These females are roaring like lions, scent marking.
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Wild lions have a life span of around 17 years, but animals in captivity tend to live longer. Scientists are confused about why five lionesses in Botswana have grown manes and are acting like males. They recently took a blood sample and are awaiting results.Īside from Bridget's new hairdo, she's healthy for her advanced age. ( Learn more about National Geographic Society's Big Cats Initiative.)īridget produced one litter of cubs, in 2007, but Oklahoma vets don't yet know the status of her ovaries. Caretakers discovered this was caused by a deformity in the lioness's ovaries, which contained cells normally found in testicles causing an increased level of testosterone.īecause the South African lion had previously given birth to cubs, vets concluded that the ovaries would have had to have been healthy in the past, leading experts to theorize her ovaries had changed to testes. In 2011, a 13-year-old lioness at a South African zoo began growing a mane. Vets also suspect a medical condition may be the culprit, such as a tumor growing on her adrenal or pituitary glands that's affecting her hormones. Stock photos, 360 images, vectors and videos. Choose from a wide range of high quality 4K or HD videos and footage. Mysterious ManeĪs for Bridget, who was born in captivity, none of her fellow littermates have manes. Find the perfect Lions mane stock video clips. Some males, like the infamous Tsavo man-eaters, are maneless, but a 2006 study found they may have evolved this feature to keep cool in blistering heat.
![lioness with mane lioness with mane](https://i.cbc.ca/1.4557567.1519942090!/fileImage/httpImage/image.png)
Male lions typically start growing manes at about a year old, when they begin producing testosterone. "Alternatively, and perhaps more likely, the problem may have occurred during gestation if the fetus was exposed to increased levels of androgens-male hormones such as testosterone," Hunter says. In Botswana's Okavanago Delta, maned lionesses are regularly spotted, likely the result of a genetic anomaly shared by related animals.Įmbryos that were disrupted either at conception or during gestation likely caused the genetic mutation, Luke Hunter, president of the big-cat conservation group Panthera, told National Geographic in 2012. The 18-year-old female has grown a manealthough her extra tresses resemble more a beard than a typical male lions mane. Though rare, maned lionesses are not unheard of. Bridget, a lioness at the Oklahoma City Zoo, is sporting an unusual look.