5 things you didn’t know about black-maned lions, by Dylan Smith

The lions in the Kalahari, including Tswalu Kalahari Private Game Reserve are known as black-maned lions. Here are 5 things you didn’t know about black-maned lions:

1. The darker the mane, the more attractive the male is to lionesses
2. Male lions with darker manes tend to have higher levels of testosterone
3. Research has indicated that in populations where both dark and lighter-maned males occur, the darker-maned males have a higher chance of surviving injuries
4. Cubs born to females covered by dark-maned males tend to have a higher chance of survival
5. Mane colour appears to be linked to the health of an individual – the darker the mane the healthier the individual.

Dylan Smith is head of the Dedeben Research Centre at Tswalu