= K. McComb
{c}
<K. McComb> is the first author of a 1994 <playback experiment> testing numerical assessment by female <lions>. Recordings of either one unfamiliar female roaring or three roaring together simulated intruders within the territories of $21$ lion prides.<Roaring and numerical assessment in contests between groups of female lions, Panthera leo by K. McComb and others>[Abstract: controlled playbacks and study groups]{ref}
The approaches depended on the simulated intruder group and the defending group's composition. Playing recorded sounds allowed the apparent social threat to be manipulated without staging a physical fight between groups.<Roaring and numerical assessment in contests between groups of female lions, Panthera leo by K. McComb and others>[Abstract: simulated intruders and approach decisions]{ref}
The experiment asks how <animal communication> supports a decision under uncertainty. A recorded chorus carries information about an apparent group, but an approach decision also depends on the listeners' own group. Demonstrating a behavioural response to one-versus-three playbacks does not, by itself, specify the internal counting procedure used by a <lion>.
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