other predators like hyenas, cheetahs, etc..  Wow -- better go take a ritalin.  ;-)

This reply was a bit over twice the maximum size for a reply.  I didn't want to pare it down, even though it's far too verbose and straying...  oh well -- I'll simply post it here (or rather, add it to my unpublished posts -- which number about 8-10 for each published...  doh.