• Question: why do lions have manes

    Asked by mjmoonwalk to Anthony on 15 Mar 2017.
    • Photo: Anthony Caravaggi

      Anthony Caravaggi answered on 15 Mar 2017:

      Male lions have manes to signal their strength and fitness to other males. Bigger, more aggressive males tend to have darker manes. This means that lions can size each other up without having to get into a fight which could lead to serious injury for one or both of them.

      Some female lions have manes, too, but not many. These females have too much of the male hormone, testosterone, and they’re sterile – they’re not able to breed.

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