Maternal grouping as a defense against infanticide by males: evidence from field playback experiments on African lions

Abstract

Female lions roar in order to stay in contact with their pridemates and to defend their territory against other prides. In doing so, however, they risk attracting die attention of potentially infanticidal nonresident males. We used playback experiments to demonstrate that nonresident males are indeed specifically attracted to female roars, approaching the roars of female, but not male, conspecifics. However, diere was also evidence diat males adjust their behavior according to the probability that they might execute a successful takeover. Alien male lions were more reluctant to approach playbacks of three females roaring dian of a single female roaring; single males were more reluctant dian pairs to approach female roars; and old males were more reluctant than younger males to approach female roars. Previous observational studies have shown diat female lions living in groups are more successful than singletons at defending their cubs in direct interactions widi potentially infanticidal males. Our results suggest that maternal groups may also, by roaring in chorus, minimize the chances that diese encounters occur at all.