Lion Cubs
If there was an award for the cutest baby animal, I’m sure the lion cub would be up there! Those big round eyes, the delicate soft fur, and their adorable playful antics are enough to make anyone go ‘awwwww!!’.
The early months of a lion cubs’ life can be a perilous time. At birth they weigh only 1.5kg, and their many predators include hyenas, eagles, leopards and jackals. Their mothers rear them in a secret den until they are around 8 weeks old, at which point she returns back to the pride with her cubs. Once back in the pride, the lionesses band together and form a creche for the baby lions! The females all work together to rear all cubs in the pride. This includes sharing feeding duties - any lactating female will feed any of the cubs in the pride, regardless of whether they are her own offspring.
Playing is a serious business for a lion cub. It’s through play that they learn many of their essential survival skills which will see them into adulthood. Stalking, pouncing, play fighting and wrestling will all be key to developing their hunting skills and equipping themselves to fight off competition later in life. They also learn to develop close bonds with their family members. Most lionesses will stay with their pride for life, hunting and rearing cubs together. These close bonds become crucial to helping them work together as a team for the survival of the pride.
