Prey preferences of the lion (Panthera leo)

A foundational quantitative analysis of what lions actually select to kill versus what is merely available. Hayward and Kerley compiled prey records from across Africa and weighted them against prey abundance using selectivity indices, deriving a preferred prey weight range centered on roughly 190-550 kg. They showed lions significantly prefer species such as gemsbok, buffalo, wildebeest, giraffe and zebra, while avoiding very small and very large prey. The work formalized the concept of a felid's preferred prey-weight window and provided regression tools to predict lion diet from prey communities. It anchors a whole comparative series on African predators and is widely used in reintroduction planning, carrying-capacity estimation and conflict prediction.