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The Matimba coalition
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Thanks for the update let's hope he survives by forming his own coalition and as for the matimbas running from the b boys it has became the norm i guess but why fight when the have londolizi now
 
A rare(rare because I don't get to see much about them) video of the Northern Matimba males.
@Majingilane great Video!
also do you have any info on the Matimbas attacking the Fourways male lion? did the lion die? heard someone say that. 
@Majingilane:always usefull to notice that males lions can allow the cubs (of their pride of course) to eat with them...
Indeed. In fact, they sometimes chase the females out to let the cubs eat their fill and grow strong.
Hairy Belly Matimba and one of the Tsalala girls mating. The ladies be a bit partial, but he's such a majestic lion.
From the Londolozi blog:
The lighter-maned Matimba male watches as a lioness from the Tsalala pride approaches him. We have noticed one or two of the Tsalala lionesses mating and moving with these males, but interactions between the entire pride and the two males have still been quite aggressive. When interactions have occurred, the two males seem to focus on chasing the young males of the Tsalala pride. Could the time for these young males to leave be drawing near? Photograph by Kevin Power.  *This image is copyright of its original author The darker-maned Matimba quenches his thirst after finishing off a meal with his brother. These two have proved to be very efficient hunters having made many of their own kills over the past few months. A common misconception is that only lionesses hunt but these males prove once again that this is untrue. Photograph by Kevin Power.  *This image is copyright of its original author
From the Londolozi Blog:
With the arrival of the Matimba males to Londolozi, the Tsalala pride has found itself in a state of turmoil. As is true of all cats, a male will attempt to kill cubs that are not his own, forcing the female back into oestrus, giving him the opportunity to sire his own young. The Tsalala youngsters are of a vulnerable age and if the males were to get hold of them, they would in all likelihood kill these youngsters who were fathered by the Majingilane. This would be a huge loss to the pride that has invested so much time and energy into raising these cubs. So what is it that the lionesses do to try and protect them? The Tsalala lioness and Matimba male mate. The affair is quite a noisy and apparently aggressive one and the female will typically lash out at the male as he retracts.  *This image is copyright of its original author One of the tactics used by lionesses is distraction and she will mate with the males to keep them occupied for a few days, giving the pride a chance to get away. This is something we have been seeing the Tsalala lionesses doing on several occasions with either the older tailed or younger tailed lioness mating with the males while the tailless lioness takes the youngsters to safety. What is amazing however, is that it is believed that lionesses are actually able to go into a state of false oestrus during this time period. This means that she can mate but will not conceive. This is hugely important, as females need a four to six month time frame, in which to suss out the new males and ensure that they are in fact strong enough to hold the territory. Only once she is sure of this stability will she conceive. A close up of the darker-maned Matimba male. He seems to be the more dominant of the brothers and tends to get mating rights first.  *This image is copyright of its original author The male tests the scent of the female by using the flehmen grimace. In this way he puts the scent onto the Jacobson’s organ in the soft palate of his mouth, where he will be able to ascertain if the female is ready to mate.  *This image is copyright of its original author During the mating period, both the male and female can initiate but in the clip below, you will see how the female quite frantically attempts to entice the male. The reason for this was that the males had found the whole pride together and she was trying to distract them as the youngsters headed north. She would run backwards and forwards in front of the male, loudly throw herself on the ground, scratching at debris around her before bounding in front of the male again, encouraging him to follow her. The mating happened quite regularly and at high intensity for the duration of the morning and only slowed as the temperatures began to rise. For the rest of the day, the pair rested in the shade giving the rest of the pride ample time to get away.  *This image is copyright of its original author Although this is proving to be a very difficult time for the pride, these sociable cats continue to use teamwork to their advantage and as the males focus their time in the immediate surrounds of the camp, the Tsalalas move further afield. We watch with baited breath to see what will come of the pride in the coming months and look forward to keeping you posted.
I haven't been able to find much about the Matimbas in their young age. So, here it goes a pic of four of them.
4 young Matimba males Credits: Drizzle Jordaan. Year:2009  *This image is copyright of its original author
From Lions of the Timbavati:
The 3 Northern Matimba's are spending most of their time with the Skorro Lion Pride in Ngala Game Reserve. This photo was taken in May 2015 when the 3 Northern Matimba's chased the 4 Machaton males in Shindzela. At this moment in time it looks like the Northern Matimba's have abandoned the Mbiri pride but I'm sure they will be back once the lionesses come into oestrus. The Northern Matimba's only have two prides now. The Skorro pride and another unknown pride near Orpen Camp in KNP. Photo taken by Johan Adolf Smalman at Shindzela.  *This image is copyright of its original author
I got this wonderful information about Matimba's origin and history.
The 6 Matimba's were born in 2006/2007 and they all came from Ngala Game Reserve. 5 of the Matimba males came from the Birmingham/Caroline pride and the 6th Matimba came from a single lioness called the Lamula lioness. The 5 Matimba's accepted the 6th Matimba as a coalition member and in 2010 all 6 males moved into the Manyeleti. Legend has it that the Lamula female was killed by a honey badger, true or not it makes for a great story!! The 3 old Skybed males took over Ngala in 2006 so they are most likely the fathers of the 6 Matimba males. The 6th Matimba hasn't been seen since December 2012. We can only guess that he was killed by rival lions or...... The 5 remaining Matimba males dominate two different areas. The 3 Northern Matimba's dominate Ngala Game Reserve and they have a territory near Orpen Camp in KNP. The two Southern Matimba's are currently in central Sabi Sands after they were ousted by the 5 Birmingham male lions. 4 of the 6 Matimba males drinking at a waterhole in Nkorho. Photo taken by Janine Gomes at Nkorho in July 2011.  *This image is copyright of its original author Credit to: Fb page of Lions of the Timbavati
Very nice information, Luckily this facebook page started uploading info about the Northern Matimbas, of whom I know very little.
Lions of the Timbavati: Here's a nice photo of one of the 3 Northern Matimba's taken by DRY wildlife photography. The 6 Matimba's have fathered 32/33 lions so far. Nkuhuma pride = 4/5 sub adults Talamati pride = 6 sub adults Mbiri pride = 8 sub adults. 6 sub adult males and 2 sub adult females. Skoro pride = 7 sub adults Torchwood pride = 7 sub adults |
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