The sexual maturity for females is reached after around four years of age.

Usually, the lionesses in one particular pride are related to each other via bloodlines, as the females are not chased out of the pride as they sexually mature. They usually kill the prey, bring it to the pride, and serve the dominant males to eat first. Sometimes, lionesses go for group hunting in case of a large size prey. Their slender body supports the lioness to be agile and flexible, which make her the primary hunter of any pride. In addition, the small size compared to other members could be another identification guide, as a lioness ranges from 140 to 175 centimetres in length and their maximum bodyweight could be 190 kilograms. Lioness never grows a mane, and it could be used to identify a particular individual as a female. Lioness or the female lion is the most actively working member of the lion pride. However, there are only a couple of adult males live in a pride and the sexually matured males are chased out as they grow, which prevents the inbreeding. Lions sleep during most of the day and they yawn more often than not showing their extra-large canines. The lions in the pride do not go for hunting, but they are the first to be treated with the meat from the freshly killed prey. However, the physically and mentally strong bachelor males sometimes manage to obtrude into a territory and challenge the dominant male and fight with each other to death the winner of such fights becomes the ruler of the particular pride and takes over the females after that. The dominance of the males keeps the intruders away from their seriously maintained territorial lands. In the pride, males are mainly responsible for mating with the females in heat and protecting the territories from the other neighbouring prides. The presence of their mane is an advantage for them as a mean of protection from the enemies and in intimidating the others. In fact, the graceful mane is the first visual sign to understand that it is a lion and not a lioness. They have a long and prominent mane that is unique to the male lions. Males are large and heavy with lengths reach 250 centimetres and bodyweights reach more than 250 kilograms.

Lions live in groups called prides and always a male lion is the most prominent member of the pride. Lion is said to be the king of the jungle, and they are the most prominent in their territory. The physiology, ecology, and behavioural ecology (aka ethology) are important aspects to concentrate in order to understand the difference between a lion and lioness. They are morphologically different from each other in their body sizes as well as features, in addition to the genital organs. Lion and lioness are very distinct, and the sexual dimorphism is more pronounced among adults than in cubs.

Lioness and cubs