Elmo and friends learn how lion prides work on the African savanna — from how females hunt together and help raise each other’s cubs to why female lions play such an important role in the pride.
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TRANSCRIPT
(Elmo exclaiming) - [Elmo] Lions!
Lions, lions, lions.
- Remember we have to be quiet around the lions here.
- All right, shh, shh.
- They sure are sleepy.
- Oh yes, they are.
- Wait a minute.
Elmo thought that a lion was the king of the jungle.
There's not any trees around here.
- King of the jungle is just something they say in stories.
Really their habitat is here in the savanna.
- Oh, that changes everything.
- Yes it does.
(Elmo laughing) Lions live in a family group called a pride, and there can be up to 40 lions in a pride.
(lions vocalizing) - [Abby] Oh, hey, is the male one with all the hair over its head?
- Yes, that is the male.
And the rest of them are females and cubs.
The female lions tend to stay in the pride where they're born their entire lives.
- So they're like one big family?
- Yes, they are, they're a big family.
The mommy lion and the daddy lion, they help to take care of the cubs.
And you know what?
- What?
- Female lions tend to give birth around the same time.
- [Abby] What?
- So they help each other take care of the cubs.
They feed each other's babies.
And you know what?
The female lions work together too to do all of the hunting.
- What?
- What?
Wait, so they do all the hunting and all the raising of the cubs?
- Yep.
- Wow, those mama lions are powerful.
- Oh yes, they really, really are.
Lions are a matriarchal society.
So that means that the female lions are in charge of the pride.
- Oh, oh mommy elephants are the leaders in their families too.
- Oh yes, they are.
(Elmo laughing) There are so many species in the animal kingdom where the females are the leaders of the pack.
- Yes!
- Cool.
- Well maybe, instead of calling them kings of the jungle, we should call them queens of the savanna.
- Yes, we should.
- That's way better.
- Oh, oh look.
Nina, can you take a picture of that cute little baby cub for Oscar?
- Oscar, the grouch?
- Mm-hm.
- Why?
- Well.
- Get me a photo of a baby animal.
- Okay.
What kind?
- Don't care as long as it's adorable.
Nothing makes me grouchier than a photo of something cute and fuzzy.
I'll be in a rotten mood all week.
(chuckling) (Elmo and Abby laughing) - That's on brand.
- Yeah.
- Okay, wait, your friend wants to be in a bad mood?
- Being grouchy makes him happy.
It's kind of hard to explain.
- I would love to meet all these friends of yours.
Perhaps someday I'll take a safari over to Sesame Street.
- Oh, you're welcome anytime.
- Thanks.
(Elmo laughing)