The bald truth: why some lions lose their iconic manes

Male pattern baldness are words that strike fear in the hearts of many men, with a quarter of all males losing the battle to keep their full head of hair intact.

And although much has been written about bald men being seen as sexy - think Dwayne Johnson, Idris Elba or Jason Statham - there is seldom celebration when you're on the receiving end of a receding hairline, no matter at what age the predominantly hereditary condition manifests.

As a teenager, my dad piped up on a lazy Sunday and pointed at my head curiously, saying, "Fatso, it looks like your hair is starting to wave."

I was shocked, thinking my hair was becoming curly!

"Dad, what do you mean it's starting to wave?"

"It's starting to wave goodbye!"

Bad dad jokes aside, male pattern baldness, or androgenetic alopecia, had laid waste to his hair at a young age, but I have been lucky enough to keep my full head of hair.

But now it turns out that male pattern baldness is not just restricted to us humans.

According to a "Project Nightfall" post on Facebook, the phenomenon also afflicts male lions. Yes, that's right, the King of the Jungle can also lose his crowning glory.

"Nature really said, 'nobody is safe'. Male lions usually rock those thick, intimidating manes, but this guy's working with what looks like a receding hairline and a midlife crisis. Turns out even apex predators aren't immune to the same stuff that hits humans - age, stress, poor diet, and testosterone taking a nosedive," read the post.

It further claimed that research shows lion manes can actually shrink from malnutrition or extreme heat.

But the post led to a slew of memes that poke fun at men and their vanity when it comes to their locks.

And the comments, both serious and light-hearted, demonstrated that this is a topic that touches nerves in some way or other. But then again, people have always been fascinated by these formidable felines, especially those that have been rescued from horrible circumstances.

Don Trebor clearly knew a thing or two about the subject: "Lions, particularly males, can appear to go bald or lose their manes due to factors like genetics, old age, injuries from fighting, illness, or even stress."

One comment read: "For every bald male lion there’s a lioness that caused it - African Proverb", while another ventured to suggest: "What if lionesses find him more attractive because of his receding hairline?"

And then there was this comment: "Something to do with the 'Fast and Furious' franchise."