Male cheetahs of the Serengeti

A population of about 300 adult cheetahs was studied on the Serengeti Plains over a five-year period starting in 1980. Male cheetahs were found to live alone or in stable groups of two or three, whereas females were always solitary. Evidence suggests that a number of unrelated males formed coalitions after adolescence. Ten territories were identified Resident males often temporarily vacated these territories when few Thomson’s gazelles, the main food of female cheetahs, were in the area. Male coalitions were more likely to hold a territory than were single males and they appeared to occupy territories longer than did single males. Coalitions of territorial males may gain reproductive benefits, possibly by increased survivorship and possibly by monopolizing areas where more female cheetahs accumulate when following the Thomson’s gazelle migration.