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The Serengeti Lion: A Study of Predator-Prey Relations
Based on three years of study in the Serengeti National Park, George B. Schallerâ s The Serengeti Lion describes the vast impact of the lion and other predators on the vast herds of wildebeest, zebra, and gazelle for which the area is famous. The most comprehensive book available on the lion, this classic work includes the authorâ s findings on all aspects of lion behavior, including its social system, population dynamics, hunting behavior, and predation patterns.
â If you have only enough time to read one book about field biology, this is the one I recommend.â â Edward O. Wilson, Scienceâ This book conveys not only the fascination of its particular study of lion behavior but the drama and wonder and beauty of the intimate interdependence of all living things.â â Saturday Reviewâ This is an important book, not just for its valuable information on lions, but for its broad, open, and intelligent approach to problems that cut across the fields of behavior, populations, ecology, wildlife management, evolution, anthropology, and comparative biology.â â Richard G. Van Gelder, Bioscience
â If you have only enough time to read one book about field biology, this is the one I recommend.â â Edward O. Wilson, Scienceâ This book conveys not only the fascination of its particular study of lion behavior but the drama and wonder and beauty of the intimate interdependence of all living things.â â Saturday Reviewâ This is an important book, not just for its valuable information on lions, but for its broad, open, and intelligent approach to problems that cut across the fields of behavior, populations, ecology, wildlife management, evolution, anthropology, and comparative biology.â â Richard G. Van Gelder, Bioscience
504 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1972
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280 people want to read
About the author
George B. Schaller
47 books59 followersGeorge Beals Schaller (born 1933) is an American mammalogist, biologist, conservationist and author. Schaller is recognized by many as the world's preeminent field biologist, studying wildlife throughout Africa, Asia and South America. Born in Berlin, Schaller grew up in Germany, but moved to Missouri as a teen. He is vice president of Panthera Corporation and serves as chairman of their Cat Advisory Council along with renowned conservationist and Panthera CEO Alan Rabinowitz. Schaller is also a senior conservationist at the Bronx Zoo-based Wildlife Conservation Society.
Schaller's work in conservation has resulted in the protection of large stretches of area in the Amazon, Brazil, the Hindu Kush in Pakistan, and forests in Southeast Asia. Due in part to Schaller's work, over 20 parks or preserves worldwide have been established, including Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), the Shey-Phoksundo National Park in Nepal, and the Changtang Nature Reserve in Tibet, one of the world's most significant wildlife refuges. At over 200,000 miles (320,000 km), the Chang Tang Nature Reserve was called "One of the most ambitious attempts to arrest the shrinkage of natural ecosystems," by The New York Times.
Schaller's work in conservation has resulted in the protection of large stretches of area in the Amazon, Brazil, the Hindu Kush in Pakistan, and forests in Southeast Asia. Due in part to Schaller's work, over 20 parks or preserves worldwide have been established, including Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), the Shey-Phoksundo National Park in Nepal, and the Changtang Nature Reserve in Tibet, one of the world's most significant wildlife refuges. At over 200,000 miles (320,000 km), the Chang Tang Nature Reserve was called "One of the most ambitious attempts to arrest the shrinkage of natural ecosystems," by The New York Times.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 23, 2015
I thought this was a good book for several reasons; the way the research was conducted, the presentation of the research, the organisation of the book and the tone and writing of the author all made it a pleasant read.
The first thing I liked about the book was that the research had a good cause and a practical purpose (by this I mean the results were to be used in real life conservation efforts). It didn't claim to be an ultimate guide on everything you need to know about lions (even though there was a lot of information on them) like many other books on animals, instead it focused on answering a specific question (and in the process discussed in detail the lives of the lions in the area):
In a clear and scientific way, the author presents his research topics, his data (often organised in charts, tables and illustrations) and gives his interpretation of the results. Lions are discussed in great detail – their group structure and movements, group behaviour (social structure, daily activity patterns, mating behaviour, relationships, etc.), population dynamics (size, composition, mortality, reproduction, etc.), food habits, hunting, etc. Although these were interesting topics to get to know more about lions, they were all also relevant to what effect lions have on prey species populations. There are also brief sections on prey species (in terms of their reactions to lion predation) and other predators in the area.
The author stresses that while some of his findings can be applied to lions in general, his conclusions are often specific to the lions that he studied, and that various factors can affect lion behavioural differences elsewhere or at different times - this emphasis contributed to the overall modest and scientific tone of the book. Similar or relevant studies were often mentioned and findings were compared to the author's, sometimes complementing each other, other times revealing very different results. When the results differed, the author didn't adopt a dismissive or arrogant tone but stated that his own research found no evidence to support the others' findings.
In this style, the author debunks several axioms about lions. To give an example of one of my own misconceptions about lions (formed by Disney and nature shows :) ), the idea of lionesses as the doting, over-protective, careful mothers was shown to not be a very accurate description of reality. Lionesses were shown to have a “conflict between self-indulgence and parental care”, behave carelessly with cubs, not feed them sufficiently, etc. – these were not conclusions based on a few freak events the author happened to witness, but were supported by quantitative data such as the mortality rate of cubs in prides and the recorded reasons of mortality in different stages of the cubs' lives.
Despite some of the more dry sections of the book (for example sections describing the land, etc.) that could sometimes get a bit boring, I enjoyed the book and would highly recommend it.
The first thing I liked about the book was that the research had a good cause and a practical purpose (by this I mean the results were to be used in real life conservation efforts). It didn't claim to be an ultimate guide on everything you need to know about lions (even though there was a lot of information on them) like many other books on animals, instead it focused on answering a specific question (and in the process discussed in detail the lives of the lions in the area):
“Mr. John Owen, director of the Tanzania National Parks, invited me to join the Serengeti Research Institute to study lions in the Serengeti National Park […] The park administration was interested in maintaining the lion population while preserving the million or so hoofed animals that frequent the region […] As the major predator in the park, lions were thought to influence the dynamics of various prey species, and my task was to find out to what extent they did so.”
In a clear and scientific way, the author presents his research topics, his data (often organised in charts, tables and illustrations) and gives his interpretation of the results. Lions are discussed in great detail – their group structure and movements, group behaviour (social structure, daily activity patterns, mating behaviour, relationships, etc.), population dynamics (size, composition, mortality, reproduction, etc.), food habits, hunting, etc. Although these were interesting topics to get to know more about lions, they were all also relevant to what effect lions have on prey species populations. There are also brief sections on prey species (in terms of their reactions to lion predation) and other predators in the area.
The author stresses that while some of his findings can be applied to lions in general, his conclusions are often specific to the lions that he studied, and that various factors can affect lion behavioural differences elsewhere or at different times - this emphasis contributed to the overall modest and scientific tone of the book. Similar or relevant studies were often mentioned and findings were compared to the author's, sometimes complementing each other, other times revealing very different results. When the results differed, the author didn't adopt a dismissive or arrogant tone but stated that his own research found no evidence to support the others' findings.
In this style, the author debunks several axioms about lions. To give an example of one of my own misconceptions about lions (formed by Disney and nature shows :) ), the idea of lionesses as the doting, over-protective, careful mothers was shown to not be a very accurate description of reality. Lionesses were shown to have a “conflict between self-indulgence and parental care”, behave carelessly with cubs, not feed them sufficiently, etc. – these were not conclusions based on a few freak events the author happened to witness, but were supported by quantitative data such as the mortality rate of cubs in prides and the recorded reasons of mortality in different stages of the cubs' lives.
Despite some of the more dry sections of the book (for example sections describing the land, etc.) that could sometimes get a bit boring, I enjoyed the book and would highly recommend it.
January 25, 2024
I found this book in the bookstore of the college where I was studying architecture, but I had to have it as I've been fascinated by nature and lions especially since I was a very small boy. It is purely about the biology and ecological importance of lions in the Serengeti ecosystem, so unless you're a person interested in science and animals, it can be a dry recitation of behaviors and statistics, but I found it fascinating reading. Schaller is one of the world's foremost field researchers and this is one of his best. A National Book Award Prize winner.
January 25, 2025
Do you love lions? I love lions.
I had to go to a university library to read this one, because it wasn't available through the public library (an anti-lion conspiracy??? they don't want you to know!!!!). Anyway, it was worth it.
I had to go to a university library to read this one, because it wasn't available through the public library (an anti-lion conspiracy??? they don't want you to know!!!!). Anyway, it was worth it.
August 5, 2022
Very detailed study for the lions and some other predators at east africa, so informative
October 31, 2023
Gebe zu hab einige Kapitel übersprungen weil sie mir einfach zu spezifisch waren, aber hab dennoch einen guten Überblick bekommen:)
April 12, 2024
Closer to a 4.5. I would love to see how updated information compares to the Schaller observations.
November 22, 2022
Schaller's groundbreaking study of the lion in East Africa (mainly the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania) in the late 1960s. This is an interesting scientific report for scholars or layman interested in the big cat. Schaller also wrote "Golden Shadows, Flying Hooves", which is about his time in the Serengeti and is more "readable" than a scientific report. Brian Bertram continued the lion study in the Serengeti after Schaller left, publishing his work, "Pride of Lions", in 1978.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews