To all the Lion King Fans Reading - there's a pretty good chance you can’t remember the name of Simba’s mom. All the male lions have central and memorable roles in the film - Simba, the main character destined to become king. Mufasa, his father, who dies when Simba’s uncle, the black-maned Scar, plots to take his throne. But Simba’s mother? What was her name again?Her role in the film is so inconsequential she’s easy to forget. Her name is Sarabi. And if she was the queen of a real-life lion pride, she’d take on Central role in the plot.

Lion prides are matrilineal societies where the males barely stick around long enough to form the types of familial relationships shown in the Disney films. Females define their territory. They’ve grown up there and have been listening to neighbors roaring their whole lives. And if their pride gets too big, the females will even carve out a new territory next door for their daughters to take over and start their own pride.

Females are the core. The heart and soul of the pride. The males come and go while the female hold the pride together. If only Disney spent a little bit more time to understand the animal kingdom, neither would Male Lion be the centre of the plot nor would poor hyenas be villains on the screen.

For now, here is an image of the future kings and Queens of Mara - a family portrait of the pride on a gloomy rainy day in the Savannah.