Research overview: mating bout frequency in lions

When a lioness is in estrus she may mate hundreds of times over several days with one or more resident males, an extraordinarily high copulation frequency for a mammal. This overview examines why lions mate so often, considering hypotheses about ensuring reflex ovulation, signaling fertility, reducing infanticide risk by confusing paternity, and reinforcing male coalition bonds. It reviews field observations of mating rates, the brief duration of each copulation, and how matings are distributed among coalition males. The review connects this conspicuous behavior to the lion's unusual social system and to questions of reproductive skew and paternity. High mating frequency exemplifies how social structure and physiology jointly shape felid reproductive behavior.