An authoritative, accessible, and gorgeously illustrated exploration into the lives of these remarkable animals
Lions are the only social cat. They hunt together, raise cubs together, and defend territories together against neighbors and strangers. Lions also rest atop their ecological pyramid, with profound impacts on competitors and prey alike, but their future is far from assured. Craig Packer interweaves his discoveries from more than forty years of research―including a substantial body of new findings―to provide an unforgettable portrait of the African lion. He shares insights into the intricacies of lion life from birth until death and describes efforts to conserve lions in an increasingly crowded continent. With a wealth of breathtaking photographs by Daniel Rosengren, The Lion sheds light on a host of intriguing scientific questions, such as why males have manes, why lions are social, how sociality limits and stabilizes lion populations, how close inbreeding affects lion health, why lions become man-eaters, how lions and people can best be protected from each other, and how to ensure the lion’s survival into the next century.
- Engagingly written by the world’s foremost expert on African lions
- Integrates a wealth of findings from two of the most comprehensive field studies on any animal
- Features hundreds of stunning photographs that capture a broad range of lion behaviors, ecological interactions, and conservation challenges
- Blends vivid field anecdotes and graphics to give the reader a sense of adventuring into the lion’s world
Author(s): Craig Packer
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 370
City: Princeton
Cover
Contents
Preface
1. Introduction
A Lion Primer
Key Points
2. Lion Social Structure
The Basic System
Social Dominance
Reproductive Success
Pride Persistence versus Coalition Longevity
Key Points
3. Infanticide and Expulsion
After the Storm
Synchronizing the Reproductive Clock
The Academic Politics of Infanticide
Key Points
4. Cub Rearing
From the Den to the Crèche
Nursing Behavior
Non-offspring Nursing across Mammals
Babysitting
What about Grandma?
What Keeps the Crèche Honest?
Littering
It’s a Girl! It’s a Boy!! It’s Three Boys and a Girl . . .
Key Points
5. Mating Competition and Paternal Care
Within-Coalition
Competition
One for All and All for One?
Why Are Large Coalitions So Rare?
Father(s) of the Pride
I Love You, Dad, but . . .
Key Points
6. The Lion’s Mane
Manes and Wounding
Manes versus Male Quality
What Do the Lions Think?
Why Lions? Why Manes?
Key Points
7. Foraging Behavior
Background
Hunting in Groups—or Not . . .
But Do They Cooperate When They Are Together?
Key Points
8. Intergroup Competition
Intergroup Conflict
Blood on the Tracks
War Games of the Sexes
Intergenerational-Intergroup
Competition
Groups Begetting Groups—of Both Sexes
Key Points
9. The Evolution of Lion Sociality
The Three Rules of Lion Real Estate
The Landscape of Female Sociality
Pride Size Revisited
The Origins of Male Sociality
The Lion: The Paragon of Group Living
Key Points
10. Population Regulation
Serengeti: Tracking Lions in a Changing Environment
Top-Down
Population Regulation: Predation, Infanticide, and Disease
Ngorongoro Crater: Disease versus Density
Keeping It in the Family
Key Points
11. Interspecific Interactions
Lions and Their Prey
Aren’t Predators and Prey Supposed to Show Population Cycles?
The Savanna Landscape of Fear
Lions versus the Other Large Carnivores
Lions, Hyenas, and Possible “Trophic Cascades”
Lions versus Hyenas and the Evolution of Lion Sociality
The Lion’s Place in the Web
Key Points
12. Lion Conservation
Infectious Disease
Human-Lion Conflict
Sport Hunting
Bushmeat Hunting
The Future
Key Points
Afterword
Acknowledgments
Appendix
References
Index
