Male vs Female Lion: Difference and Comparison

Lions are found in forests and zoos. There are male lions and female lions available in the world.

They come with different characteristics, strengths, and everything will be different in them. They can be identified with some differences in their appearances as well.

They work together in the process of hunting for food.

Key Takeaways

  1. Male lions are larger and have a mane, while female lions are smaller and lack a mane.
  2. Male lions are more aggressive and participate in hunting, while female lions are the primary hunters for their pride.
  3. Male lions defend their territory, while female lions care for their cubs.

Male vs Female Lion

Male lions are called the family’s pride, and they involve themselves in the process of hunting, mating, finding predators and taking care of the female lion and its cubs. Female lions are not the pride of the family, and they work with males and produce young ones and then take care of them. 

Male vs Female Lion

Male lions are simply called the head of the family. They will take care of everything in their family, including the female lions and the young ones.

They are very aggressive when it comes to hunting or mating with female lions. Since they are a pride, they will mate with female lions very often.

When female lions refuse to do that, they will then become more aggressive.

A female lion is less strong and has less power than a male lion. This has made male lions rule the family.

They work with male lions and produce young ones. Since the male lion will leave the family and its children after 2- or 4 years, female lions will take care of their young ones.

During that process, if they get wilder, they will eat their children as well. 

Comparison Table

Parameters of ComparisonMale LionFemale Lion
DefinitionThey are called the king of the family and the forestThey are called lionesses, and they are protected by male lions
ChildbirthMale lions cannot produce childrenFemale lions can produce children
PrideThey are called the pride of the familyFemale lions are not given pride positions in the family. It is a very rare case.
Strength and powerMale lions will have more strength when compared with femalesThey have lesser strength when compared with males
Lifetime10 years15 or 16 years
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What is Male Lion?

The male lion is simply called the king of the forest. Having a male lion in the family is like pride.

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Their main job is protecting female lions from all the problems. These lions have long around their neck, and they also contain manes.

Even they have hair around their neck and shoulders. Their job not only involves protecting the female lions but also their young ones as well.

They are the king of the forest. Male lions are very useful, good, and active in hunting, eating, mating, and protecting their family.

They will maintain dominance in the family over female lions and their young ones. They have many different characteristics, and these unique characteristics are differed very well because of the manes.

Male lions will be more aggressive than females, and they will react to the situation very faster than female lions.

Whenever you come across a lion with lots of hair around its neck, head, and shoulders, you can easily find that it is a male lion. Then you should be very careful because they are very aggressive and will easily attack you faster than you have anticipated.

They only take care of their young ones only for 2 to 3 years. After that, they will leave them and search for a new female lion.

Since they are pride, they will do whatever they want to. 

male lion

What is Female Lion?

A female lion is called a lioness and not a lion because we call lions only because they used to live in groups and not as individuals.

Their main work is to produce young ones and take care of them. They also work closely with male lions and help them in hunting food and some other tasks.

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Male lions mate with female lions that are in the pride.

They are also powerful when compared with a male lion. They can even run faster than male lions.

Even though they have this many unique characteristics, they are not given the bigger position when it comes to family. Only male lions are given more importance in the family.

If a female lion refuses to mate with the male lion, then the male lion will become angrier, and in some cases, it will become even more aggressive. 

Sometimes female lions will get killed if they refuse to mate with male lions. Since male lions have more power, they will get angrier faster, so in the end, the female lion will find it difficult to overcome the male lion’s wrath.

So, in the end, the male lion will kill the female lion. Sometimes female lions can even eat their children if they get wilder and more aggressive.

There are some places in which female lionesses will rule the pride. This will happen in real life. 

female lion

Main Differences Between Male and Female Lion

  1. Male lions have more power when compared to female lions. On the other hand, female lions have lesser strength and power, so they will get defeated easily.
  2. Male lions cannot run much faster. On the other hand, female lions can run faster than male lions.
  3. The lifespan of a male lion can last up to 10 years. But the lifespan of a female lion can last up to 15 or 16 years.
  4. The main work of the male lion is hunting, mating, and protecting the family. The main work of the female lion is to co-operate with the male lion and take care of its young ones.
  5. Male lions are the pride of the family, and they will rule. On the other hand, female lions are not the pride of the family.
Difference Between Male and Female Lion
References
  1. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-zoology/article/factors-affecting-the-hunting-success-of-male-and-female-lions-in-the-kruger-national-park/AAAF9B3CB2FE853D7AC3769F5F71BF53
  2. https://www.jstor.org/stable/5192

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About Author

Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.