Large predators and their prey: a predator's size determines its prey size range

Radloff and Du Toit analyzed the southern African large-carnivore guild to show that a predator's body mass sets both the average and the upper limit of the prey sizes it takes. Larger predators such as lions exploit a broader prey-size range that extends to bigger species, while smaller predators like cheetahs are confined to smaller prey, producing a nested structure of prey-size use. The study quantified these allometric relationships across lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog and hyena and linked them to energetic constraints and competition. It provided a predictive framework for prey partitioning by body size that complements the Hayward prey-preference series and is widely used in African predator community ecology.