Large male coalitions can always outcompete smaller male coalitions for taking over a pride of females, and such coalitions may include as many as nine males. Within the coalition however, it is every male for himself when a female comes into estrus. The consorting male stays close to the female for four or five days and warns off his male companions. Rarely does overt fighting break out between partners. While male lions that form larger coalitions will be more successful in acquiring territory, the chances than an individual male lion will father offspring is not shared equally.
Males only achieve equal mating success in pairs.
Male lions have an unconditional affection for their coalition partners, whether they are blood relatives or not. Males will always cooperate with each other in defending their territory and their pride from other intruding male lions. Even when members of a coalition are temporarily separated from each other, they will still defend their territory from intruders, even when they are outnumbered. This could be due to new male coalitions taking over the pride and the death of their previous litter of cubs. It is estimated that lions must copulate 3,000 times for every cub that survives to a year of age.