Study
Prey preferences of the lion (Panthera leo)
Hayward, M. W.; Kerley, G. I. H.
Journal of Zoology, 2005
Published kill records from lion study sites across Africa were compiled and prey species scored as preferred, taken in proportion to availability, or avoided, relative to their abundance at each site.
- Studied in
- Panthera leo
- Sample size
- kill records compiled across lion study sites in Africa
Lions preferentially take prey in a band around 190 to 550 kilograms, with a most-preferred weight near 350 kilograms — gemsbok, buffalo, wildebeest, zebra and giraffe among them. Very small and very large species are avoided relative to availability. Preference is consistent across sites despite differing prey communities.
What it means
The authors' reading, and ours. Where they differ, that difference is the point.
How the authors put it
Lion prey selection is driven by a consistent preferred prey size range rather than by local availability alone.
How NatureHQ reads it
The consistency across sites is what makes this useful: lions in entirely different prey communities converge on the same size band, which means the preference is a property of the predator rather than of what happens to be around. It also quietly answers a common question. Lions are not opportunists eating whatever passes; they are specialists on large prey, which is why a pride is worth having and why cooperative defence of a carcass matters more than cooperative pursuit of it.
- Compiled from studies using different methods and detection biases.
- Kill records under-represent small prey, which are consumed quickly and rarely observed.
- Preference indices depend on prey abundance estimates that vary in quality.
What this study is used for on NatureHQ
One study can inform several subjects. Here is everywhere this one is cited.
Published by: Wiley journalsPublished in a Wiley journal.
doi.org/10.1017/s0952836905007508
This reference was resolved automatically against Crossref on 2026-08-11.
NatureHQ summarises research in its own words and does not reproduce published text. Reviewed 2026-08-11.