Posted on 09/24/2016 12:31:43 AM PDT by ETL
This lion king (pictured below) is a queen. And she’s not the only one. Five lionesses in Botswana have grown a mane and are showing male-like behaviours. One is even roaring and mounting other females.
Male lions are distinguished by their mane, which they use to attract females, and they roar to protect their territory or call upon members of their pride.
Females lack a mane and are not as vocal. But sometimes lionesses grow a mane and even behave a bit like males. ..."
“I don’t think this is anything to be concerned about,” says Hunter. “Although the females are apparently infertile, they otherwise appear to live long, healthy lives. And from a conservation perspective, there is nothing to suggest the pattern is increasing or will ever be anything more than a rare, local phenomenon.”
No one seems to be studying the exact genetic and hormonal causes of this phenomenon at the moment.
“I guess there are just one or a few genes altered,” says Vincent Savolainen at Imperial College London, who had a student briefly work on the possible causes.
“I believe some masculinised genes have been documented in domesticated cats – it would be good to look into this, especially given that the cat genome is available as reference.”
(Excerpt) Read more at newscientist.com ...
Lesbions?
Or Lesblions
So animals can develop mental illnesses too? That’s not surprising.
Roaring leonine lesbians..
I wonder what the purpose of this story might be?
Are there males in these prides? If not, this is less of a normalization of lesbianism by way of nature and the animal kingdom and more of a commentary on relations between the sexes in modern western culture. Leftists might be shooting themselves in the foot .... Again.
Meh. In reality, they’re fat and ugly, unlike these lipstick lions.
Rosie O'Donnell?
Since the lionesses with an overabundance of testosterone appear to be infertile, the next coalition of lions that take over the territory will likely dispatch them, and their genetics will be removed by nature. No reproduction means no more lions from that pride, one way or another.
They don’t wear flannel shirts or drive Subarus, but the mane is a dead giveway.
It’s my theory, after watching a few lion “fights” on the nature channels, that the mane developed as a protection for the neck, which is vulnerable to fatal bites to the neck blood vessels. An attacking lion could easily rip open the neck without the mane.
Ok, I REALLY don’t want to see Furry weirdness on FR. Please slap yourself.
“...there is nothing to suggest the pattern is increasing or will ever be anything more than a rare, local phenomenon.””
True, but they will roar around trying to convince all the other lions this is all normal and that they are actually 10% of the lion population. Just you wait and see.
Gives new meaning to the term “Gay pride”
Good LORD!!!! My eyes...
Do these lionesses now have penises?
Sounds much like the males of today, snowflakes being ruled by the women who wear the pants
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