After zoologists' research found that when the lion cubs grow to 2 years old, they will be driven out of the lion group by the lioness, and they will join other lion groups. But there are also some less fortunate lion cubs who end up being lonely wandering lions. We know that lions are social animals, and from birth, lion cubs will be nurtured by the lioness's side for 2 years.

During this time, the lioness will no longer give birth, and it can be said that the lioness has a very deep affection for her children. So why drive them out of the lion colony?

Composition of lions

After observation, zoologists found that in a lion group, the number of male lions is usually about 1-2, and the rest are female lions and their children. If you look closely, you will find that the two male lions are often brothers, but there cannot be two leaders in a lion group, and they will inevitably fight for the position of the lion king. And what many people don't realize is that when lion cubs grow to 2 years old, they will be driven out of the lion pride, and they are all male lion cubs, and female lion cubs will be left behind. Unless the lions are forced to disband in an accident, they will basically never leave for the rest of their lives.

Why are lions driven away

In fact, the life of male lion cubs who are driven out of the lion pride is very difficult. Lucky lion cubs will be accepted by other lion prides, but most of them will become stray lions. After that, they will wait for the opportunity to fight with other male lions to compete for the status of the lion king. If they win, they will have their own lion group; but if they fail, they will continue to wander and even lose their lives.

It seems that this is a cruel thing, but in fact, this is also the wisdom of the lions. Breeding between close relatives is known to result in offspring with poor genetics and extremely low survival rates. Therefore, in order to prevent this from happening, when the lion cubs grow up, they will be driven out of the lion group. And in any lion pride, the male lions are not static. Every once in a while, they change leaders by fighting, which will continuously inject new vitality into the lion population. In this way, mating with a lioness will not cause inbreeding in any case, and the lion's offspring will be healthier.

In fact, in addition to lions, there are many animals that value their bloodlines, especially those that live in groups. In addition to expulsion, some animals will also voluntarily leave their own populations as adults and go to other populations that are not related by blood. This is one of the survival skills that nature has taught them, otherwise they may be eliminated by nature due to genetic defects.