Chapter 1. Animals That Stay Together, Hunt Together -- Chapter 2. Social Strategies of the African Lion -- Chapter 3. The Role of Food and Mates in Shaping Asiatic Lion Societies -- Chapter 4. Wolves in a Human World: Social Dynamics of the Northern Hemisphere's Most Iconic Social Carnivore -- Chapter 5. Hunting Success in the Spotted Hyena: Morphological Adaptations and Behavioral Strategies -- Chapter 6. Hunting Behavior and Social Ecology of African Wild Dogs -- Chapter 7. Social Strategies of a Consummate Marine Predator-Mammal Hunting Killer Whales -- Chapter 8. Mammal Hunting Killer Whales off Monterey, California-A 30-Year Synthesis -- Chapter 9. Sociality and Its Relevance in Group Hunting Mammalian Predators.

The book offers a comparative look at the social strategies of five carnivorous social predators (four terrestrial and one marine) that make them successful hunting units. The focus is on mammalian predators hunting (largely) mammalian prey. Each chapter (with separate authors) devoted to a particular species, explores the versatile hunting techniques and social dynamics of these top predators as they attempt to survive, defend, and reproduce in challenging habitats. Each chapter also delves into how the social fabric and ecology of each species influence their ability to deal with natural and man-made threats and shifting baselines.