When is lion mating season

Lions have a low fertility rate and a very small percentage of mating results in conceptions. In fact, for every cub reaching one year old, the parents would have mated times. The protracted copulations serve two functions. Firstly they stimulate the female to ovulate and secondly they provide the opportunity to confuse paternity. During copulation, the female may purr loudly. Male cats have spines on their penis to cause slight trauma to the vagina upon withdrawal.

The resulting pain triggers ovulation. It may also explain why females bare their teeth at males during mating. The penis is also mobile and can be pointed backwards or moved from side to side for scent spraying.

The level of nutrition influences both fertility and litter size. Pregnancy is between — days. Just prior to cubbing the female will move away from the pride and give birth in a well-hidden lair. The typical number of cubs in a litter is three range one — six.

Cubs weigh c. If she allows them to remain in one den too long their scent can attract predators. When these cubs are about 7 weeks old she will take them to be introduced to the rest of the pride.

There is likely to be several females that will give birth around the same time. They will bring their young into the area within a few days of each other. Should another male come into pride when there is young and he takes reign, he will kill all of the young that are already there.

This is to make room for him to mate and to create his own offspring with the females in the pride. The young Lion cubs are born with black spots on them. As they get older though those spots will completely disappear. When they are about three months old they will have to stark practicing their stalking behavior. A lioness has cubs about every two years and gestation is - days. Shortly before birth, she chooses a suitable place for her lair, which ideally should be out of sight from predators, sheltered and close to water.

The number of cubs in a litter is 2 - 5, born blind and with a spotted coat. Their eyes open at 6 days and for the first two months they are dependent on their mother's milk. At six weeks, the cubs begin to accompany their mother to the kill and she teaches them how to hunt. A cub cannot tear meat until it gets permanent teeth at one year, so it continues to rely on its mother for food.