Prey preferences of the African wild dog (Lycaon pictus)

This installment of the Hayward series quantified prey selection by African wild dogs, a key competitor of cheetahs and a frequent victim of intraguild predation by lions and hyenas. Using kill records weighted by prey abundance, the authors found wild dogs prefer prey weighing roughly 16-32 kg, favoring impala, kudu calves, Thomson's gazelle and similar mid-sized antelope, while occasionally taking larger prey through cooperative hunting. The work derived a preferred-prey body-mass window and significantly preferred and avoided species, enabling comparisons of dietary overlap across the African large-carnivore guild. It supports reintroduction site assessment and helps explain how competition and prey partitioning shape coexistence among cursorial and ambush predators.