"The first male lion you see is the “submissive” male of this group. He is trying to mate with one of the females under the dominant male's nose. She wasn’t having it, and when the dominant male (the male that arrives later) catches wind of this, he springs into action.
In many animal species, while dominant males typically control mating opportunities, subordinate males and females often engage in "sneaky" mating. This behavior, which occurs due to the dominant male's inability to monitor all group activities, serves to increase genetic diversity within the population.
Clandestine mating allows subordinate males a chance to pass on their genes and provides females with alternative mating opportunities, contributing to the species' overall health and survival. This just goes to show you the complexity of reproductive strategies in the animal kingdom beyond the control of a single dominant individual." - NatureIsMetal | Posted by Thrillz