Plump Lions
These are hands down two of the plumpest (and healthiest) lions I've ever seen. They are now living on a wildlife sanctuary in Colorado, after being rescued from deplorable conditions, and now have twenty acres on which to roam, as well as an indoor space to remove to if it rains.
Just watching the first two minutes I have many questions.
1. Notice how the male lion treads on a well-beaten path around the boundary of his territory. Is it only the dominant male who does this? Or do other lions?
2. Notice how the lion walking his territory stops, looks for a long moment at the camera, then shakes himself. Lions often perform an act of grooming (licking their paw, rubbing their paw over their face) as an act of defiance or indifference or to show that they're nonplussed and couldn't care less about what you are doing and are still king. I'm going to call this behavior "shrugging" until or unless I find out it has another name.
3. Notice how the male lion sniffs the grass before sitting down. Why does he do this? And no, it can't be that he is afraid of sitting in scat--that smell would be obvious, and he would not have had to bend down. He must be identifying the scent of another lion, or perhaps his own?
4. Notice how the female sneaks up upon the male, and play-pounces upon him. Its seems affectionate, but notice how she seems to get the upper hand--and how she now sits in the spot he had previously sat. What is it about this spot? (Could it be that "this seat is ideally located both in relation to the heat source in the winter and a cross breeze in the summer. It also faces the television at a direct angle allowing me to immerse myself in entertainment or game play without being subjected to conversation.")
5. These lions don't move that well. They are older, and it could just be that, but it could also be a manifestation of their earlier mistreatment.
6. Notice the mane of this male lion. It is thick and luxurious and dark and extends the full-length of his underbelly, a sign of robust health. And both these lions are thick, and carry a good deal of weight on their underbellies. I don't begrudge them a good tuck-in, but they're the plumpest lions I've ever seen.
7. Notice the male lion rolling on his back (NSFW). Is this just to relax, and scratch his back, or is that an element of flirtation in it as well?
Addendum: After watching the video many more times, I'm convinced that a rather complex little mini-drama is taking place. That spot is the lioness' spot. The lion knows this, and sits in her spot deliberately, to tease her and provoke a reaction from her. The lioness plays along, and play-nips his hind leg to get him to move. She draws him away, then defiantly returns and sits in her spot. The lion flops down beside her, content to have had reconnected with his mistress--if the spot meant more to him than simply a way to tease her, he would have pushed her off it. It is an act of affection between two middle-aged lovers still deeply in love with each other.