Smilodon populator

[Spalea]

@GreenGrolar 

About #104: Interesting account but not a new one ! I remember having read it several years ago.

The sexual dimorphism among extant felids is never as prominent as in the lions case. Perhaps, because only lions are the only ones felids living in prides, in important prides should I add. But the relationships between members of the pride can be very rough, expecially if we compare with other social predators like wolves, spotted hyenas, whose clans are often leaded by a dominant female. Thus in the case of these latters, we cannot say the "machismo" exists. Or is it an inverted machism ? Although it does not seem like it, the extant lions are perhaps the only one social predator among which, inside the prides, the males are the dominant elements. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Are the lions male very macho because they have to take over some previous males in order to conquer the pride and to rule over it during 2 or 3 years in average ? And because of that their times are counted ? Their times to make the females pregnant and to sire a new line, their line.

We can suppose the "machismo" is never so clear as in the African lion case. Perhaps we can compare the extinct Panthera Athrox with the extant Asiatic lion living in small groups, the males at one side, the female at the other side. And when the females are in oestrus... The males come ! As concerns the smilodons, perhaps they aren't different from the extant tigers leopards and so on. Perhaps because of that too, African lions are unique among predators. Reply