A spectacular encounter with the king of the savannah, the African lion

Tigers, leopards and cougars are solitary, while the lion is the only feline to live in a group. It is a gregarious animal, living in clans, and a family can include up to 30 individuals. The community is permanent and includes related females as well as unrelated males. The dominant male tolerates very little competition and the troop is made up of 1 to 7 males maximum against 1 to 18 females. At the age of 2 or 3, the young lions are eventually driven out of the group. A few groups of bachelors can be seen forming coalitions, sometimes accompanied by females and their cubs. The young males then try to take control of existing groups, their bonds are very strong and they travel long distances together, not respecting the territories delimited by the clans. To survive, they feed mainly on carrion. In fact, compared with females, they have little success in hunting.

If you choose to go on safari in the Serengeti, you maximise your chances of spotting lions. Indeed, the park has a very high density of individuals per square kilometre, and there are almost 3,000 of them in the park. Each pride has a territory ranging from 20 to 100 km2 . They use their faeces and urine to mark the boundaries. They may also scratch the ground with their paws, depositing a substance secreted by glands in their pads. Sometimes young, single males try to take over a group by overstepping the boundaries of the territory. Bloody and ferocious battles ensue. If the old dominant male loses the fight, he ends his life alone and usually dies of his wounds. The new dominant male also kills his predecessor's young. This behaviour allows the females to return to oestrus (ovulation period). The female, once again fertile, will seek mating, enabling the male to ensure his own offspring. Males rarely stay at the head of a group for more than 3 or 4 years, so they cannot wait for the litters of the former dominant to reach adulthood before finally reproducing.

Lions are social animals that communicate in many ways. The male's roar is deeper and more powerful than that of the female. It can be used to call members of the group, to intimidate other lions trying to intrude on the territory or to strengthen family ties. For example, females use a "soft" roar to call their cubs. Mothers are very protective and all the lionesses look after the cubs, as most of the time, births are synchronised. Tactile communication is also very important. Lions have a sort of "welcoming ceremony", which consists of emitting little moans and rubbing head to head or against the flank of their mate. These social contacts are intended to strengthen the bonds of the group.

The lion is a large carnivore and its menu consists of meat, meat and more meat. Not being the fastest of felines, prey that is too fast is often excluded from its feast. So forget antelopes, gazelles and impalas. It will often turn to slimmer, heavier and slower animals such as zebra, wildebeest and buffalo. But it is not out of the question for groups to attack more impressive prey such as giraffes, elephants or hippos. As a general rule, lions eat 7 kilos of meat a day. But during a successful hunt, its ration can rise to 40 kilos. When this happens, the lion may fast for the next few days. When the food is shared, the dominant male is the first to feast. During periods of famine, it is not uncommon for young cubs to die of starvation, as they are not allowed access to the meal. They are sometimes even pushed away by their mothers.

Their hunting, stalking and running strategies alone are worth the trip. They are opportunistic predators and choose the prey they learned to hunt when they were young. So there are differences and food preferences between groups. With a maximum speed of 60 km/h over a distance of no more than 200 metres, lions stalk their prey as closely as possible before going on the offensive. Hunting in a group requires remarkable tactics and a great deal of organisation to surround the prey. Lionesses work together and quickly pounce on their prey, leaving it no chance. Lionesses are undoubtedly the most effective hunters, as the male is heavier and less efficient. 75% of a male lion's meals consist of hunting females, but contrary to popular belief, males sometimes hunt alone, even if they belong to a group. Once the lion has caught its prey, it finally cuts its throat by severing the windpipe. However, lionesses often prefer to suffocate animals by holding their snouts.