BIO318: Statistics Computer Lab
Scenario 2
Sir David Attenborough is interested in studying the dietary preference of lions in Africa.
To do this he finds a savanna with an abundance of the following prey: giraffes, antelope, zebras
and gazelles. It is too dangerous to observe the lions directly, so David Attenborough scans the
lion territory each day and counts the carcasses of each prey type to estimate the number eaten.
Based on these observations, David Attenborough can determine the total number of each prey
consumed by the pride but does not know the diet choices of individual lions (replicates). He
wants to test whether the lions show a food preference or consume prey randomly.
Questions:
1. In plain terms, what does David Attenborough want to know? (i.e. What is the research
question?)
2. You can see from the data file that Attenborough observed 224 prey carcasses in total. If the
lions showed NO food preference whatsoever (random), how many of each prey type would
you expect to be consumed? Fill in the table below.
Prey Type Expected Number of Carcasses
Giraffe
Antclope
Zebra
Gazelle
3. What is the statistical question being asked? Consider what David Attenborough will be
comparing
4. How do the observed number of carcasses compare to the expected? Does it look like the
lions have a preference? Explain
5. What statistical test would be best suited to answer David Attenborough's research question
given the data we have? Why?
6. Run your chosen statistical test. What is the p-value?