Lions Mating

WARNING: This page is rated "PG." If you do not wish to see photographs of lions mating, please select another page.

When it's time to make little lions, the dominant male and a female in heat leave the pride for a few days and devote themselves to mating and sleeping. They will mate every 15-30 minutes for several days in a row. The rest of the time they will sleep, passing up all but the most easily obtained food.

There is a certain ritual to the whole procedure. Typically, the female instigates the mating by arousing the King from his sleep. A bit grudging at first, the male soon rises to his reproductive duties and mating begins without any further foreplay. The inattentive observer is likely to miss the whole affair, for it is over within a few seconds. Both are then quick to fall asleep again until the next time.

Lions in the major African parks have long been acclimated to vehicles and give them little regard. While some animals might need privacy, lions don't care who is looking on and will go about their business even when surrounded by dozens of vehicles and curious onlookers.

Related Pages: Lions – Main Page or Lions Feeding. For those who just can't get enough of lions mating, check out "Lions Mating II – The Sequel" (Rated R).