Features of Vertebrate Societies
Animal societies may exhibit one of more of these behaviors:
- cooperative rearing of young by the group
- overlapping generations living in a permanent, as opposed to seasonal, group
- cooperative foraging or hunting
- cooperative defense from predators and competitors
- social learning (such as a young chimpanzee learning by observation to use a twig to fish for termites)
A chief debate among ethologists studying animal societies is whether non-human primates and other animals can be said to have culture.
Some vertebrates whose social behavior is of particular interest:
- Bats (Chiroptera)
- Canidae (especially Wolves)
- Crows
- Hominidae, including:
- Bonobos & Chimpanzees (Pan)
- Gorillas (Gorilla gorilla)
- Humans (Homo sapiens)
- Dolphins (Delphinidae)
- Domestic Cats
- Elephants (Loxodonta africana) (Elephas maximus) (Loxodonta cyclotis)
- European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
- Horses (Equus ferus)
- Hyenas (Hyaenidae)
- Killer whale (Orcinus Orca)
- Lions (Panthera leo)
- Meerkats (Suricata suricatta)
- Orange-Fronted Conures (Aratinga canicularis)
- Penguins (Spheniscidae)
- Rats ("Rattus")
Human social behavior frequently includes non-human creatures (most notably dogs, cats, and horses).
Read more about this topic: Social Animal
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