A mane is a pain, but worth it for ...( no correlation between testosterone and...)

Males with dark manes pay a price for their imposing--and sexy--appearance. Using an infrared camera to record the body temperatures of Serengeti lions, West found that males were hotter than females. At first glance, this could have been a consequence of males' larger size and smaller surface-to-volume ratio, which could hamper heat loss. But when she took the temperatures of maneless Tsavo lions, she found no difference between males and females.

"A male with a dark mane may have to work harder to stay cool, behaviorally or physiologically, and is advertising that toughness, along with his toughness in battle," said West. "But we didn't find that longer-maned males were hotter than those with shorter manes. It appears that beyond a certain length, there's no further cost to having a mane."

The lion's mane functions much like the peacock's tail; it's a visual cue indicating a male's health and fitness, said Packer. But it's also a cue that humans should pick up.

"As climate changes, things like lion manes, the brightness of bird plumage and the size of deer antlers may be sensitive bioindicators," Packer said. "They can tell you how well an animal is doing in the environment."

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Contact: Deane Morrison
morri029@umn.edu
612-624-2346
University of Minnesota
22-Aug-2002