What Happens to Cubs When a New Lion Pride Takes Over?

Question: 

What happens to the cubs if a pride is taken over by new individuals?

Answer:

When a pride of lions is taken over by a new group of males, the fate of the cubs from the previous males is often grim. The new males typically engage in a behavior known as infanticide, where they kill the existing cubs. This brutal act serves several purposes in the dynamics of lion pride.

Primarily, infanticide is a strategy employed by the new dominant males to accelerate the return of the females to reproductive conditions. By eliminating the offspring of the previous males, the new males effectively force the females into estrus more quickly. This allows the new males to sire their own cubs and propagate their genes, ensuring their lineage continues within the pride. This is crucial for the new males, as it increases their chances of passing on their genetic material.

Moreover, by removing the previous cubs, the new males reduce competition for resources. Cubs require significant resources and care, and by eliminating them, the new pride leaders ensure that the remaining resources are more readily available for the new cubs they will father. This practice also helps in stabilizing the pride’s structure and ensuring that the new males can establish their dominance without the challenge from the offspring of the previous males.

In summary, if the pride is taken over by new individuals, what happens to the cubs is that they are often killed by the incoming males. This serves the dual purpose of expediting the females’ reproductive cycle and reducing competition for resources, thereby consolidating the new males’ control over their pride.