01x10 - Super Pride

[bunniefuu]

NARRATOR A group of

lions stand above all

others on the plains of

the African Serengeti.

They're expert hunters

Defenders

And mothers

It's a

perfect storm of conditions

that allows these

awesome animals to become,

the lion super pride.

This is the

Serengeti in East Africa.

Its name

means "endless plains."

Covering almost

6,000 square miles,

it's one of the world's

great wildlife refuges.

Life here hasn't changed

much in a million years.

The plains

teem with giant predators.

Nile crocs

patrol the rivers.

Leopards

stalk the woods.

And cheetahs

hunt the open plains.

But of all these

great hunters, none

compare to the lion.

Weighing up to

550 pounds, it's the

largest cat in all of Africa.

A full-grown male can

stand four feet high at the

shoulder and stretch 11 feet

from nose to tail.

These big fellas are

built to intimidate.

But oddly

enough, their large manes

make them easier to spot.

Which means

males leave most of

the hunting to their

sleek, female companions.

Females are leaner, weighing

about half that of males.

But they make up for

their smaller size

in power and speed.

Sprinting up to 35 miles per

hour, the lioness is queen

of the Serengeti.

Alone, there's no doubt

they're powerful predators

But add a little teamwork into

the mix, and prey, beware!

Lions are

the only big cats that

live together in what

are called prides.

The Serengeti is home

to about 3,500 lions

living in 300 prides,

one of the largest lion

populations in all of Africa.

The average pride has

four lionesses, a few

cubs and two males.

But one pride, in

the middle of the Serengeti,

is an exception,

they are

what's called a super pride.

They number 22 in all!

8 adult females,

2 males,

and 12 young ones.

Super prides are

exceedingly rare.

The perfect set of

conditions has to be present.

Prey has to be plentiful.

Lions live

exclusively on meat,

and an adult lion needs

12 pounds a day.

A typical pride

might only need to k*ll big

prey every couple of days.

But in the super

pride, with 22 members.

They must hunt nearly

every day to survive.

Zebras are a

plentiful delicacy.

But zebras aren't as

dainty as they look.

They use their powerful

rear legs to kick

friend and foe alike.

Like lions, zebras can sprint

up to 35 miles per hour.

But the zebra

can outlast the lion.

The lioness

combines power and speed,

but she lacks endurance.

She can only

run at her top speed

for about 300 feet.

For success she must

get close and use the

element of surprise.

May arrives

on the Serengeti plains.

And the rains begin.

But these big cats

don't mind a little rain.

Water means new grass,

and grass brings over

a million wildebeest

and zebra to their

hunting grounds.

This is the largest

mammal migration on Earth.

The herds leave

the southeastern Serengeti

and travel north,

following the rains

and the new grass.

Their annual

300-mile round trip takes them

right into the heart of the

super pride's territory.

The 20-square-mile

territory is smaller than

that of other prides.

But quality

matters more than sheer size.

Every square mile

here contains more food than

other, bigger territories.

And with plentiful

food, each lioness st*lks

alone this time.

The more

lions per k*ll, the

smaller the portions.

They will cooperate to

take down bigger prey.

But

this is solo work.

The adult wildebeest

outweighs the lioness by over

a hundred pounds.

But what the

lioness lacks in size,

she makes up for in skill.

She grasps her prey

with powerful shoulder muscles.

Inch-long claws

act like hooks.

And four

canine teeth penetrate

two inches deep,

anchoring her to

the twisting prey.

Normally she

would k*ll the wildebeest

by knocking it down

and clamping its throat closed.

But this time the

lioness has to employ

another technique.

Hanging on to her victim she

covers its mouth with hers.

Huge nostrils allow

her to breathe, while the

wildebeest suffocates.

The herds spill into

the super pride's territory.

They will stay

remain as long as the rains

fall and grass grows.

It seems like an all-you-can

eat buffet for the 22 lions.

But

the migration means

more than just a big feast.

More meat means healthier,

more robust and more

well-fed lions.

Preparing the

females for the exra

demands of pregnancy

and motherhood.

Lions elsewhere

in Africa give birth at

any time of year.

But oddly enough, not

here on the Serengeti.

Most of these females give

birth during the wet season.

The Serengeti

pride welcomes new cubs

to their super club.

Barely

two months old, they

emerge from their den.

Soon, other

cubs begin to appear.

They begin to learn

their place inside the pride.

But dad's discipline is

nothing compared to the

dangers that await them.

For now though,

ignorance is bliss.

Keeping the cubs alive

is the ultimate goal.

They'll pass on the

ruling lions' genes

across the Serengeti.

If they die,

the adult's efforts will

have been in vain.

Typically, only

a quarter of Serengeti lion

cubs make it to adulthood.

It is survival of the fittest.

Disease and

starvation can hit hard.

And predators can sneak up

when least expecting it.

To hyenas, a lion cub is

a mouth-watering treat.

There is strength

in numbers though.

Female lions join forces to

protect their cubs, forming

what's known as a crèche,

or nursey of sorts.

The mothers in a crèche share

the responsibility of feeding,

rearing and guarding

all the cubs.

Lions are the only

wild cats that raise

their young this way.

A clever solution by

some awesome animal mamas.

Time will pass and

about 18 months later,

the cubs will be

ready for the wide-open

African savannah,

all on their own.

But until then, they

depend on the creche

for food and protection.

It's not an easy

road to adulthood.

Sometimes a cub's greatest

threat comes from their own,

other lions.

The super pride's

20-square-mile territory is

surrounded by other prides.

They must defend

it ruthlessly.

Trespassers

cannot be tolerated.

At the edge of their

territory, the super pride

creche encounters two small

cubs from a neighboring pride.

While their mothers

hunted, the cubs wandered

off and accidentally

entered super pride territory.

Trespassing cubs are

often k*lled on sight.

But these mothers hesitate.

Nearby, a lioness

calls for her lost cubs.

She is likely

a former member of the

super pride, an outcast.

The super pride

needs about eight adult

females to defend its

territory against

other, smaller prides.

As they mature,

surplus females must leave.

Several

lionesses were driven

out by their mothers.

They formed what's called

a daughter pride, on the

edge of super pride territory.

They and other daughter

prides nearby share the

super pride's DNA.

The bonds between

mothers and exiled daughters

disappear over time.

The super pride mothers

seem to sense something

familiar about the cubs.

They

could be related.

The lost cubs'

mother picks up their

scent and follows the

trail into terrible danger.

The super pride may have

spared the cubs, but the

mother is not welcome.

♪

The cubs are led

away, lucky to have escaped

their ordeal alive.

And their

good fortune continues,

their mother brings

them to a fresh k*ll.

For the lionesses

of the super pride,

these border incursions

don't always end in violence.

Each territorial skirmish is

just one moment in a conflict

that lasts generations.

But one threat is met

with immediate force.

Wandering, nomadic males

are one of the greatest

dangers a super pride faces.

As young males mature,

they're seen by their

fathers as competitors,

and are kicked out

of their prides.

They are left to fend

for themselves in exile,

living on the fringes

of other prides' territories.

They face

harassment wherever they go.

A reliable

food source is hard to

come by without a pride

and a territory.

So many nomads

survive by following the

migrating herds.

But they're

secretly schemeing.

Watching and waiting

to make their move.

Their goal?

To take over another's pride.

The nomads'

main mission is to

spread their genes.

A lioness can't mate if

she already has cubs.

So the male's

solution is simple.

k*ll the cubs off and

spread his own DNA.

With so many

lionesses, the super pride

presents a tempting target.

But first, the nomads

will have to get past

the pride's two males.

And that is no easy task,

even for a buff bachelor lion.

As night falls though,

the super pride's males

reveal their location.

They're much too

far away to stop intruders.

It's time to make their move.

The lionesses hear the roars

of potential cub-K*llers.

If this were a normal

pride, the mothers

might not stand a chance

against this group of nomads.

And the cubs

could be in mortal danger.

But the lionesses

of the super pride have

the power of numbers.

Now they issue

their own warning.

They will vigorously defend

their cubs and their turf.

The intruders

know they're outnumbered.

The powerful wall

of sound seems to deter the

nomads away before they can

even mount an invasion.

The super

pride males return at dawn.

The scent of the

intruders lingers everywhere.

The males refresh

their own scent-marks and

roar at full volume.

But the

danger has passed.

The females, and their

crèche, came to the rescue.

Saving their cubs

and ensuring the super

pride will live on,

at least, for now.

The wet

season draws to a close

and the plains

quickly begin to dry out.

A sea of hundreds

of thousands of wildebeest

and zebra resume their

annual journey to

greener pastures.

For the past two

months, they've helped

the super pride thrive.

Now, without them,

the pride faces much

bigger challenges.

The buffalo.

For the

super pride, a buffalo

is the ultimate prey.

It weighs up to 1500 pounds,

providing enough meat to

feed them all.

But

buffalo fight back.

These fierce animals

wound more lions than

any other prey species.

A herd is a fortress

of horns and hooves.

A loner like this

offers the best chance.

But even a single

buffalo demands respect.

Unlike other prides, the

lions of the super pride

have a special advantage:

there is strength in numbers.

♪

Bringing him

down requires the power

of one of the big males.

It'll take several

minutes to k*ll.

The lions must face the

buffalo for the next

nine months until

the wildebeest return.

It's a dangerous,

and deadly, proposition.

But the combination

of plentiful prey, strong

males and a large group of

powerful females

gives them a greater

than average chance.

But as mighty as it is,

one day change will come

to the super pride.

Like all great empires it

will fragment and fall.

The cubs will eventually

leave the comforts and

care of their family,

and forge new

prides of their own.

The young

females may form a

daughter pride nearby.

And one day, they may even

challenge their own mothers

for their territory.

The young males

though, will probably travel

much further from home.

They will continue

carrying the super pride's

genes across the Serengeti.

And someday form a new

super pride of their own,

to rule the Seregeti plains.