Why do lions have manes

A glaring difference between the appearance of a male lion and a female one is that the former adorns a beautiful mane. The mane confers a degree of pride and glamour to the outlook of a male lion. Association of the lion with the virtue of royalty is an age old tradition, and although the male lion does not wear a crown to attest the beliefs, the mane does lend a sense of authority to the creature.

The theory of Origin of Species talks about as to how creatures acquire certain characteristic features over a period of time. The lion thrives on its authority over the forest, and the mane gives the lion an intimidating and intensely fierce look, one that makes its competing predators turn weak at the mere glare of the lion. Being a fierce predator obviously means that the lion is involved in many intense battles, which could well be with other lions as well. The main of the lion was believed to be a sort of shield or suppressor of blows it might receive during the battle. But the fact that many predators such as leopards and jaguars do not grow any such protrusions, although they are involved in equally intense battles rules out the above theory.

Another pretty tenable theory is that about the supposed attraction of female lions towards males that have prominent manes. Undeniably, there is a vast disparity between the shape, colour and sixe of manes f various lions. Invariably, lions with dark and big manes are those with particularly strong build.

Mating with a strong lion means that the offspring would be strong too. This could well be the reason behind the mane becoming a part of the bodily make up of lions over centuries. Thorough research conducted throughout the lion infested forests of the word seems to suggest more noticeably towards the fact that lions with dark manes grow to bigger sizes and end up living more than those with lesser endowed manes. As lions have evolved over several years, the mane has become a mark of honour for the lions.