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Prey depletion and the effect of group size on cooperative hunting in African wild dogs

Scott Creel Orcid Logo, Ben Goodheart Orcid Logo, Johnathan Reyes de Merkle Orcid Logo, James Redcliffe Orcid Logo, Henry Mwape, Stephani Matsushima, Chase Dart, Kachama Banda, Bridget Mayani, Anna Kusler, Johane Njobvu, Reuben Kabungo, Michelo Mungolo, Ruth Kabwe, Emmanuel Kaseketi, Will Donald, Clive Chifunte, Howard Maimbo, Luzy Plankenhorn, David Christianson Orcid Logo, Rory Wilson Orcid Logo, Matthew S. Becker Orcid Logo

Animal Behaviour, Volume: 234, Start page: 123504

Swansea University Author: Rory Wilson Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1016/j.anbehav.2026.123504

Abstract

Cooperative hunting can favour group living by increasing the probability that a hunt will end with a kill, increasing the size of prey that can be taken, increasing the probability of killing multiple prey or decreasing the distance moved and energy expended. Across a broad range of taxa, environme...

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Published in: Animal Behaviour
ISSN: 0003-3472
Published: Elsevier BV 2026
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71349
Abstract: Cooperative hunting can favour group living by increasing the probability that a hunt will end with a kill, increasing the size of prey that can be taken, increasing the probability of killing multiple prey or decreasing the distance moved and energy expended. Across a broad range of taxa, environments and hunting behaviours, one of the most consistent benefits of cooperation is an increase in the mass of prey that can be killed. African wild dogs, Lycaon pictus, are cursorial hunters that cooperatively search for, capture and kill prey that are typically ∼1.5–2× their own mass (and sometimes as much as 10×). Prior research with wild dogs has shown that cooperative hunting favours group living though all of these mechanisms. However, most ecosystems with appreciable wild dog populations are now affected by prey depletion due to bushmeat poaching, which disproportionately reduces the density of large prey such as wildebeest, Connochaetes taurinus, relative to smaller prey such as impala, Aepyceros melampus, or puku, Kobus vardonii. Here, we applied a Bayesian structural equation model to data from high-frequency triaxial accelerometers in 13 wild dog packs in two ecosystems to test whether prey depletion altered the effect of group size on hunting movements and energy expenditure. Contrary to prior results from an ecosystem with abundant prey of all sizes, we found that larger packs made larger movements and expended more effort when hunting. Also contrary to prior results, we found that large packs did not kill larger prey (N = 346 kills). Our results suggest that prey depletion reduces the benefit of hunting in large groups by reducing opportunities to kill large prey, thereby necessitating increased movement and energy expenditure. Anthropogenic effects are now altering fundamental ecological relationships such as the costs and benefits of variation in group size. Although the behavioural consequences of shifting ecological baselines will often be difficult to detect, understanding these effects is increasingly important for the conservation of endangered species like the African wild dog.
Keywords: African wild dog; Lycaon pictus; cooperative hunting; predation; group size; cooperation; predator–prey; prey depletion; anthropogenic effect; endangered species
College: Faculty of Science and Engineering
Funders: We thank the Zambia Department of National Parks and Wildlife and the Zambia Department of Veterinary and Livestock Development for permission and collaboration with this research. This research was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation (IOS-1145749, DEB-2032131 and DEB-2221826); NERC (NE/X015491/1); National Geographic Society Big Cats Initiative and Predator Research Grant; Dazzle Africa, World Wildlife Fund—Netherlands & Zambia; The Bennink Foundation, Musekese Conservation, Mfuwe Lodge/Bushcamp Company, Tusk Trust, Painted Dog Conservation Inc., Gemfields Inc., Green Safaris, Rob and Kayte Simpson, Prabha Sarangi and Connor Clairmont, Milkywire, Flatdogs Camp, Robin Pope Safaris, Mulberry Mongoose, Green Safaris, Puku Ridge, Sungani, Africa Hope Fund, Companies 4 Conservation, Remembering Wild Dogs, Vulcan, Johann van Zyl, African Bushcamps, Vreugdenhill Bulbs & Plants, ZoosSA, Explorers Against Extinction, Tribal Textiles, Wild in Africa, African Wild Dog Survival Fund and IUCN Save Our Species/European Union.
Start Page: 123504

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