Opportunistic feeding by lions: non-preferred prey comprise an important part of lion diets in a habitat where preferred prey are abundant

摘要: Optimal foraging theory predicts less diverse predator diets with a greater availability of preferred prey. This narrow diet niche should then be dominated by prey, implications for predator–prey dynamics and prey population ecology. We investigated lion (Panthera leo) in Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Park (HiP), South Africa, to assess whether lions site high density (prey species weighing 92–632 kg as estimated from published meta-analysis) have diet, consisting primarily HiP is useful study investigate this prediction because it productive landscape (with prey) where lion-preferred constitutes up 33% the available lions. Furthermore, exhibit sex-specific documented other southern African populations, we male female separately. were specifically interested testing traditional approaches estimating at level mask predation patterns, possible management small medium-sized fenced reserves. Lions larger (63–684 kg) had proportion than reported an African-wide meta-analysis. However, despite species, 36% still consisted typically non-preferred such nyala (Tragelaphus angasii). finding suggests that maintain degree opportunism even when are abundant. Therefore, abundant, likely important resource populations. Sex-specific differences evident HiP, suggesting estimation use carrying capacity consider opportunistic hunting diets.