When we think about social behavior in animals, we tend to think of competition. In competition, animals compete for different things, such as resources, territory, and even mates. However, not all social behaviors are negative. Cooperative behavior has evolved as an alternative to competition. So, instead of competing for resources, territory, or mating rights, cooperation allows animals to combine their efforts and achieve their goals.
Are you interested in learning more about cooperation in animals? You came to the right place!
Definition of animal cooperation
First, let's look at the definition of animal cooperation.
Cooperation is a type of social behavior observed in animals that is mutually beneficial.
Social behavior is referred to as any kind of interaction between two or more animals, usually of the same species.
These cooperative interactions are common in the natural world, with animals cooperating to hunt, defend territory, attract mates, or form coalitions within their group.
For example, during prey hunting, chimpanzees produce a "hunting bark" to recruit more group members to the hunt and make the chase more effective.
Ants also exhibit cooperation.
For example, ants might work together to carry a large insect back to the nest in order to feed other ants.
Some texts books might refer to cooperation as a collaboration!
Cooperative behavior in animals
Cooperation is a behavioral adaptation that has evolved as an alternative to competition through evolutionary pressures.
For example, in certain conditions, the ability to reproduce is greatly enhanced through cooperation, resulting in a positive feedback loop where those that collaborate have an increased chance of producing offspring!
In other words, cooperative behavior tends to increase the fitness of the individual and the survival of the population.
Cooperative behavior, however, comes at a cost. While animals may be able to secure more resources as a group, these resources must then be shared among them. As a result, collaboration is most common among individuals with similar genetic backgrounds. Considering that the chances of passing on genes among a family that shares among itself are increased, this makes sense from an evolutionary viewpoint.
In certain species, this self-reinforcing feedback loop has been in place for millions of years, strengthening social structures and cooperation!
3 types of cooperative behavior in animals
Cooperative behavior can be either mutualistic or altruistic. In mutualistic cooperation, both animals benefit because their combined effort leads to greater benefits.
Mutualism is referred to as any interaction that directly benefits both organisms involved.
Altruistic cooperation involves displaying behavior that benefits another at the expense of oneself. These animals that use cooperative behavior reduce their own offspring production but boost the number of offspring that other animals might produce.
Think of it as an act of selflessness!
Taking the female vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) as an example. In the presence of a predator, these monkeys emit warning calls to warn other monkeys. As a result, they attract the predator's attention. For the sake of saving the lives of their fellow members, they put their lives at risk!
Altruism is a behavior in which animals reduce their own fitness in order to increase the fitness of other members of the population.
While there are many types of cooperative behavior, there are three that are especially common:
Cooperative group hunting is seen when animals hunt together in groups in order to successfully capture larger prey at fewer costs. Such cooperative behavior is seen in lions, wolves, spotted hyenas, chimpanzees, and even dolphins.
Let's look at cooperative hunting in bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). During hunting, bottlenose dolphins form groups of 5-6 dolphins, each which a specialized role. The "driver" dolphin herds the fish in circles towards the "barrier dolphins". Then, the dolphin will splash its tail, sending the fish into the air. Afterward, all dolphins are able to catch the fish in the air with their mouths open.
Sometimes cooperative hunting is seen between two different species. In some cases, coyotes and badgers team up to hunt burrowing animals like ground squirrels and prairie dogs. Basically, badgers will pursue the animals if they are underground, while the coyotes wait for the squirrel or prairie dogs at the burrow entrance!
Some animals can exhibit cooperative behavior as a means of safekeeping and defense.
For example, buffalo such as the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer), tend to group together to make it more difficult for predators to attack a single buffalo. They tend to form a defensive circle with the younger and weaker in the center, surrounded by the stronger buffalo.
Another type of cooperation is cooperative territory protection.
For example, although wolves howl to communicate with other group members, they can also use it to let other animals know of their territorial boundaries.
Examples of cooperation in animals
An excellent example of cooperation in animal species that has been in an evolutionary feedback loop toward cooperation is the African lion (Panthera leo).
Lions cooperate to hunt, defend territory, raise young, repel male challengers, and more. When hunting together with just 3-4 individuals, lions can tackle much larger prey than their competitors, such as the African buffalo. Considering a single buffalo provides between 400-800 kg of meat and the average adult lion requires about 20-30 kg every 3-4 days, a few lions can secure enough food for 10-15 pride members with a single kill.
Through collaboration, an entire pride can feed itself through the efforts of a select few, including those that temporarily cannot hunt due to injuries, sickness, pregnancy, child care, or age!
Additionally, a coalition of brothers usually protects prides and territories rather than a single male alone. Sharing fighting risks and mating rewards increases their chances of survival and will reduce the chances of being overthrown by a challenger, which would lead to pride-wide infanticide.
During hunts, females share the burdens of caring for the cubs by taking turns safeguarding the crèche. There are even situations in which female cubs even allow other cubs to suckle on them.
In times of scarcity, a certain level of competition comes into play, and a fine balancing act plays out, especially after a successful hunt. In order to ensure their share of a kill, all members test and enforce the social hierarchy. This balance between competition and cooperation varies per species and is directly dependent on how strong the evolutionary push for cooperation has been. Highly social species like lions, which have relied on cooperation for millions of years, rarely undergo dangerously violent outbursts within their prides.
Another interesting example of cooperation between animals is seen in the birthing process of Pteropus rodricensis fruit bat. During birth, non-pregnant female bats assist pregnant bats in the birthing process by licking the pregnant bat and wrapping their wings around them.
In another group of bats known as vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus), feeding cooperation happens. In this type of cooperative behavior, females will regurgitate blood meals (obtained from cattle and horses) to other bats that were unable to obtain food and are at risk of starvation.
Cooperation between animals in the rainforest
It turns out that cooperation is not very common between animals in the rainforest. Most species living in the tropical rainforest are independent. There is, however, a spider found in rainforest habitats that do show cooperative behavior.
The spider Agelena consociata is a common inhabitant of primary rainforest areas in equatorial Africa. A. consociata spiders live in groups in large nests and traps. They exhibit cooperative prey capture and cooperative web maintenance.
During cooperative prey capture, over 25 spiders are needed to capture large prey, and a single large prey can feed up to 40 spiders. These spiders also work together to repair webs that have been damaged by rain.
Cooperation in Animals - Key takeaways
- Cooperation is a type of social behavior observed in animals that is mutually beneficial.
- Social behavior is referred to as any kind of interaction between two or more animals, usually of the same species.
- Cooperation is a behavioral adaptation that has evolved as an alternative to competition through evolutionary pressures.
- Cooperative behaviors are seen in animals cooperating to hunt, defend territory, attract mates, or form coalitions within their group.
While there are many types of cooperative behavior, there are three that are especially common: cooperative group hunting, cooperative safekeeping, and cooperative territory protection.
References
- Gokcekus, S. Exploring the causes and consequences of cooperative behaviour in wild animal populations using a social network approach. Biological Sciences (2021).
- Gazda, S. A division of labour with role specialization in group–hunting bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ) off Cedar Key, Florida. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (2005).
- Riechert, S. E. Why Do Some Spiders Cooperate? Agelena consociata, a Case Study. The Florida Entomologist (1985).
- HowStuffWorks. Do Coyotes and Badgers Work Together to Find Food? (2009, January 6).
- ASU News. Communication by chimpanzees improves cooperative hunting success. (2022, July 29).
- Campbell, N. A., Taylor, M. R., Simon, E. J., Dickey, J. L., Hogan, K., & Reece, J. B. Biology concepts & connections. New York Pearson (2019).
- Mary Ann Clark, Jung Ho Choi, Douglas, M. M., & College, O. Biology. Openstax, Rice University (2018).
- Relyea, R., & Ricklefs, R. E. Ecology : the economy of nature. Macmillan Education (2018).
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