The African lion is a highly social species whose survival is tied to the structure and stability of its pride. A lioness gives birth to her cubs in a secluded den, keeping them hidden from the rest of the pride and potential threats for the first several weeks. The journey from a helpless cub to a powerful adult is dangerous. A majority of young lions will not survive their earliest years in the wild.
The Critical Survival Window
The first two years of a lion’s life represent the most dangerous period of its existence in the wild. This timeframe is considered the critical survival window, as cubs remain entirely dependent on their mother’s milk and the protection of the pride.
In many African ecosystems, only about 20% of lion cubs survive to their second birthday. This overall mortality rate of roughly 80% means that for every five cubs born, only one is likely to make it to the subadult stage. Survival rates, however, can fluctuate significantly depending on the specific location and environmental conditions.
In protected and prey-rich areas like Kruger National Park, cub survival has been recorded to be high, sometimes reaching an 80% survival rate to the two-year mark. Conversely, in more competitive environments like the Serengeti, the survival rate is often much lower, sometimes dropping to 20%. Local factors, such as predator density and the stability of the pride’s male coalition, directly impact survival odds.
Primary Causes of Cub Mortality
The high rate of loss is driven by social conflict, predation, and resource competition. The single greatest threat to a young cub’s life often comes from other lions in the form of infanticide. This occurs when a new coalition of males takes over a pride, systematically killing the previous males’ offspring.
Infanticide is an evolutionary strategy that quickly brings the nursing lionesses back into estrus, allowing the new males to sire their own cubs sooner. Up to 25% of all cub mortality can be attributed to this change in pride dominance. Lionesses fight fiercely to defend their cubs, but they are often overpowered by the coalition of males.
Beyond internal conflict, young lions face constant danger from external predators, particularly spotted hyenas and leopards. Since lionesses must leave the cubs hidden while they hunt, the young are vulnerable to opportunistic attacks. The lack of a developed immune system also makes cubs susceptible to diseases, such as the bacterial infection anaplasmosis or outbreaks of viruses like canine distemper (CDV).
When the environment is stressed, resource scarcity becomes a major factor in cub survival. During times of drought or when prey is sparse, cubs are the lowest-ranking members of the pride and are often the last to feed on a kill. This dominance hierarchy means young lions frequently do not get enough nutrition, leading to weakness or starvation.
Life After the First Year
Cubs that navigate the dangers of their first year transition into the subadult phase. While young lions are weaned from milk around eight months, they remain dependent on the pride for food and protection until they are approximately two years old. At this age, the social dynamics of the pride force a major life change, particularly for males.
Young males are typically evicted from their natal pride by the resident adult males to prevent inbreeding and competition. This expulsion forces them into a nomadic existence, where they often travel for hundreds of kilometers, sometimes with brothers or cousins forming small bachelor coalitions. This period is hazardous, as the young, inexperienced males must survive by hunting for themselves while avoiding the territories of established pride males.
For females, the transition is less abrupt, as they usually remain within or close to their birth pride, reinforcing the core social structure. Males who survive the nomadic years eventually seek to challenge an existing male coalition to take over a pride. This process can take years, with males often not gaining a permanent residence until they are between three and seven years old.