Animal BehaviorAnimal Instinct, Learning, and Emotions |
Do animals have friends? |
Animals often do form social attachments (friends) among their peers and other animals. For example, among savanna baboons, bonds between males and females are a central feature of a society. Other “friendlike” behaviors have been seen, too: allogrooming is when the animal grooms another animal, usually of the same species. Also, reciprocal altruism is a phenomenon in which an animal helps another unrelated animal. These enduring bonds range from a moose “in love” with a horse to a cat who snuggles with a pet mouse.

Lions are cooperative hunters, taking down large prey by coordinating their efforts. Lionesses do much of the work, but male lions also participate in hunting for their prides.