Do the male lions have maines to attract females?

Question

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Answer 1

yeah, that and scare off other males.

Answer 2

manes get bigger as the lion gets older, the bigger the mane the older the lion. this big mane makes the cat look bigger and scare off younger males from taking over his position as prider leader or, shows hes big and tough.    

it also shows the nutrition and strength of the lion. a healthy lion is desirable to a lioness, kinda how fit men are desirable opposed to fat greasy slobes.  

also hotter climates can cause smaller manes.

which poses the problem of climate change increasing we may someday see lions with no manes

Answer 3

Charles Darwin was the first to suggest that the mane may be a result of "sexual selection" meaning that the mane may play a role in reproductive success. One hypothesis has been that the mane protects a male's neck in fights with other males, and that males that are more successful in fights would then have increased access to females. Another hypothesis is that the mane serves as a signal of male condition allowing males to assess each other's fighting ability and females to choose superior mates.

Answer 4

Possum put the link http://www.lionresearch.org/current_docs...

The article goes on to test the hypotheses. It was very interesting.

.....Ultimately, our research provides good evidence that the mane is a sexually selected signal by which a male advertises his condition to other lions. It also highlights the importance of temperature to lion ecology and behavior and to sexual selection in general. These findings are the subject of a paper in the August 23rd issue of SCIENCE magazine entitled "Sexual Selection, Temperature and the Lion's Mane" by Peyton West and Craig Packer. This paper can be read on line by following the links below.