In their social organization, lionesses have an egalitarian behavior. Unlike other social carnivores such as wolves or hyenas, all adult females in a group contribute to reproduction. In addition, they procreate synchronously which means that, at times, females in heat are more numerous than males. Redundant females then choose freely among the males of the coalition. Males cannot usually defend more than one female at a time but they mate readily with other females. This social system thus allows sexual selection to be exercised on the basis of both a competition between males and a choice of females.