The Serengeti Lion: a study of predator-prey relations

This foundational monograph reported years of direct observation of lion prides in the Serengeti, establishing baseline knowledge of pride structure, cooperative hunting, territorial behaviour, scavenging, reproduction, and the predator-prey dynamics linking lions to migratory herds. The author documented how prides are organised around related females, how males defend tenure, and how hunting success varies with group size, cover, and prey type. Many later quantitative studies of lion cooperation, infanticide, and communication built directly on the natural history compiled here. The book is regarded as a cornerstone of large-carnivore field biology and remains widely cited across behavioural ecology.