Group hunting behaviour of lions: a search for cooperation

Scheel and Packer analyzed Serengeti lion hunts to test whether group hunting reflects true cooperation or individuals each maximizing their own success. They found that hunting success increased with group size for difficult prey, but that some lions held back as cheaters, refraining from the chase while still sharing kills, especially when companions were likely to succeed regardless. The study revealed that cooperation in lion hunts is conditional and shaped by individual payoffs, prey difficulty and the value of the kill. It is a foundational reference on the economics of cooperative predation in big cats, clarifying when grouping improves capture rates and when social hunting is driven by other benefits such as kill defense.