Social life brings advantages. Animals that live in groups have greater protection against predators that allows them more time to feed and care for their offspring. However, each individual within the group has different needs. For example, while some need more time to digest, others may already want to move to an area with food or go to the river to drink.
To maintain group cohesion, animals have to make decisions together, which is why each social species has its own voting system. In some cases the opinion of all individuals is equally valid, in others only one part of the group can vote and there are also cases in which the leader has all the power. Here are five examples:
Buffaloes: they are the ones who decide where to graze
Tanzania is home to Lake Manyara National Park, a place that offers different feeding areas for buffaloes. In the afternoon, the herd is often found resting on the shore of the lake. Most individuals are lying down, but once in a while, a buffalo will pick itself up, shake itself a little, and lie down again, as if it were stretching its legs. When the sun touches the horizon, it is time to look for an area with good pastures to eat. The herd stands up and together they start walking in the same direction. Somehow, everyone knows where they have to go.
Animals that live in groups protect themselves more from predators, but to maintain cohesion they must make decisions together”
In the 1990s, a professor of ecology at the University of Wageningen (Netherlands) named Herbert Prins realized that only females stood up to supposedly stretch their legs, and that, in doing so, they they were actually voting. After shaking off and before lying down again, they would “look” for one minute in a given direction, keeping their heads higher than in the resting position, but lower than when alert. Once the females had expressed their preferences, the herd moved in the direction with the most votes.
Bees: scouts choose the new nest
When a hive of bees grows, the queen and half of the group leave the home to settle in a new place, while a young queen perpetuates the old colony. The selection process for the new nest begins with the departure of hundreds of scout bees who are in charge of inspecting each cavity in the trees to find the ideal one. They take into account factors such as size, exposure to light, humidity or temperature.
At the end of the search, the scouts return to the hive and the electoral campaign begins. Through a type of dance, each one communicates the site that they liked the most, providing information about its location and quality. When there are a large number of bees that coincide in their dance, the decision is made. In just a minute all the bees start to fly towards their new home.
Swans: start to fly after the ritual
Migratory birds have to face endless important decisions on their journeys, such as when to start the flight after stopping to eat and rest. If they take too long, the journey may take longer than necessary and they may not reach their destination on time, but if they don’t eat enough and leave too early, they risk running out of steam. To make matters worse, gregarious birds must make these decisions by consensus among hundreds of individuals.
In some species, the vote is carried out democratically through ritualized behaviors, that is, through the successive repetition of a stereotyped behavior. An example is that of the Swans. When an individual wants to take off, he begins to shake his head and flap his wings restlessly. Little by little, more individuals join the ritual until, just 30 seconds before takeoff, the movements intensify. The time has come to leave.
Meerkats: vocalizations to vote
Meerkats live in Africa forming very cohesive groups of up to 50 individuals. Mainly, they are carnivorous animals that look for their small prey in the sand, so during the foraging time they cannot communicate with each other visually. Hence, they have developed a wide range of vocalizations that they use in different contexts. For example, the vocalization of “closeness” is used to avoid getting too far from each other.
When a meerkat detects that there is no prey nearby and wants to move to another feeding area, it makes the “move” vocalization. A study published in 2010 He showed that just two more meerkats in the group joining in the vocalization was enough to get everyone moving. This was true regardless of the dominance, sex, or age of the individuals making the call, since anyone can assess food availability.
Elephants: the matriarch decides
For the elephants there are no democratic votes, since the final decision on when and where to eat rests with a single individual: the matriarch. This is the oldest female in the group, and everyone accepts her leadership, for experience and wisdom often go hand in hand with her. In fact, several studies have shown that older elephants make better decisions.
For example, in the savannah elephants often meet lions, but they do not always pose a threat. A small group of lionesses is no match for a herd of elephants eager to protect their young. However, male lions are much more dangerous and the risk also increases if the group of lionesses is very large. A study showed that the older the matriarch was, the better she knew how to assess the risk posed by the presence of predators. In elephants, wisdom is the boss.
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