The meaning of the word pride. The structure of the lion pack
This predator stands out from other felines. Unlike their closest relatives, lions live in a pride and cooperate with each other. Such a family has its own structure and follows certain rules.
The structure of the lion pack
Pride - lions, in which there are several females and one or two males. Sometimes such a family consists only of females. Sometimes a full-fledged flock can have about 40 heads. But usually much less.
Everyone lives in the same territory, the size of which mainly depends on the number of heads in the family and on the amount of food. On average, it occupies 50 square meters. km. The lion pride is a structure in which each beast has its own position. Animals that live in the savannah adhere to a certain routine from generation to generation. Males protect the territory of the pride from hyenas, cheetahs and other predators. Females go hunting, providing for the whole family. But some lion communities that live in other parts of the Earth may have a completely different structure. Each animal itself obtains food, and they gather in flocks only during the rutting season.
pride kings
Each pack has its own leader. If there are only females in the family, then their head is dead. The leader may be challenged by a young lion to take his position. At this point there is a fight. Usually the leaders last only three years, after which they are overthrown by stronger lions. In such families, females spend their entire lives, but the growing males eventually (after a couple of years) leave the flock. Two brothers can live together all their lives. "Friends" are looking for a new pride, in which one of them is trying to take the place of the leader.
lion cubs
Pride is a place where lion cubs can appear at any time of the year. To do this, the couple moves away from the rest at a distance. Returning, the female bears babies for about 100 days. For childbirth, the cat chooses a secluded place, often in the bushes. Usually 3-5 kittens are born. Until a certain time, the mother takes care of the offspring on her own, but at the same time she does not lose touch with the pride, calling to him with a roar. A month and a half later, she introduces the cubs to their family. All members of the pack take care of the babies, and this is really important, because fragile kittens have many enemies, from which only the pride can protect. An eagle or a predatory beast can steal and tear babies.
Family life
During the hot daytime hours, the family prefers to relax. After eating, all the inhabitants of the flock rest in one place. Pride is a convenient structure from which all members benefit. Females are protected, males are fed. It is interesting that lions competently dominate their possessions. All animals that are on the territory of the pride belong only to him. But at the same time, lions will never kill an extra animal. They clearly know how much they need to feed themselves. They also control the birth rate of offspring. If there is enough food, lions can bring kittens more often, if there is hunger around, they will not have babies.
On the hunt
The pride of lions knows how much food is needed to feed themselves. For example, for a family of four cats a week, it is enough to catch one zebra. Toward evening, the lionesses begin to hunt. Surprisingly, zebras or other ungulates feel that predators are about to "dine." After all, when the lions just rest, the animals do not scatter from them, but calmly graze. The cat lets out a strong growl to panic its prey. Frightened ungulates flee from danger, falling into the clutches of other members of the pride, who are hiding in another part of the clearing. Usually the whole hunt is led by an old predator who stands aside, making barely audible sounds to his friends. But sometimes even such cunning tricks may not be successful, because ungulates are distinguished by agility and speed.
Roar of a lion
Those who have heard the roar of a lion understand how impressive and at the same time terrifying this phenomenon is. At night, this powerful sound can be heard at a distance of 8 kilometers. But why do lions roar? Pride is a family in which all members not only cooperate, but also communicate, give signals to each other. This way they can maintain their social connection. The important thing is that the distance at which they can give each other sound "alerts" is much greater than the human ear can hear. The lion always puts meaning into his roar. In addition, both males and females make sounds. But the lioness sounds a little weaker and higher in tone.
Also, lions are not always together, they can roam their territory. On the borders, a predator often encounters enemy prides, and if he does not recognize someone else's roar, he will be taken by surprise. Lions from a strange family are able to bite a stranger to death. Therefore, the roar for this predator is Lions can notify with their sounds that the territory is occupied and guarded. Thanks to this, young, immature single males can safely wait out the time of loneliness and formation and avoid a skirmish with the dominant lion of the formed pride.
Pride is a lion family
Pride is a family of lions. Several lionesses with children and a couple of lions. There are prides, consisting of about forty individuals. These are the most numerous. But usually there are 10-12 lions in a pride: lionesses, kittens and lions. Prides are women's associations, and most often related. They are created by lionesses to protect offspring. The lions just join them. Among the lions - one leader. He has the right to be the first to profit from the victim of a successful hunt, the first to defend the territory of the pride, the first “groom” in the pride.“Lions do not pick fights with other animals and rarely fight each other seriously. Even during estrus, seeking the favor of a beautiful lioness, lions almost never stoop to a fight with an opponent. Instead, they quite sensibly leave the choice to the lioness, and the rejected cavalier goes in search of another mate, or he can wander around and wait his turn, for lions are supporters of polygamy and the lioness usually has nothing against friendship with several lions, whom she love in turn. And a lion can start a harem or share one lioness with another lion. That's why you can find a group of a lion and three lionesses, or two lionesses and four lions, and almost any combination. Often two same-year-old lions have a close friendship, and they hunt and live together for a long time. Of course, there are also cases of deep affection between a lion and a lioness ”(L. Kotlow)
Usually, young lions at the age of 2.5 years leave the pride, so as not to claim the championship in it. They live alone or in small teams (up to seven lions) for 2-3 years. And since sooner or later the lion needs to get into the pride, it is easier to capture it with a team, and then protect it.
The pride owns the territory in which it hunts and protects it from other lions. The most authoritative lion of the pride marks its borders with a mixture of urine and secretions of the anal glands, and any lion who approaches his land knows where the border is.
Young lone lions are not burdened with feeding their cubs and taking care of the territory, so they eat better and sooner or later conquer the territory for themselves, which hosts one or even several prides of lionesses. The first thing a lion does when he captures a pride is to kill all the cubs. Lionesses, as a rule, are not able to interfere with them, and only cubs older than a year have a chance of salvation. A lioness who has lost her cubs starts estrus in 2-3 weeks and she will soon give birth from a new leader. Killing cubs is a necessity, because otherwise the new leader would have to wait at least two years for his own offspring, and despite the fact that the leader of the pack (pride), as a rule, is replaced every 2-4 years, he would not have time to raise his own cubs
“...our car almost crashed into a group of lions basking in the sun. All of them - a lion, three lionesses and a lion cub - raised their heads, looked at us carefully, but did not move ... The lions watched our approach, but it did not seem to excite them ... We stopped fifteen feet from the lions. The lions continued to lie quietly and indifferently contemplate us - everything except the lion cub, which growled furiously at the car. The rest didn't seem to be interested in us at all; after we stopped, they lowered their muzzles, and one lioness, lazy and careless, closed her eyelids and dozed off. Her friend lay at a distance and could not see us properly. She got up and moved towards us, though not deigning to look at us. The lioness passed by without paying the slightest attention to us, and disappeared into the bushes. Cheered up, I ordered the driver to bring the car very slowly close to the lions. We were within four feet of the nearest lioness. I lowered the glass and aimed the lens directly at the lioness. When the buzzing of the apparatus was heard, she lifted her muzzle and squinted slightly, as if surprised at what was happening. Her gaze was calm and friendly, although it betrayed some wariness, and she seemed to be smiling softly. After filming the lions on film, I took out the "watering can" and took a few more shots. Eventually the lion got up and walked towards the bushes, the others following him. They all left with a disdainful look ”(L. Kotlow)
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An excerpt characterizing the Pride
Instead of demanding four months ago to retreat from Numberania, now they demanded to retreat only beyond the Neman. Napoleon quickly turned and began to pace the room.- You say that I am required to retreat beyond the Neman to start negotiations; but two months ago they demanded of me to retreat across the Oder and the Vistula in exactly the same way, and in spite of this, you agree to negotiate.
He silently walked from one corner of the room to the other and again stopped in front of Balashev. His face seemed to be petrified in its stern expression, and his left leg trembled even faster than before. Napoleon knew this trembling of his left calf. La vibration de mon mollet gauche est un grand signe chez moi, [The trembling of my left calf is a great sign,] he later said.
“Such proposals as to clear the Oder and the Vistula can be made to the Prince of Baden, and not to me,” Napoleon almost cried out quite unexpectedly. - If you gave me Petersburg and Moscow, I would not accept these conditions. Are you saying I started a war? And who came to the army first? - Emperor Alexander, not me. And you offer me negotiations when I have spent millions, while you are in alliance with England and when your position is bad - you offer me negotiations! And what is the purpose of your alliance with England? What did she give you? he said hastily, obviously already directing his speech not to express the benefits of concluding peace and discuss its possibility, but only to prove both his rightness and his strength, and to prove the wrongness and mistakes of Alexander.
The introduction of his speech was made, obviously, to show the advantage of his position and to show that, despite the fact, he accepts the opening of negotiations. But he had already begun to speak, and the more he spoke, the less able he was to control his speech.
The whole purpose of his speech now, obviously, was only to exalt himself and insult Alexander, that is, to do exactly the very thing that he least of all wanted at the beginning of the meeting.
- They say you made peace with the Turks?
Balashev nodded his head affirmatively.
“The world is closed…” he began. But Napoleon did not let him speak. He evidently needed to speak on his own, alone, and he continued to speak with that eloquence and intemperance of irritability to which spoiled people are so prone.
– Yes, I know you made peace with the Turks without getting Moldavia and Wallachia. And I would give your sovereign these provinces just as I gave him Finland. Yes,” he continued, “I promised and would give Emperor Alexander Moldavia and Wallachia, and now he will not have these beautiful provinces. He could, however, have annexed them to his empire, and in one reign he would have extended Russia from the Gulf of Bothnia to the mouths of the Danube. Catherine the Great could not have done more,” said Napoleon, flaring up more and more, walking around the room and repeating to Balashev almost the same words that he had said to Alexander himself in Tilsit. - Tout cela il l "aurait du a mon amitie ... Ah! quel beau regne, quel beau regne!" he repeated several times, stopped, took a golden snuffbox from his pocket and greedily pulled it out of his nose. Pride is a lion family. Several lions and a couple - a trio of lionesses with children. In nature, you can find prides consisting of 30 - 40 individuals, but these are the most numerous. As a rule, in a pride there are 8 - 10 lions: lions, kittens and lionesses. Prides are essentially female forms of the pack, in most cases of a related nature. They are united under their command by lionesses to protect their children. Lions just join the pride. Among the lions there is only one main (leader). He is the very first groom", the first to rush to protect his "family" from the threat, has every right to the tidbit after a successful hunt.
"In fact, lions in very rare cases start a fight with other animals first and almost never fight among themselves. Even during heat, trying to get an answer to their feelings, they never fight with rivals. Instead of a quarrel, they leave the right of the final choice to the lioness, and the rejected "groom" can go for a walk in the savannah, waiting for his turn, or try to find another girlfriend for himself, because by their nature, lions are supporters of polygamous relationships and, as a rule, the lioness does not mind "twist love" with several partners at once, whom she pleases in turn. And the lion may well start his own harem, or share another lioness with an opponent. Therefore, there is nothing surprising in the fact that in nature there are groups of four lions and two lionesses or one lion and three lionesses, and in fact there can be many such combinations. Often 2 lions born in the same year can be connected by deep friendship and they live and hunt together for a long time. There have also been cases of great affection between a lioness and a lion."(L. Kotlow)
As a rule, young lions leave the family (pride) by the age of two and a half, so as not to fight for the championship. For a long time, about two to three years, they live and hunt alone, or in small teams (no more than seven lions). And since sooner or later the lion needs to return to its pride, it is much easier to capture and then protect the team.
The pride controls the area being hunted and tries to drive other prides out of it. The leader must mark the area of the pride's possessions with the help of urine and secretions from the anal gland. And every lion that comes close to this place understands perfectly well where someone else's territory begins.
Lonely young lions are not responsible for the cubs and the protection of the territory, because of this their food is much better, and in the end they win back a site for themselves on which one or several prides of lionesses feed. First of all, when the pride is captured, all cubs are destroyed and the lionesses cannot oppose anything to this, and only babies older than a year old can be saved. The lioness, in which all the cubs were killed, after two or three weeks, estrus begins and after a while she will give birth from a new leader. Killing other people's children is a necessity, otherwise you will have to wait about two years to acquire your own offspring, and this despite the fact that the leader of the lion family (pride) changes every two to four years, so the likelihood that he will have time to raise his own children is practically equals zero.
"...our car nearly hit a pride of several lions that lay down freely in the sun. All of them - a lion cub, three lionesses and a lion looked at us attentively, but did not even think to get out of this place ... Although the lions saw the car approaching, it did not seem to bother them at all ... Five meters from the flock, we slowed down. The lions still lay lazily and looked at us in a detached way - everything except the cub, which bared its teeth and growled loudly at the car. Adult lions did not seem to be interested in us at all, they lowered their muzzles that were raised, and one of the lionesses even closed her eyelids and seemed to doze off. Her comrade-in-arms settled down a little further and seemed unable to see us. She got up and slowly walked towards us, although not looking in our direction. However, the lioness passed very close to us and did not seem to pay any attention to us. Reviving, I asked the driver to drive right up to the lions' camp.
We stood at a distance of about a meter from the nearest animal. I wanted to take a few shots and, lowering the glass, pointed the camera straight at the lioness. There was a barely audible buzzing and she again raised her head and narrowed her eyes a little, looked at me in surprise. Her gaze was full of friendliness and calmness, although some confusion could be seen in it, and it seemed to me that the cat smiled at me slightly. I had a desire to take some photos, I took out a "watering can" and photographed this magnificent animal. In the end, apparently she got tired of us and she got up and headed towards the nearest bushes, and the rest leisurely trotted after her. Their whole appearance expressed complete indifference and contempt for us."(L. Kotlow)
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