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Stander, P.E.
Foraging dynamics of lions in a semi-arid environment
1992 Canadian Journal of Zoology (70): 8-21
Observations on Panthera leo on the plains of Etosha National Park, Namibia, revealed a regular nocturnal pattern of mostly coordinated group hunting. Lions scavenged rarely and killed mainly prey animals weighing <50kg, which contributed to 73% of observed kills and 50% of the estimated biomass consumed. Capture success increased with lion group size and was also greater during coordinated group hunts. Lions hunted most of the prey that they encountered, showing a preference for large species. Average food acquisition ranged from 8.7kg/day per lioness in the dry season to 14kg/day per lioness in the wet season. During the dry season, coordinated cooperative hunting was essential and lionesses most often formed groups of two, thereby acquiring higher daily food intake than groups of other sizes. In the wet season, lioness groups of all sizes obtained more than the estimated daily requirements, and lionesses did not uniformly forage in the smaller groups capable of greater food acquisition..
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