Is it true that only 2 of 6 Lion cubs survive into Adulthood…?
It is true that most lion cubs born do not survive to adulthood – 2 out of 6 is actually rather a high estimate. Some statistics show that as few as 1 in 10 cubs born survive their first year (though of course such things are variable). The world is a dangerous place for a lion cub. Many die of disease or starvation – the adults in the pride feed first when a kill is made, so if there’s a shortage of food the cubs are often left with nothing. If they are still suckling and there is a food shortage, the mother’s milk may dry up, again resulting in starvation. There are also many creatures that will make a meal of a lion cub – hyenas, jackals, pythons, eagles, etc. Buffalo will also kill lion cubs if they find them, despite being herbivores, in order to reduce the numbers of their main predator. When new males take over a pride, they kill any young cubs fathered by the previous males, because lionesses with cubs will not mate again until those cubs are around 2 years old and able to look
