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As the only species of big cats that live in social groups in the wild, lions have evolved a social structure that includes the raising of the cubs. Lions are usually mature enough to have cubs as soon as they are two or three years old. However, they do not often breed until the pride has been firmly established. A solitary female living outside a pride for whatever reason, will continue to search for a mate for years until she finds one and they can start a pride of their own. Within the pride the dominant female normally has mating rights although the male may decide to mate with any female in heat. Females do mate with more than one male. A female in heat would show her readiness by rubbing her head against the head of the male repeatedly and by rolling on her back from side to side in front of the male. Finally, she lies in front of the male presenting her hind quarters to him. The actual act lasts no more than a minute and could appear to be violent with the female sometimes taking a swat at the male as he dismounts. Mating is usually energy sapping as lions can repeat the process approximately every 15 minutes, day and night, for three days without bothering to eat or sleep.

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The gestation period lasts about three and a half months. When the female is ready to have the cubs she searches for a suitable den away from the pride and moves there. A lioness can have between two to six cubs per litter. Cubs are utterly helpless and blind at birth and depend completely on the mother’s milk for nutrition. The lioness often lives them in the den to hunt when the need arises. At such moments the cubs are vulnerable and can be killed by other predators like hyaenas and leopards who see them as future competitors for prey. Sometimes cubs are killed by other male lions who want to take over a pride as a way of ensuring that only the strongest genetic traits are passed on. It is generally believed that only about one out of every four cubs will survive to adulthood.

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PHOTO: [Lion cub playing with mum](https://www.africa-wildlife-detective.com/lion-cubs.html) After about two months the cubs are introduced to the pride and spend the rest of their young lives in the pride. Once cubs reach adulthood, they will eventually be banished from the pride in order to seek out prides of their own. Lionesses within a pride often synchronize their ovulation in order to gestate and give birth around the same time. It is therefore common to have cubs of slightly different ages growing within the pride. All the lactating females in a pride suckle cubs showing no favoritism for their own offspring. http://kids.sandiegozoo.org/sites/default/files/2017-07/stories-learningtobelions.jpg [Lion cubs playing](http://kids.sandiegozoo.org/videos/lion-cubs) As the cubs grow in the pride they spend most of their time playing. This helps them acquire and develop relevant skills that would be needed when they become adults. The cubs do not take part in hunting expeditions, usually being left behind in the care of one or two females. The cubs start to eat meat at about three months and are weaned at about six months. Female cubs stay within the pride all their lives but male lions either leave of their own accord or are driven off by the pride males at two to three years of age. **Thanks for reading my post!** **Extra Information** Birth weight --- 1. 5 kilograms Eyes open --- at 3 to 11 days Weaning --- Starts at 10 weeks; completed at 10 months Hunting skills achieved --- At 2 years old **Content Sources:** [Live Science](https://www.livescience.com/27404-lion-facts.html) [A - Z Animals](https://a-z-animals.com/animals/lion/) [National Geographic](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/a/african-lion/) [Wikipedia]( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion) [African Animals Blog]( https://www.africa-wildlife-detective.com/lion-cubs.html)