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Lion tales
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How To Age Lions
Why age lions? Ageing a lion allows us to identify it and assess its role within the population. Lions are difficult to age exactly, so we use broad categories. We use body size, nose colour, mane size and coat condition to age a lion. There is great variation, and so we need to consider several features to estimate age correctly. Cubs Cubs are hidden away until they are several weeks old, and have a very woolly, spotted coat for the first five months. Cubs can be aged easily on their size alone, and reach only halfway up their mother's shoulder when they are 12 months of age. Males of this age may also show the first signs of a mane. You can age cubs more accurately by comparing their height against their mother. Sub Adults Between the age of 2 and 3, lions are classed as sub-adults. Lions between the age of 1 and 2 may be cubs or sub-adults, depending on their personal development. Sub-adults begin to resemble adult lions. At 2 years old, females are about three-quarters the size of their mothers, but males can be bigger. Males will have a small, mohawk mane. By age 3, both are fully grown. Males will soon leave their natal pride; females will remain. Haven't reached maturity, remain in natal pride Usually smaller than adults Small manes Pink noses, narrow head and 'cub-like' expression Adults Adult lions are between 3 and 8 years old. They are fully grown and are of breeding age - females will often have cubs. Adult males are in their prime. A male's mane will grow - adult males mostly have medium or large manes. Adult lions will lose their cub-like expression and possibly the spotting on their legs and belly. They often have torn ears, scars and yellow teeth. Fully grown, females producing cubs Males are in their prime and often have their own pride Noses usually spotted, medium or large manes Old Adults (over 8 years) Old lions are large and stocky, and males have large, impressive manes. They have yellow, worn or broken teeth, and may have dull fur, many scars and tattered ears. As females get older, their head broadens. Females will be experienced hunters, and will have produces several litters of cubs. Males rarely reach 12 years of age, but females can live up to 19 years old if they have the support of the pride. Bulky bodies, broad heads Large manes, nose black or mostly black Dull fur, torn ears, scars, worn or broken yellow teeth Special thanks to Mara Predator Project!  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
 
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=415708215303163&set=a.304981799709139
Old Avoca Lioness - Great mom and lone survivor from Giraffe break-aways in 2004 although not born yet at the time. She was first offspring from break-away lionesses and sole survivor of 9 cubs. Her mother had 4 cubs and she had 4 cubs and all grown up to become Avoca pride.  *This image is copyright of its original author
I read an comment of Ziggi Hugo regarding the Birmingham males from Sabi Sands
Look just like his grandfather. Maybe got the genes from his mother :) I am referring to Birmingham's in late 2000"s Times and names have changed over time. We use to have a pride of 41 lion at Orpen before the Manyeleti fence dropped in the 90's with 2 Dominant males and 16 young males. A lot of them had similar manes than in pic above (Tinyo on a patrol). Over time the pride structures have changed a lot. but surely the blood lines remain and Birmingham would have been no exception.  *This image is copyright of its original author
 (10-22-2020, 08:50 PM)TinoArmando Wrote: How To Age Lions Wow, that is really good work @"TinoArmando" , very helpful my friend! It is posts like this, the maps thread, and the modern weights and measurements thread that make Wildfact the best site on the Internet. Every single day I visit I learn something new and incredible (and I literally spend many hours a day here like so many of you). Superb effort Tino! (10-23-2020, 01:34 AM)BA0701 Wrote:(10-22-2020, 08:50 PM)TinoArmando Wrote: How To Age Lions Thanks for the kind words BA0701. I'm glad that you like the post
Sand river sub-adult male (Mapogo son) who almost make it but sadly he didn't it!
[color=var(--main-website-color)]Time Runs out for the Sand River Male[/color] Posted on July 4, 2009
We have all been waiting and hoping the young Sand River Male would eventually make it and join up with the Othawa Pride, alas this was not to be.
The Othawa Pride, accompanied by one of the large Mapogo Males brought down an adult Giraffe and were on the kill for over a week. At some stage during the feeding frenzy, the young Sand River Male joined them at the carcass as he has done quite a few times in the past. As we have reported before, this is not the first time this has happened and he has been under the protection of the Mapogo Male, or at least that is how it has seemed before. This time he was looking extremely thin, and battled to even muster the energy to approach the carcass. He lay down close to the kill and seemed to go to sleep.
The next morning he was lying in exactly the same position and it became apparent that he had died sometime during the night. There were no physical injuries apparent, and we can only assume the energy expended in locating the carcass was too much for him.
A very sad end for a young male Lion who had the odds stacked against him for so long. The demographics of the Lion Prides have changed dramatically over the last few months, and we are convinced this has been a direct result of the demise of the Sand River Pride. The void left by this pride is being filled by Othawa Pride, moving more and more west north and south of the Sand River. The Ximungwe Pride have moved further north from their usual haunts in the south and seem to be taking up occupation in the central area, and a new Pride had moved into the south, the Sparta Pride which consists of 12 Lions, two adult females, 1 large male and 9 sub adults ranging in age from 12 months to 18 months. This Pride has moved in from the east and it is a magnificent to watch this Pride out on the hunt.
We salute the courage of this young male Lion. Image by: Marius Image date back from: July 2009 full blog: https://www.leopardhills.com/blog/safari...iver-male/  *This image is copyright of its original author
West street males vs Black maned and Golden maned (coalition from Londolozi)
Male Lion Conflicts of Yesteryear In the early 1990’s, two dominant male lions controlled the territory throughout Londolozi. Known only as the Black Maned and Golden Maned males, the pair were formidable and very much in control of the lion dynamics. It was however the fence between the Sabi Sands and Kruger National Park that would change everything. Up until 1992 the fence had limited the movement of game between these vast tracts of wilderness, fragmenting the 6 million hectares of open wilderness that we currently enjoy today.  *This image is copyright of its original author The Golden Maned Male Image by Chris Kane Berman Shortly after the fence had been removed, nomadic and rogue male lions began to push further west from the Kruger National Park into the Sabi Sands. And on one fateful night, a coalition of 5 male lions journeyed west to setup a territory for themselves. Londolozi General Manager, Chris Kane Berman, was a ranger during this period and he recalls the event. “We had spent the afternoon with the two males and it wasn’t long after dinner in the boma that we heard them vocalizing again. Roaring deep into the night, the calls were however suddenly rebutted with the sound of new males steadily advancing east of our boundary. When we headed out at first light there were lion tracks everywhere. These tracks led us to, what is today known as, Tsalala Pan. Scattered around the pan were 5 new male lions lying around the dead bodies of two previously dominant males.  *This image is copyright of its original author The established males calling into the darkness Image by Chris Kane Berman It wash’t long before two of the males lifted their heads and vocalized once again. The remainder of the lions then got up and attacked the carcasses of the two established males who they had obviously fought and killed during the night. Interestingly, this behavior continued throughout the day. By the time this new coalition left the scene, they had already fed off of them and were quite content to let a nearby crocodile as well as hyenas finish off the remains. As dusk broke, all 5 males stood up and declared their dominance by roaring into the night.”  *This image is copyright of its original author 3 of the 5 new males Image by Chris Kane Berman. Written and Photographed by: Chris Kane Berman 
Mlambane males, late 2013:
 *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
Lion Warfare: Majingilane vs New Males
There are a couple of words and phrases that the Londolozi rangers use on the radio that get my pulse – and I’m pretty sure the pulses of the rest of the team – racing. “Located”, “interaction” and “highly mobile” are three examples. Used individually, they set the imagination to work, wondering what it is that the other ranger calling it in is privileged enough to be witnessing. So when ranger James Crookes used all three of the above to describe the 6 (yes, 6!!) male lions that he found a few mornings ago, I knew we were about to see something special.  *This image is copyright of its original author One of the Majingilane lunges for the intruder male’s rear flank. This is the natural area for lions to attack each other since it is at the opposite end to the dangerous teeth and claws of their opponent. Hurrying down the road to the clearing where James had found the lions, we rounded the final corner to be greeted by an incredibly dramatic sight of 3 big male lions, roaring their lungs out, chasing another 3 across the grassy plain. We were very close to our Southern boundary and at first were unsure as to the identity of any of these males. To be honest, I didn’t even care at first, I was simply speechless at the awe-inspiring sight of 6 males in line astern, all running fast with that typical lion gait, manes billowing in the wind as 3 of them ran for their lives while the other 3 chased to kill!  *This image is copyright of its original author The by-now injured male roars defiance as Ranger Lucien Beaumont and Tracker James Siwela with their guests look on in the background. One can clearly see the underdeveloped mane of this male lion in these pictures. If you look carefully you can see the third Majingilane male on the right of the picture, making his way back towards the action. As it turns out, the 3 doing the chasing were from the all-powerful Majingilane Coalition, while the other 3 that were fleeing were unknown to us. Reports of their presence and incursion from the Kruger National Park have been filtering in recently – two magnificent males with big manes and a third with an underdeveloped mane – often a sign of stress in older male lions. Current dynamics aside, the underdeveloped maned lion made a grievous error in splitting off from his two brothers, swinging west as the other two fled south over our boundary onto safer territory, pursued by one of the Majingilane. The two remaining Majingilane stuck on the tail of the underdeveloped male, and it was these lions that we followed. We struggled to keep up over rocky terrain and through dense bush, eventually losing sight of the 3 as they crossed a deep drainage line. Switching off our vehicles to listen, we could hear the sounds of bellowing and snarling from not far away; it seemed as if the underdeveloped male had been caught! We were forced to drive back around the drainage line to get to the scene of the conflict, but by that time it was almost over. The third Majingilane had returned to join his brothers, and the three of them lay in a triangle, in the middle of which was their vanquished foe, the gaping bite-marks and blood on his flanks and rump the clear evidence of the mauling he had just received.  *This image is copyright of its original author Still with some fight left in him, the injured male charges up the termite mound, forcing a hasty retreat from one of his antagonists. He was to lie there for the day, cowed and beaten and with the Majingilane watching over him, until chance and incredibly good fortune most probably saved his life. Early in the afternoon a herd of elephants caught the scent of the lions and came running in to chase them off. The Majingilane fled in one direction while the defeated male took his chance to make a dash for safety in the opposite direction, heading south to try and find his coalition-mates. [i]  *This image is copyright of its original author [/i]Two of the Majingilane coalition roar their dominance from a termite mound overlooking their vanquished foe. Scent-marking and roaring, two actions that establish territory and dominance, are standard behavior after encounters like this. [i][i]  *This image is copyright of its original author [/i][/i]Some of the injured male’s wounds can be seen here. Weakened by a severe mauling and with possible spinal injuries, he still managed to make good his escape a few hours later. Will we see him or his brothers again? Time will tell, but one thing is clear for now; the strangle-hold that the Majingilane have over the central Sabi Sands is as strong as ever! Extra pictures of the fight taken by Lucien Beaumont [i][i][i][i]  *This image is copyright of its original author [/i][/i][/i][/i]One of the Majingilane Males who was involved in the fight (Hip-Scar) [i][i][i][i][i]  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author [/i][/i][/i][/i][/i]Written by James Tyrrell Photographed by James Tyrrell and Lucien Beaumont October 16,2012 (11-27-2020, 12:56 AM)TinoArmando Wrote: Lion Warfare: Majingilane vs New Males vs Sand River males (11-27-2020, 04:12 AM)Potato Wrote:(11-27-2020, 12:56 AM)TinoArmando Wrote: Lion Warfare: Majingilane vs New Males Yeah, I know, I've post the entire Londolozi blog from 2012. As well written by James Tyrell. I was believing that it might be better to leave it as it is officially published
One month ago two amazing lions were killed by members of the species they avoided as much as possible and never trusted - humans. This tribute is not dedicated to that incident, but tells the story of two remarkable male lions.
In the first half of 2009 there were first reports of 2 unknown big male lions roaming the north eastern Sabi Sands. Nothing unusual given this area is directly bordering the Kruger National Park and nomadic male lions move in and out to check out opportunities. At that time the 2 notorious Mapogo Males, Kinky Tail and Mr.T, were the rulers of this estate and most nomadic males wisely decided to avoid them and moved on. Not these 2 males, they decided to stay around. And there was another thing catching the attention of the game rangers and the interested audience, these 2 males did not like people-in-vehicles approaching them too close. In fact they avoided they game drive vehicles as much as they could and sometimes even charged at them if their warning growls have been ignored. It was believed these male came from “the north” and in the beginning they were called “Manyeleti Males”. Well, there was another pair of male lions called “Manyeleti Males” having fallen victim to the Mapogos not too long ago. So the newcomers were called “The New Manyeleti Males”. More and more reports came in. The newcomers did not only earn the respect of people, but also of the resident male lions. There have been several altercations between the New Manyeleti Males and the 2 Mapogos. Kinky Tail and Mr. T tried to get rid of them. But to no avail. Everybody expected the usual headline: male lion down – killed by the Mapogos. But towards the end of 2009 reports came in about the New Manyeleti Males roaring in Little Gowrie with the 2 Mapogos being only a few kilometers away … and Kinky Tail and Mr. T did not response! That was something new. These 2 brave males finally established a territory adjacent to the “Mapogo North-East Kingdom” and were then regularly sighted in Torchwood, Western Gowrie and Buffleshoek. There has never been another attempt by the Mapogos to attack the New Manyeleti Males and as far as I know they have never been seen again north of Little Gowrie. As their new home was pretty much the Djuma traversing area those rangers gave them a new name. They called them the “Gijima Males”, which is Zulu language and means something like “running away”. Well, not from other lions but still from vehicles. Even though they started accepting the presence of people more and more, they remained skeptical and never really trusted humans. Esp. the one with the lighter & shorter mane never was really at ease with people, as we know today for very good reasons. The Gijima Males were fully grown adult males when they arrived, but still in their prime. I would estimate their age being around 8-9 years as of beginning of 2011. The male with the lighter & shorter mane was slightly younger than the other one I believe. This means the Gijima Males were not brothers, probably pride mates and definitely “the best friends”. The bonding between the Gijimas was extraordinary. They have always been seen together, even if one was mating the other one stayed in close vicinity to back up his partner. I am not aware of a single incidence where the Gijima Males had an argument amongst each other, not about kills and not about females. This is very unusual. And there is another thing which makes the Gijima Males standing out. There is not a single report about the Gijima Males harassing females or killing cubs. Right the opposite. At some point the 2 males started discovering the southern Manyeleti area and were seen with a female and a cub, which has been sired by Dozie (the famous Nkuhuma Male). They did not kill the cub. A similar incident was reported with another group of females with cubs. The Gijima Males always behaved calm & gentle in the presence of females and cubs. By male lions standards they were true “Gentlemen”. In the first half of 2010 they were often seen mating, resting and feeding with some females of the Nkuhuma Pride (the group around Snaggletooth). They stayed with these of females for quite some time. They started avoiding the northern Sabi Sands since the Majingilane Males started their land claims. On the 21st of June the Gijimas, in company of one of the Nkuhuma females, killed a buffalo in Western Gowrie and were attacked and chased off by the 4 Majingilane Males. The Gijimas moved further north and east. I believe I have seen footage from summer 2010 showing “our guys” with 4 females and 4 cubs close to Hoyo Hoyo Tsonga Lodge east of Torchwood in the Kruger NP. The Gijimas were also often sighted in the Manyeleti Reserve and obviously found new mates there. Towards the end of 2010 and beginning of 2011 they made a return to Western Gowrie, in company of 4 females from the Nkuhuma Pride (a sub group that has been with Dozie in the Manyeleti until summer 2010) and their offspring, 2 new cubs. It seemed to be the beginning of a new lion soap opera, 4 healthy females and 2 strong males, along with the first 2 members of a new lion generation. Sadly this movie will never make it to the film theatres … it is a shame. The two Gijima Males and one of the cubs are no longer. I was always delighted to see the Gijima Males or to hear about them. They were very special male lions. I salute to the Gijima Males, brave fighters, smart protectors, great mates and caring leaders, but also shy and cautious. I hope the Gijima Males are still walking together … somewhere! Photo credits: Andreas Nienhaus Manyeleti-Sabi Sands,30.1.2010  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
Report from Februry 2011: Terrible news from Dries Jordaan on the Manyeleti cats page:
RIP. Just heard that one of the Gijima males and his cub was shot for killing cattle |
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