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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
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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. 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spelling v2 71349 2026-01-29 Prey depletion and the effect of group size on cooperative hunting in African wild dogs 017bc6dd155098860945dc6249c4e9bc 0000-0003-3177-0177 Rory Wilson Rory Wilson true false 2026-01-29 BGPS 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. Journal Article Animal Behaviour 234 123504 Elsevier BV 0003-3472 African wild dog; Lycaon pictus; cooperative hunting; predation; group size; cooperation; predator–prey; prey depletion; anthropogenic effect; endangered species 1 4 2026 2026-04-01 10.1016/j.anbehav.2026.123504 COLLEGE NANME Biosciences Geography and Physics School COLLEGE CODE BGPS Swansea University Another institution paid the OA fee 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. 2026-04-17T15:26:27.5915743 2026-01-29T20:58:06.6694765 Faculty of Science and Engineering School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences Scott Creel 0000-0003-3170-6113 1 Ben Goodheart 0000-0001-9146-5476 2 Johnathan Reyes de Merkle 0009-0006-6153-581x 3 James Redcliffe 0009-0003-7054-8258 4 Henry Mwape 5 Stephani Matsushima 6 Chase Dart 7 Kachama Banda 8 Bridget Mayani 9 Anna Kusler 10 Johane Njobvu 11 Reuben Kabungo 12 Michelo Mungolo 13 Ruth Kabwe 14 Emmanuel Kaseketi 15 Will Donald 16 Clive Chifunte 17 Howard Maimbo 18 Luzy Plankenhorn 19 David Christianson 0000-0002-9601-9595 20 Rory Wilson 0000-0003-3177-0177 21 Matthew S. Becker 0000-0002-3509-7952 22 71349__36526__06bbeff3f27d4a20930d825504b7f6fd.pdf 71349.VoR.pdf 2026-04-17T15:23:21.4481358 Output 13066534 application/pdf Version of Record true © 2026 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CC BY license. true eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title Prey depletion and the effect of group size on cooperative hunting in African wild dogs
spellingShingle Prey depletion and the effect of group size on cooperative hunting in African wild dogs
Rory Wilson
title_short Prey depletion and the effect of group size on cooperative hunting in African wild dogs
title_full Prey depletion and the effect of group size on cooperative hunting in African wild dogs
title_fullStr Prey depletion and the effect of group size on cooperative hunting in African wild dogs
title_full_unstemmed Prey depletion and the effect of group size on cooperative hunting in African wild dogs
title_sort Prey depletion and the effect of group size on cooperative hunting in African wild dogs
author_id_str_mv 017bc6dd155098860945dc6249c4e9bc
author_id_fullname_str_mv 017bc6dd155098860945dc6249c4e9bc_***_Rory Wilson
author Rory Wilson
author2 Scott Creel
Ben Goodheart
Johnathan Reyes de Merkle
James Redcliffe
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
Rory Wilson
Matthew S. Becker
format Journal article
container_title Animal Behaviour
container_volume 234
container_start_page 123504
publishDate 2026
institution Swansea University
issn 0003-3472
doi_str_mv 10.1016/j.anbehav.2026.123504
publisher Elsevier BV
college_str Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
department_str School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Science and Engineering{{{_:::_}}}School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences
document_store_str 1
active_str 0
description 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.
published_date 2026-04-01T15:26:29Z
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