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Why Do Lions Have Manes?
By: Jollyn
Do you ever wonder why lions have manes? Charles Darwin,
who knew almost nothing about lions, was one of the first to suggest
an answer, writing, "The mane of the lion forms a good defense
against the one danger to which he is liable, namely the attacks of
rival lions." The mane protects the lion when it’s fighting with
another male lion because if the lion were to get a wound on his
neck, then it could be very dangerous. Another idea on why lions
have manes is that the mane is used to let other lions know what
gender they are.
Male lions are the only cats with a mane. In general, if the
mane is short then that might mean that the lion is sick or had been
injured some time before that. Some think that the darker the mane
is the more attractive it is to a woman lion, but nobody really knows.
Websites I used:
Lionsresearch.org
Sciencedaily.com
Americanscientist.org
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