Cheetahs of the Serengeti Plains: group living in an asocial species

This long-term study of cheetahs on the Serengeti plains provided the definitive account of cheetah social organization, combining years of observation of known individuals. It documented the species' unusual social system, in which females are solitary while males often form lifelong coalitions, usually of brothers, that hold territories and gain greater access to females and resources. The work quantified reproductive success, cub mortality, the heavy toll taken by lions and hyenas on cheetah cubs, and the costs and benefits of male grouping. It established cheetahs as a striking case of contrasting social strategies within one species and remains the benchmark for cheetah behavioral ecology. For enthusiasts it is the origin of the modern understanding of why male cheetahs band together while females go it alone.