IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Pusey, A.E.; Packer, C. | |
| Infanticide in lions: consequences and counterstrategies | |
| 1994 Book Chapter | |
The regular occurrence of infanticide by males that have just entered a new social group or area has now been described in a wide variety of mammals. It has become widely accepted that this behavior gives the males a reproductive advantage because they thereby speed up the females' reproduction and sire their own infants more quickly. However, rigorous evidence in support of this theory has only been obtained in a subset of these species. Perhaps the most extensive data from a single species come from the 24 year study of lions in the Serengeti ecosystem. In this chapter we review data on the incidence of male infanticide in lions, and the advantages that males gain from infanticide. We discuss the counterstrategies that females and males show to infanticide, and show how the threat of male infanticide has had far reaching effects on lion social structure and behaviour. |
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