Most pride lionesses remain in the pride for life. Inevitably, the males leave, as do some lionesses. They become nomads, living without the protective society of the pride. These occasional defections keep the pride's size in proportion to the food available. Lions prosper during the rainy season, from November through May, when the Serengeti is green and dappled with sparkling lakes.
Prey is abundant then.
But during the rest of the year, when the plain can look like a desert, prey is scarce, and lions must hunt for stragglers or smaller animals of the woods. Lions may go for a week or more without food. In a pride desperate for food, adults will eat even while cubs starve to death. The pride accommodates to a rhythm of abundance and scarcity by having a relatively loose social structure and by staking out a territory and defending it. A pride, which may include 30 or more lions, does not have a ruling lion or lioness.