Lion King fans believe male lions are good fathers like Mufasa – well, that depends. If your kid gets too naughty, even a nice father may lose his temper. 

Professional wildlife and nature photographer Michael Snedic snapped pictures of the lion father and its cub at the Masai Mara national reserve in Kenya. The playful lion cub, trying to get the attention of his father, jumped onto his head. Before that, the cub had been circling the lion and nipping his ear attempting to get him to play – but the relaxed lion was unfazed. 

Losing his patience, the adult male snarled at the cub. 

Male tolerance of the cubs varies – sometimes a male will patiently let the cubs play with his tail or his mane, whereas another may snarl and bat the cubs away. 

However, a snarl is far from the worst thing that could happen to lion cubs. If the cub is the male lion's own child, he would not harm it. Otherwise, the male is likely to kill all cubs in that pride. 

(Cover photo via VCG)

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