A huge number of various living creatures live on our planet, a total of about 2 million species. They can be found everywhere: in soil or on its surface, in air or in water, and each of them has its own unique properties.
The concept of "social animals"
The highest species in the animal world are mammals and birds. By the way they interact with each other within the population of their species, they can be attributed to single animals or to those that are able to organize into permanent groups.
Those who have a fairly high level of organization are called "social animals."
The study of the group and territorial behavior of mammals and birds in their habitat is carried out by scientific ethologists. Natural observation of them is the main method of the science of ethology, which arose at the intersection of zoology, biology and comparative psychology.
It is important to know: you should not confuse the accumulation of animals that are formed under the influence of external factors, such as a fire in the forest or migration due to lack of food, with a social group.
Lonely animals
Representatives of the animal world, which only in the mating season contact with individuals of the opposite sex to continue the genus, belong to lonely living animals. Some of them continue to maintain contact with each other also while courting young offspring.
Despite this, they cannot be attributed to animals from social groups. Representatives of the Feline family are the most famous example of animals that spend most of their lives alone. The exception in this case are only lion families - the so-called prides.
All members of the family, as a rule, live in relatively well-defined areas that are large enough to serve as year-round hunting grounds.
Social relationships among animals
By the social interaction of animals within a population of one species is meant such behavior of individuals that provides each of them individually a chance for survival. With solitary existence, there is no such possibility.
Although there is no strict framework that would permanently keep certain types of social animals in a group, there is no nature. Groups can both merge and disintegrate. It is customary to divide such communities depending on the relationship of their representatives to each other within the structure by:
- Customized.
- Aggressive.
- Ritual.
- Structured.
Consider each of these types of societies of social animals in more detail.
Individual distance
In these social groups of animals , each individual has a personal space that is not recommended to be disturbed even by relatives from the same litter. The struggle, albeit for a small but personal territory, is waged very aggressively, but when external danger arises, the flock either joins together to repulse or all together in haste.
A typical example of social animals in an individual community is artiodactyls in Africa. Antelopes and other species of this class of mammals are combined in herds to make it easier to survive. Inside the community, they create cells, for example, females with cubs, single males, etc., but at the same time keep a distance between themselves, not knowing all the representatives of the herd, which is called "in person."
If we consider the social needs of animals in these herds, they remain at the level of survival instinct. For example, it’s worth some kind of nervous zebra to sense the danger and take flight, as after it not only individuals of its herd, but also grazing antelopes and other animals grazing nearby. The herd instinct works, for a while everyone forgets about the individual space, since the law of survival is a priority. But it is worth the danger, imaginary or obvious, to pass, how everyone becomes for himself.
Aggression
The social behavior of animals in a community based on the aggressive leadership of one individual and the subjugation of the rest is not only characterized by cohesion, but also by the knowledge of its members. As a rule, in such groups from two or more animals, more often it is a male and several females. The most striking example of an aggressive kind of community is the lion prides, in which young males are driven out by their father in order to maintain their leadership.
Such groups have their own territory, which the male zealously defends from rivals, and if the female can join such a group and become part of the pride, the males will have to fight for the right to hunt or mate with its representatives.
Ritual aggression
Not every aggression-based animal community has the “attack and hit” rule. There are types of social animals that, instead of tough resistance to rivals, demonstrate frightening behavior, as if showing what the latter expects if they decide to violate other people's borders.
Everyone knows that canids bite their mouths as a deterrence, showing their fangs. Moreover, such a demonstration is understandable not only to the representative of their species, but also to other animals. The man will try to bypass the side of the dog, who has become a maw, and the dogs that are not part of the pack will do the same. A similar threat does not concern females, although an overly aggressive male can show them who is the master in a given territory.
Similar ritual intimidations are common to many mammals (primates grin, people stand in a fighting pose), birds and snakes (for example, a cobra inflates its hood, and a peace symbol, the dove “inflates” the chest).
Structured communities
Social animals, united in such a group, are forced from childhood to demonstrate their superiority over peers. According to the basic rule of survival in a hierarchical society, the strongest wins. That is why in such communities fights are encouraged among young animals, figuring out who has more horns, sharper teeth, stronger muscles, longer beak, etc.
Weak individuals will be forced to submit to stronger relatives, even if they are “brothers and sisters” from the same litter. In a hierarchical society, everyone knows their place, and natural selection in it is most noticeable. On the one hand, the death of the pack representatives from fellow tribesmen on the face, on the other hand, strong and healthy individuals predominate in the population, which positively affects the distribution of the species and its increase in numbers.
Consider some of the most famous types of social animals in more detail.
Canine communities
Although dogs and wolves belong to the same family, their behavior varies greatly. Social groups (packs) of both are more or less close-knit families that secure a certain territory and know their “members” very well. However, recently, scientists from Austria, having conducted an experiment with schools of dogs and wolves, determined what this difference is:
- Relations in the dog community are always authoritarian, built on the principle of “a leader (alpha male) ordered, everyone obeyed.” This is most noticeable when feeding animals. While the leader of the dog pack eats, none of its members dare even come close to food. In a wolf community, everything is different. If the flock drove the animal, then the alpha male will allow all its members to eat at the same time, or it determines the priority of feeding, for example, pregnant she-wolves or puppies can start the meal first.
- In search of food, dogs always rely on their leader, preferring to obey the direction in which he is running, even if the direction is wrong. In the wolf community, there is the concept of an “advisory committee” in which each member of the pack can “speak out”. The final decision is made by the leader, while he is guided by the majority opinion.
Such seemingly insignificant differences allow us to determine the type of community inherent in each of the species, and to conclude that wolves are more social individuals. Although they unite in packs, all of its members are equal.
Elephants
These animals are characterized by association in structured communities. They are dominated by older and more experienced elephants, who literally are the link between males, young animals, babies and representatives of other clans and families.
These social animals, like humans, primates, and dolphins consciously identify their reflection with themselves, which indicates their high level of development and ability to experience emotions.
Elephant communities of more than 15 individuals are rarely found in nature. As soon as the group grows too large, the grown females separate from it in order to organize their own family unit.
The life of these animals is devoted to simple "joys": females want to give birth and raise offspring, males want to be leaders and have the right to mate. Unfortunately, even in the 21st century, these giants face extinction due to human greed and cruelty. In many countries, social projects have been created and are successfully working to protect these animals, for example, World Elephant Protection Day, which is celebrated on September 22.
Dolphins
These animals were loved at all times, they were worshiped, attributed to divine origin and considered as smart as people. Probably, the last statement is due to the fact that dolphins are not just social animals uniting in flock communities, but also able to communicate through sounds and signals, which, you see, is very rare in the animal world.
Dolphin language is rich and diverse. More than one generation of scientists has devoted their lives to its study. Research is still going on exactly how these marine animals communicate and at what distances, because in their arsenal are words, phrases, whistles, syllables from which they create whole sentences and even paragraphs.
Scientists have found that dolphin communities are very similar to human settlements bounded by territory. For example, if a flock occupies a small range, then its members know each other “in person”, as is the case among people living in villages and small towns.
Dolphins are trained (not to be confused with training), which indicates the high organization of their brain. With the help of computers, people are trying today to translate the sounds made by them into waves and words in order to learn to understand and talk with them.
Higher primates
The social life of primates is built on hierarchical relationships, in which the alpha male is both the protector, and the organizer, and the "father of his own." The leader decides where to eat, where to sleep, where to go.
The hierarchy in the communities of monkeys is built vertically and those who are at its very bottom are powerless and the most deprived of its members. Most often, these are old individuals or weak young growth.
Much of the relationship in the pack depends on the affection of its members to each other. The flock can be accepted, but also expelled for serious misconduct. Such decisions are usually made by the leaders, but the females close to him are able to make the monkey they do not like leave.
Perhaps, in primates, relationships within a social group are as complex as in humans. Perhaps this is due to the fact that they have the rudiments of the mind, which is inherent in humanoid species. They are trained and able to put into practice the acquired knowledge. In addition to sounds, they are able to communicate with facial expressions and gestures, expressing their devotion and affection to the leader or neglect of individuals downstream on the hierarchical ladder.
Human
If you define the most social animal in the world, then this, of course, is a person, as a representative of the species of mammals. An experiment was even conducted by everyone who was forgotten today by King Frederick II (XIII century). Infants were fed, washed, swaddled, but did not talk to them. They all died, because the lack of affection or even negative, but attention, caused them to apathy, and they stopped eating.
A person is not able for a long time to be isolated from his own kind and to remain mentally full. Numerous examples from history confirm this.