IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Packer, C.; Herbst, L.; Pusey, A.E.; Bygott, J.D.; Hanby, J.P.; Cairns, S.J.; Borgerhoff Mulder, M. | |
| Reproductive Success of Lions | |
| 1988 Book Chapter | |
African lions face fundamently different ecological problems than most other mammals do, and they also depend more on cooperative behavior than virtually any other vertebrate. Lions are territorial but prey primarly upon large herbivores that are often migratory. Thus in some habitats the lions' food supply is highly erratic and ephemeral, whereas in others it is more stable. Lions resemble other social carnivores and many higher primates in being long-lived and highly social. However, they differ in that they do not typically from dominance hierachies. The lack of social dominance is perhaps an essential feature of lion sociality, because each individual may therefore be equally affected by any factor that raises or lower the reproductive success of the entire group. In this chapter we examine the major ecological and social factors influencing reproductive success in lions, with special references to the effects of group size. We contrast populations living in three widely differing habitats and confirm that both sexes derive inherent advantages from living in groups. |
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