Do male cheetahs Acinonyx jubatus commit infanticide?

Abstract

Infanticide, in which males kill unrelated juveniles presumably to advance their genetic contribution has been documented in many felids, a notable exception being the cheetah Acinonyx jubatus. Males apparently always tolerate cubs during encounters between females with litters but indefinite paternity has confused the issue in previous reports. We observed cheetah females with cubs interact with known sire and non-sire males, and infanticide never occurred. Sires and non-sires also did not differ in the frequency of different aggressive behaviours directed towards females and cubs during encounters. We suggest that cheetahs are unusual among wild felids in that males do not kill unrelated cubs and discuss possible reasons why infanticide does not occur in the species.