No special allowances are given for subadults and cubs. Groups called prides range in size from half a dozen to over thirty individuals. The group consists mainly of females and juveniles with a smaller number of adult males who share the responsibility of protecting the pride. The males generally have about three years with the pride before they are contested for their pride by another group of males. Females in a pride stay with the pride as they mature while males leave the pride when reaching maturity.
Maturity is reached between three and four years with longevity up to the early teens.
Captive individuals have reached 29 years of age. National Geographic has an intense video of lion life including a pride take over. Called Lions of Darkness , it is a grippingly real look at lion life. The African lion is listed by the IUCN as Vulnerable for the East and South subspecies and Endangered for the West African subspecies. Currently West Africa is said to hold less than 1,000 individuals, East Africa approximately 10,000, and South Africa over 10,000.