Social Animal

A social animal is a loosely defined term for an organism that is highly interactive with other members of its species to the point of having a recognizable and distinct society.

All mammals (and birds) are social to the extent that mothers and offspring bond. The term "social animal" is usually only applied when there is a level of social organization that goes beyond this, with permanent groups of adults living together, and relationships between individuals that endure from one encounter to another.

Animal social behavior and organization is studied in comparative psychology, ethology, sociobiology, behavioral ecology and computer science (artificial intelligence). Typical issues in social behavior are:

• What is the typical size of the group? What factors limit group size? What factors lead to groups merging or splitting?
• Does the species show territoriality? If so, to what extent? If territories are maintained, what is their purpose? Are they held by an individual or a group?
• Are there permanent social dominance relationships within the group? Is there any pattern within them?

A few species, notably insects of the orders Hymenoptera (ants, bees and wasps) and Isoptera (termites) show an extreme form of sociality, involving highly organized societies, with individual organisms specialized for distinct roles. This form of social behavior is referred to as eusociality. Some vertebrates, most notably the Naked Mole Rat, are also eusocial.

Some invertebrates whose social behavior is of particular interest:

• Ants
• Bees
• Termites
• Thrips
• Wasps
• Snapping Shrimp (Alpheidae)
• Spiders

For a review of sociality in across the Arthropods, see The Insect Societies by Edward O. Wilson, The Evolution of Social Behavior in Insects and Arachnids edited by Jae Choe and Bernard J. Crespi, and The Other Insect Societies by James T. Costa.