African lions are revered the world over, but their population has shrunk in half over the past 25 years. When male lions reach full maturity, they are ready to take over territory – which means taking over a pride. The Truth About Lions The world’s foremost lion expert reveals the brutal, secret world of the king of beasts Biologists long believed that lions band together to hunt prey. On average, a lion pride consists of about two or three males and 5-10 females, along with their young. Posted By Brett Thomson on Apr 17, 2012 | . In captivity lions often breed every year, but in the wild they usually breed no more than once in two years. This leaves a short window for their own children to be born and mature — the fathers have to procreate as soon as they take over the pride. He kills the cubs because they are not biologically related to him, and does not want to spend his energy ensuring that other lions’ genes will be passed on. By hunting together, lions are able to exhaust and kill their prey. Lionesses are the primary hunters, while dominant males are responsible for protecting the pride's territory. Lionesses, not male lions, do the majority of hunting for their prides. Wild male lions will also typically chase off any male cubs when they grow up to ensure they are alone with the pride lionesses. Lion prey includes antelopes, zebras, wildebeest, buffalo, and other grassland animals. They begin to age (and thus weaken) at around 8. Lionesses hunt around 90 percent of the time, while the males protect their pride. Prides with as many as 40 animals have been observed. Conflict with humans is one of the greatest threats they face. These animals are often larger and faster than an individual lion. The male lions reach maturity at about 3 years of age and are capable of taking over another pride at 4-5 years old. Only about one in eight male lions survive to adulthood. Lion - Lion - Reproduction and life cycle: Both sexes are polygamous and breed throughout the year, but females are usually restricted to the one or two adult males of their pride. In the rarer Asian subspecies, however, lions divide themselves into gender-specific prides in which males and females remain in separate groups except for mating time. When a male lion takes over a pride, the first thing he does is to kill off the previous males offspring. Paddy Hagelthorn has spent the last 26 years in South African private game reserves, conducting safaris, managing lodges and training rangers, and he is currently in a senior position at Savanna Lodge in the Sabi Sand.He has been lucky enough to witness the rise and fall of the Mighty Mapogo. A new film highlights the challenges that young males face, and shows that hunters often shoot them once they finally take control of a pride.