Research overview: infanticide and pride takeover dynamics in lions

Infanticide is a central force in lion social evolution, occurring when incoming males kill the cubs of their predecessors to accelerate females' return to breeding condition. This overview surveys research on the demographics of takeovers, the proportion of cub mortality attributable to infanticide, and how the threat shapes female reproductive synchrony, creche formation, and mate choice. It discusses the reproductive arithmetic that makes infanticide adaptive for incoming males and the counterstrategies that reduce its impact. The topic frames pride takeovers as violent reproductive turning points whose study has informed the broader theory of sexually selected infanticide across mammals.