On hand to film the commotion was Manie van Rooyen, who sent this video to Latest Sightings. He witnessed it on the H7 between Orpen Gate and Satara Camp in the Kruger National Park.
Watch The Sighting Here:
Bonus Sighting
Manie said that after watching some lions resting near the road, he continued towards Orpen. About twenty metres further on, he came across the pair of lions featured in the video.
The male, a healthy specimen in his prime, lay panting in the midday heat. Just beyond him, a lioness was looking twitchy, her tail lashing from time to time.
Loosening Up
Moments later, the lioness got to her feet. Turning towards the male, she eyed him with intent before giving her body a long stretch.
Feline Foreplay
As Manie’s video continued, it became apparent that the lioness had more on her mind than a good stretch. She communicated this to the male by rubbing her head through his luxurious mane.
She turned quickly and repeated the affectionate gesture…
By now, the male had cottoned on to her intentions and got up as she lay before him.
Hit-And-Miss
While his mate waited patiently, the male straddled her and assumed the mating position. Well, almost…
His first effort missed the mark. Adjusting his position slightly, he tried again, thrusting vigorously as he did.
However, in his enthusiasm, he accidentally lost contact.
Again, the misfiring male realigned himself before trying again. This time, he hit his mark, and van Rooyen witnessed the surprisingly brief act of lion mating.
As he worked his magic, he signalled his pleasure with a snarl and a few love bites to the nape of her neck…
For the lioness, her snarl was for other reasons. To assist males in maintaining copulation, they have small barbs on the tip of their penis.
This causes the female some discomfort during mating, particularly as the male withdraws. So much so that the female will often spin around and slap her partner as he finishes.
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Wise To Her Ways
Fourteen seconds later, the male was done. He showed his experience by deftly side-stepping and moving out of harm’s way the moment they separated.
With that, this episode of lion lovemaking came to an end. For there would undoubtedly be many more.
Lion Mating Behaviour
Female lions enter oestrus several times a year, provided they don’t have actively suckling young. When they do, they will actively seek out mates, showing no fidelity to their pride’s dominant males.
Once they find a mate, the pair typically remains together for several days. As seen in the video, copulation is a short-lived event.
However, it is frequently repeated. On average, amorous lions will mate every 20 to 30 minutes over a 24-hour period. This amounts to roughly 50 copulations per day.
During this time, the pair is inseparable, their only activities being mating and recovering before mating again.
Gestation in lions lasts about 108 days, after which up to 6 helpless cubs are born. Having given birth away from her pride, she will only rejoin them about 6 weeks later, gradually integrating her offspring into the family group.
In ideal circumstances, lionesses breed every two years. However, because up to 80% of cubs don’t survive, she may breed again sooner if she loses her litter.
Regardless, for Manie, it was a very special occasion: “I was extremely impressed and excited about our luck in seeing lions mating in person.”
