Which animals have social behavior?

Social Behavior of Animals Scientists call all forms of interaction between social animals animal social behavior. Research shows that each animal has its own special behavior, such as predation, supply, courtship and so on. The lower the creature, the simpler the behavior. At the same time, the sociality of animals is also developing and changing, aiming at survival, reproduction and evolution. Animal behavior has obvious genetic factors, some of which are closely related to the environment. If summed up systematically, the social behavior of animals is mainly reflected in the following aspects: dominance rank sequence. At present, tourism has become a fashion of people's life consumption and gradually popularized. If you go to beaches, lakes and other places where crabs live, you will find a strange phenomenon when you take a walk in the morning: crabs set off with the rising sun. Among them, the walking posture of the big crab is eight claws holding the abdomen off the ground, waving pliers and threatening; When the weak meet him, they will quickly put their eight paws flat on the ground and stick their bellies on the ground to make honest submission; Even those big crabs who bully the weak and fear the hard will stick their bellies to the ground and stay honest when they meet crabs bigger than them. Otherwise, the weak will be defeated by the strong, and the result will be those who occasionally see no pliers or only one pliers, and then the defeated soldiers with two pliers (crab pliers have the ability to regenerate, and the pliers that have not grown up are smaller than the original ones). Generally speaking, after all, there are very few people with residual limbs, because there is a hierarchical system in crab groups, which is the corresponding social status obtained by crabs from strong to weak through competition with their own strength, which is called the dominant rank sequence, which makes the crab society generally stable. Another example: Today people like to eat chicken and free-range eggs. As a result, the number of free-range farmers of Chai chicken has gradually increased. However, there is such a phenomenon that farmers are puzzled: some farmers have raised more than 100 chickens in the same feeding method, but they have not laid more eggs than twenty or thirty chickens of others. Experts have given such an explanation: chickens in the flock are also sorted according to their strength. Because of the large number of chickens, it is difficult for them to remember their ranking position, so they focus on fighting. Laying eggs has become a secondary task. In addition, experts also remind chicken farmers that it is not necessary to keep the rooster and hen separately, because they fight on their own racks and are not arranged in order, that is to say, the "king of chickens" does not have to find the "queen of chickens". These are just two representative examples. In fact, there are not only a lot of performances of rank sequences. It's also complicated. It has five basic characteristics:-the principle of phobia. The principle of fear difference means that members of social animal groups are afraid of strangers, and their behavior is reflected in their efforts to exclude strangers, because strangers may cause tension to resources (food resources, space resources, spouse resources, etc.). ) poses a potential threat to the entire population. For example, in the dry season when food is scarce in the African savannah, lions will never take in lions who are alone, and even reduce their numbers. -autocracy and peace. It is a relatively calm group in the animal society that has formed a superior hierarchical sequence. Animals come together for survival and reproduction and a common goal, not fighting every day. Therefore, this society, which has achieved some peace through power politics, does not welcome or allow outsiders to disturb this order. For example, in a hierarchical group of monkeys, in order to maintain his rule, the Monkey King not only does not accept the same sex appearing in other groups or wandering alone, but also expels adult male monkeys who pose a threat to his status from the group. In order to ensure the stability and unity of this small society. -the desire for power. A similarity between animal society and human society is that its members are full of official addiction, and they are eager to get ahead. When they become the second child, they never want to retire as the third child. Because their status is relatively high, just like the crabs mentioned above, they can put up shelves, put on a prestige and support themselves. Swagger-social stagnation. It means that once the dominant hierarchical sequence is established and perfected in the animal society, and all members of the community know their corresponding status, the society will be relatively stable in a certain period of time. Members of the population will not easily change their hierarchical status, nor will they easily fight. For example, among wolves, when the old wolf is not qualified for this position, the outlaws who spy on the "handsome position" will be ready to move. Therefore, the original rank sequence of the group will be disrupted. When a new wolf is selected, a new dominant rank sequence in the population will be formed and will last for a long time. During this time, the internal structure of this wolf pack is relatively stable. -Grouping. This means that the superior rank sequence is not only the ranking of individuals. It also includes the status ranking of groups or regions. For example, among orangutans, the young son of the queen mother orangutan is not as strong as other adult orangutans, but she can still show off. It can not only run to the arms of other female orangutans for food, but may even throw away or kill the young ones in the arms of other female orangutans because it wants to feed. Although the female orangutan doesn't want to, she dare not breast-feed it. If she won't or refuses to breastfeed her, the baby orangutan will call her "queen" mother and punish her. Communication behavior In order to coordinate the actions of the whole group in daily life, social animals must frequently contact and exchange information. Although different animals communicate in different ways, they are nothing more than the following categories:-auditory communication. Auditory communication means that animals use vocal organs or make special sounds to transmit information. The process by which other individuals in a group receive signals with their auditory organs. For example, in The Lion on the African Prairie, the lion manages the population by making different roars, courting the opposite sex, summoning cubs, coordinating hunting actions, summoning companions to eat, and fighting for the most delicious parts of its prey by talking to each other at dinner. -visual communication. Visual communication, also called optical communication, means that the signal sender changes through different postures or the surrounding environment suddenly changes. In this way, the information recipients can feel and react with their eyes. For example, a strange phenomenon happened in a zoo not long ago: due to negligence in management, the weasel killed a guinea fowl in front of the peacock. The peacock who witnessed the whole process of this tragic event was deeply stimulated, so that his behavior was abnormal and his screen was frequently opened day and night. Another example is that honey-picking bees can transmit the body information of figure-eight dance and swing dance. Tell other partners in the nest that the honey source has been discovered. But it doesn't need everyone. It can tell your partner the coordinates of the honey source from the perspective of the sun and the nest through different body posture changes. -tactile communication. Tactile communication is a process of information exchange between animals through direct or indirect physical contact, and it is a common way of communication between social animals. Take monkeys for example, there are many means of communication such as hearing, sight and touch. The common phenomenon of monkeys combing each other's hair is a typical way of tactile communication. Because stability and unity are very important among monkeys that have established dominance rank sequence, all members of the group should consciously safeguard it. It is not only an instinctive physiological need for monkeys to comb their hair and catch lice, but also a psychological and behavioral need between monkeys. It is a symbol of friendship, friendship and alliance. In addition, when the little monkey combs the hair of the high-ranking big monkey, there are also ingratiating and pleasing elements, which is enough to show that "flattery" is by no means a human patent. -Chemical communication. Chemical communication is a way of communication in which animals transmit information by releasing chemicals. It is very common to have a pet dog now. When walking the dog, the dog will definitely lie on the mound, on the roots, under the seat and so on. Moreover, sprinkling a little here and a little there is really unsightly, affecting the environment and lacking civilization. It is necessary to give these dogs a fair evaluation: they are not uncivilized, but an instinctive performance. Because the owner takes it everywhere, it regards that place as its sphere of influence. So it will leave its own smell and tell other dogs: this is my place. At this time, the dog urinates not for the need of excretion. Is to divide the territory. -electrical communication. Electrical communication is an instinct of animals to explore the surrounding environment and feel the surrounding information through the change of their own electric field, which is mainly reflected in some lower animals. For example, many fish that live in water will send out power lines. When the surrounding object cuts the power line, the fish can feel the nature of the object: is it stone or wood? Is it fish or shrimp? Is it prey or enemy? In addition, in order to communicate, especially in the breeding season, it is necessary to identify each other by this means. See if the other person is a woman or a man, whether the individual is big or small, and whether it is suitable for him ... Finally, choose an object of the right size for mating. Courtship Behavior Although most people know that courtship behavior is of great significance to the mating and reproduction of animals, there are some other functions that are not known to ordinary people. This should start with two manifestations of this behavior. The first performance is called courtship and showing off. Refers to an animal behavior or morphological structure that attracts the opposite sex and repels the same sex. For animals, courtship shows off the following advantages:-attracting the opposite sex. -No gay. Because no animal likes the same sex to compete with it for mating resources. -Promote the gonadal development of individuals of the opposite sex. -Preventing hybridization with heterogeneous individuals. Because any animal's courtship display has its own species specificity, it will not cause hybridization between different species. -Conducive to exposing the weakness of courtiers. For example, there is a pheasant. The female will find a clearing in the Woods and then fly to a nearby tree as an audience. Soon, their suitors, male pheasants, will dance in groups in the open space in front of female pheasants. After a performance, the best male pheasant will strut out of the venue, and there will be a large group of females behind him. Or just sexually mature, male competitors who performed for the first time. After they appeared, there was no female pheasant accompanying them. They have to study hard and wait for the next year. Therefore, through courtship and showing off, female individuals get the best choice. The second form of expression is homosexuality. Homosexuality exists in both higher mammals (including humans) and lower amphibians. So why is this incredible in animals? This should start with its biological significance: first, it has the function of inhibiting attacks. Because some antagonistic attacks often occur among members of animal groups, it is very unfavorable to the stability and unity within the population and the stable development of the whole population. Therefore, according to the principle of contradiction theory, there must be another corresponding behavior to suppress and calm the troubles caused by the above unstable factors. Someone has done an experiment: put gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos of the same sex together for observation, and found that they often fight frequently and beat their heads off for some trivial things. But if there is a series of communication similar to courtship behavior, such as hugging each other and combing each other, then all disputes will subside. And can keep calm for a long time. The second effect of homosexual behavior on animals is to release energy and relieve tension. In the mating season of animals, bachelors who can't find a spouse will also have the impulse to choose a spouse because of the influence of courtship or reproductive behavior of other similar people nearby. But when there is no opposite sex around them, homosexuality may occur among same-sex groups. Scientists have done such an experiment: put a pair of turtledoves, a male and a female, together. When the male turtledove courted the female turtledove, the female turtledove was replaced by the rooster. At this time, the male turtledove, who was deeply in love, immediately turned his attention to the cock. Although the rooster ignored him, he still pestered him. At this time, the rooster was taken away, and the helpless male turtledove had reached the point where he could courtship whatever he caught, whether it was a rag or a mop. It circled around the target, flapping its wings down and moving its head frequently. So this environment naturally induces homosexuality. After courtship, animals hold weddings and start families. There are many forms of animal families, but there are three basic types, namely monogamy, polygamy and single-parent families. Monogamy is called family happiness strategy, that is, female individuals visit and choose male individuals who are loyal to the family. In today's human society, some women's criteria for choosing a spouse are extremely harsh. Not only is the man handsome and personable, but he must also have a car, a house and a deposit. It is best to "have no old age and no small burden", and the young woman is delicate and indispensable. At the same time, female animals not only value male courtship performance, but also care about whether the nest is large, comfortable and beautiful. Whether the grain reserves are sufficient, and so on. You won't get married until you toss your spouse to the point where you have no energy or ability to build a nest and hide a mistress. Such a family not only lives comfortably, but also has strong feelings between husband and wife. Polygamy is also a personal choice of women. For example, chickens, roosters and wives all live in groups. Because the hen is still a chick with a chick after hatching, it won't let the rooster near. At this time, the idle rooster will naturally look for the second, third and fourth rooster, but the key reason is that the original hen doesn't care. Tiger, leopard, bear and other single-parent families are used to single life and have a large territory, so meeting is a romantic one-night stand, and then they go their separate ways and become strangers. As for pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding, everything is like a stranger. Everyone still lives their own lives. Altruistic behavior Altruistic behavior refers to the behavior that some individuals in social animals sacrifice their own interests or even their own lives for the benefit of the group or other individuals. For example, prairie dogs and mice live in small families. Whenever they want to have "outdoor activities", each family will assign full-time members to monitor whether there is danger around them. A highly vigilant surveillance network will be formed on the vast grassland. Once dangerous objects such as eagles, foxes and wolves appear, as long as a dog barks and a mouse barks, all the homes will quickly hide in deep holes. This warning signal is altruistic. Altruistic behavior is not only the above performance, but also very tragic and even touching sometimes. Just like the wedding of spider and mantis, after the wedding, the female eats the male. But males are voluntary. He volunteered his life as a nourishment for women. This is a relatively individual and extreme altruistic behavior. For example, everyone who has raised chickens knows that chickens will make "Ji, Ji, Ji" when they eat. This is the sound of food calling, and no amount of food is enough for him to eat. Will summon the same kind to eat together. Because the chicken's life is very fragile, as long as it is hungry for one or two meals, it will die. Therefore, we can only use this method of "everyone for me and everyone for me" to tide over the difficulties. But chickens will become selfish when they grow up, and then there will be extreme self-interest behavior of eating themselves. Not only does it stop calling for food, but when other chickens come over and want to "share a piece of cake", they will not hesitate to beat it away. This is well explained by biology: the ancients thought that there were three kinds of unfilial, and there were no heirs. It can be seen that people attach great importance to family background. So do some animals. Mature chickens can copy their genes by mating and laying eggs. In order to continue their genes, they must supplement themselves with limited food, which is much more meaningful to individuals who can't get away with it than eating. This selfish behavior is the embodiment of animal instinct. There is nothing wrong with selfish behavior. In human society, there are many stories about being kind to others and giving themselves up for others, and some people are extremely selfish if they don't do it for themselves. The same is true of the animal world, as opposed to altruistic behavior. Among many manifestations of selfish behavior, pro-killing behavior can be described as an extreme, which is mainly manifested in three aspects: drowning a baby boy. On the African prairie, the young lion will challenge the old lion king for the position of the lion king. Once it defeats the old lion king, not only the territory of the old lion king will change hands, but also the lioness of this territory will become the wife of the new lion king. If a lioness is breastfeeding at this time, the new lion king will try to kill the cubs, and the lioness can only face the reality after the resistance is invalid. The new lion king did this because it is impossible for a lactating lioness to be his wife in estrus. Only by killing the cubs and forcibly stopping the lactation of the lioness can the lioness enter a new round of estrus and become its new love. Larvae are cannibals. Tiger sharks in the ocean are oviparous fish, which can lay more than 100 eggs at a time, but they can only lay one at a time when they give birth to a young fish. This is because other young fish have been eaten by one of their fiercest brothers and sisters in their mother's womb. Therefore, the newborn tiger shark is a very excellent and fierce killer. Another example is that cuckoo lays eggs in Nestle, which is a mountain where cuckoo hatches eggs. The hatched cuckoo will mercilessly push the big tits' eggs or young birds out of the nest and throw them to death, so that the big tits can be carefully raised. Abandonment refers to the expulsion and abandonment of individuals with abnormal behavior by animal groups or families. If one member of the group has an infectious disease, it is very likely that the group will face extinction. At this time, it must be "isolated". The method of "isolation" is simple. Everyone runs together, and if they are sick and can't keep up, they will be abandoned. In a word, the above-mentioned behavior of animals cannot be evaluated or judged by human ethics, because it has its own biological reasons and necessary factors for survival: organisms always have to adapt to the changes in the surrounding living environment. Facts have proved that only animals can adapt to the environment quickly. In order to survive in the fierce competition, the above introduction to animal social behavior reminds people to pay attention to the vast animal world around their society, because in a sense, animals, like people, are part of the rich and colorful biodiversity world. The long experience of people and animals is also the history of human development. Although animals don't have human thinking ability, they are also beating their lives. And it has a certain degree of fit with human beings. Therefore, knowing animals, understanding animals, caring for animals and living in peace with animals will not only help people broaden their horizons or hint at social affairs, but also be full of some profound philosophies, encouraging and attracting people to discover and refine. (Author: Huang Cheng, associate professor of Nanjing University)