The Matimba coalition

[DE_66]

(11-18-2022, 01:26 PM)Tr1x24 Wrote:

(11-18-2022, 05:41 AM)Mapokser Wrote: ( and Ginger? Dunno if they're littermates but the the 2 youngest splitting from the 3 older brothers makes sense ) 

HB and Ginger where not littermates, Ginger and White Face where prob, based of face similarity. 

TLDR:  Two lions sharing the same face shape means nothing with regards to paternity.  A DNA test is required to establish accurate genealogy. 

@Tr1x24 We "talked" about this recently in a different thread but reiterating it here to spread the info.  There is a phenomenon where a female can carry the offspring of multiple males at the same time.  It's called heteropaternal superfecundation.  "Heteropaternal superfecundation is referred to as a form of atypical twinning where, genetically, the twins are half siblings – sharing the same mother, but with different fathers." 

HB and Ginger could very well have been 1/2 brother littermates with 2 different fathers while White Face was Ginger's half-brother with the same father from a different mother.  And as you said in a different post, lions develop differently so HB, G, and White Face could have all been littermates with 3 different fathers with White Face's different combo of genes causing him to develop faster (hybrid vigor).  Or they could be from 3 different litters with three different fathers and the similarity in face shape was passed down from their grandfather or grandmother.  Genetics is very complicated, and complexity increases with every potential parent that's added to the equation.  

I'm NOT a genetics expert, just bringing up some points I remember from biology class.  But one thing I'm certain of is that physical traits aren't always passed down "evenly."  Think of face shape, manes, overall size, etc. the same way we think of the white lion, or leucistic, gene.  The Ross Males and Birmingham Pride have produced two white offspring, but we don't expect them all to be white.  There are a whole lot of ingredients in the sauce that determine what an individual looks like.  Anyone with more knowledge please feel free to jump in.  

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