My boyfriend Jim and I went to visit The Wild Animal Sanctuary last week; we're both active members and love the place. We were also lucky enough on that day to hear a lot of lions roaring.
A new male lion was in the introductory stages to the prides, which had the senior males pacing, strutting and roaring. They didn't just roar at the new guy but to each other in a cascading call-and-answer that almost sounded a like series of echoes. We were surrounded in a rapid fire roar-roar-roar! One answering male was in his interior residence, chewing on a frozen meat pie and stopping to answer-roar between bites. It reminded me of the guy at the bar who bellows "Go Broncos!" between quaffs without even looking around to see who yelled it first.
It sounded to me like territorial display.
I've heard plenty of this in radio, both on air and in creative session. Worried males of our species also echo each other, pace and pose when threatened, and they echo each other when claiming territory. You'll hear it on pretty much any morning show. We often mistake it for daring, for a bold disregard for "the rules", for a guy who's "not going to be PC", but I've always heard an instinctual aggression under all that, the instinct to stake or defend territory, to strut his stuff, to prove his superiority and dominance. Males who aren't so worried also tend to be less aggression-prone (in effect, less mean), in many species.
That evening after our visit to the lions we went to The Fort restaurant, which regularly employs actors and storytellers to be mountain man lookalikes. One stopped at our table and told us a tale of a friendly buffalo. We were amazed a delighted by it and told him so. I then shared a quick anecdote of my own with him, relating to his observation of animal behavior, during which he stared at his phone and dialed up pictures of the friendly buffalo. He completely ignored everything I had said, acting as if I hadn't spoken at all.
Since I've been in radio for 30 years, and since I've been female for even longer, this was not the first time I've experienced this.
He was staking his territory. "I'm the teller here, lady." his posture and tight smile said, "This is not a conversation."
Later we stopped in the courtyard by the fire; the moment was becoming just a bit romantic when he joined us to regale us with yet another story. I got out my cell phone and answered texts while he talked. As he wrapped up he leaned in and sneered, "Was that a good story?" I smiled, meeting his eyes. "Yup!" I said.
Here's another thing that happens among lions: when the males overdo it, the lionesses give them a good cuff across the face. Especially the elder lionesses.
We didn't see any lionesses cuff any males that day, but I didn't need a reminder.
It's instinctual by now.
