Research overview: prey selection and buffalo specialization in lions

Across Africa lions take a wide spectrum of prey but show local specialization driven by abundance and profitability. This overview examines how some prides become buffalo specialists, particularly where coalitions of large males can subdue these formidable herbivores, while others focus on wildebeest, zebra, or even elephants and giraffe in extreme cases. It reviews how prey body size relative to lion group size shapes diet, how seasonal movements of migratory herds force prides to switch quarry, and how males contribute disproportionately to killing dangerous prey. The synthesis links diet to demography, showing that access to reliable large prey supports higher cub survival. For enthusiasts it explains the dramatic regional differences in lion behavior, from the buffalo hunts of certain Botswana prides to the wildebeest-dominated diet of Serengeti residents.