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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mark" data-source="post: 264973" data-attributes="member: 5">The main reason (pun intended) that male African lions don't do well (and therefore, don't normally) hunt during daylight hours is their prominent mane which increases their chances of be spotted while approaching their prey through the brush/cover.  Otherwise they are every bit as stealthy, fast and cunning as their female counterparts (and proportionately much stronger).  If, as was suggested, the extinct male European lion's mane was not as prominent, they may very well have had quite different hunting practices.Also, as was mentioned, there can be several male lions in a pride as long as all but one is not yet mature.  Once a male lion reaches maturity, it is driven off by the pride's head male to become a rogue male and fend for itself.  The exception to this is when sibling males both act as joint heads of a single pride.Rogue males will continue to mature and hone their fighting skills until they have the chance to challenge the male head of an existing pride.  The male that is the loser in such a battle (if it isn't killed outright or fatally wounded) will then become rogue and try to take the pride again at a later time.  This cycle continues with all rogue males anywhere within striking distance throughout their lives.  A male lion can be leader of a pride for his full adult life, for no more than a day, or never at all.  It is in their nature to always be looking for the chance to challenge for leadership of any pride in their range.It is also possible that a female is driven from a pride by an encroaching male who takes over the pride.  This can happen when she is pregnant with the cub of the former male leader.  If she in turn bore that cub, stashed it in a thicket (for safety's sake while she was off hunting) and she was killed by another predator(s), one might very well find a single cub (male or female) alone in the wilderness.  This takes into account that it would have to be very young and not have been left alone for very long when discovered or it would already have been killed by a predator itself.</blockquote>

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