Practising Skills for Adult life

For young lion cubs life is an endless series of games. Given the fact that Lionesses in a pride often synchronize their reproductive cycles so that they cooperate in the raising and suckling of the young, cubs will often have lots of playmates. These games usually turn into wrestling matches involving rolling around as they claw and mock bite at each other. Then there are those pawing games which involves the use of a fore paw. At times one cub will stalk the other then rush at it when it least expects.

So much energy is spent in these games that one could easily ask if they are at all necessary. So are many animals wasting energy in playing?

Different play activities serve different ends. Most are a form of workout or exercise for growing bodies, but a young cubs acrobatic leap or twisting may actually help it understand the limits of its physical abilities. Various skills are under development including eye and paw coordination.

Hunting can be dangerous and what better way to develop these crucial hunting skills that in future could make the difference between getting and missing a meal. These games also provide a safe environment to practise skills that will be needed without risking mistakes that could be fatal.

Often the most active or the ones that keep winning these play fights are of cubs are also the ones that become the most skillful at hunting or fights especially since a male lion will often at one time have to defend its pride from other males or take over a pride to mate with lioneses. These fight are sometimes to the death.