Wild Animals/about lion sex

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Expert: Jonathan Wright - 6/25/2009


Question
how many times lion sex in his full life or in one day???

Answer
Dear Jaswinder

Thank you for your questions. I also wish to thank the authors of the websites I used.

1. The first question is impossible to answer. A male will have sex if he achieves a dominant role in a pride and the number of times he has sex will depend on his life time and how long he remains in control of a pride before being ousted. http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/vecase/Behavior/Spring2004/shelburne/mating.h... says that practically all reproduction in lions is done by the resident prides. Some subordinate males will never have sex. http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Panthera_leo.htm... says that it is estimated that lions copulate 3,000 times for every cub that survives over one year. I suspect that some lions can mate many thousands of times in their lifetimes, but there is no exact figures, due to the variaables.

2. http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/vecase/Behavior/Spring2004/shelburne/mating.h... says mating activity tends to last for about four days. Copulation lasts about 30-70 seconds and is repeated once every 25 minutes during the four day period. http://www.on-the-matrix.com/africa/lions_mating.asp says they mate for 10 seconds every 15-30 minutes for several days in a row.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion#Reproduction_and_life_cycle says that a pair of lions copulates 20-40 times a day and may not feed during this time. http://www.springerlink.com/content/x53721n2756421p2/ gives a figure of 11-24 times a day. http://people.bu.edu/MSOREN/Lions.pdf gives a figure of once every 15 minutes over a 24 hour day - this would give a figure of up to 96 times and assume that the lions didn't sleep much. I suspect that the figure is 11-40 times a day.

All the best

Jonathan

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Jonathan Wright

Expertise

I can answer questions about wild mammals and other animals, as well as extinct animals and zoos. I am not an expert about every animal species. I can look up information from books and the internet, but can't verify if all the information is true. Please don't ask questions about: 1. Pets. I am not a vet. Please contact a vet if your pet is ill. You may need to spend some money if you want your pet to live. Don't get a pet if you don't know how to look after it and if you can't provide it with the space, food and possible companions that will help it live a healthy life. Don't take animals from the wild, unless they are ill and/or injured and you can protect them until a wildlife charity can help. It is cruel to take animals from their parents, especially if the parents will look for the babies, while putting their other babies at risk. You may be breaking the law by keeping wild animals or you may need a licence to look after some species. Please check with a local wildlife group. 2. Eggs: Please don't remove eggs from nests. The mother birds provide the right temperature for the eggs and won't sit on them if the temperature is warm enough for them to develop naturally. It is illegal to remove eggs of some species and, unless you have an incubator or a broody hen, the egg may not develop. If you are allowed to touch the eggs, you can candle them to see if they are fertile. If theys aren't fertile, they won't hatch. 3. Fights: Please don't ask about fights between different animals. These questions assume that individuals of two species fight each time they meet and that one species will always be victorious over another. This is untrue. There are cases where a live mouse has been fed to a venomous snake, bitten the snake leading to the snake's demise. 4: Diseases: Please ask doctors or other medical experts about diseases that you may catch from animals. I can't advise on how to deal with viruses, bacteria etc.

Experience

I have a zoology degree and have been interested in animals since I was two. I am a zoo volunteer at London Zoo. I have appeared on a BBC Radio Quiz, 'Wildbrain'.

Organizations
WWF. ZSL. Natural History Museum. RSPB. London Bat Group.

Publications
Newsletters of London Zoo volunteers and the London Bat Group

Education/Credentials
BSC degree in Zoology. 'A' level in Zoology. 'O' Level in Biology.

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