Why are lions social animals?

[Pckts]

(11-07-2015, 12:00 AM)Spalea Wrote: Hmm: according to several specialised authors Brian Bertram, Schaller and so on, The lions being not particularly efficient hunters (compared to african wild dogs, cheetahs within the same biotop), have a significantly better success rate when they hunt in groups.

Approximately:

A lone lioness, or male lion: one  in 10 attempts.

In group: one in three attempts

I have actually read and heard that lions are equally as successful when hunting alone or with a single partner as they are when hunting with a pride.
"Females do the majority of the hunting, and males who tag along with the hunt usually stay back until a kill is made. Lions hunting in pairs and groups have a success rate of c. 30%. Lions hunting singly by daylight have a success rate of 17 - 19%, but are the equal of groups at night reopening the debate as to why lions became the only sociable cat; maybe it is to control exclusive hunting grounds. "

Infact, I remember reading somewhere that very often it is one lion who will hunt, to see cooperative lion hunts are very rare, its usually a select few who do the hunting and the rest come later to take advantage of the kill.

@Pantherinae that is incorrect, Males were equally used in the tests.
" A male's response was likely to greatly depend on its assessment of female numbers, Dr McComb said.

"What we find is that males who are in a position to come and take over a pride seem to be aware of this greater threat," she confirmed.

"If it's one female roaring they'll actually come very quickly - they'll almost run towards the loudspeaker, they're so interested in the female - but if there are three of them they'll come much more slowly and be much more cautious"

when they did the dummy test and the roar test the lions would abandon if they felt out numbered and the Males were extremely cautious of the dummy and often showing no aggression towards the dummy at all, other than a dark maned lion for the more recent test done by Packer and Kevin Richardson. In fact, when they used a dark maned lion dummy the female was following it trying to abandon her male to mate with the dark maned male. Reply