A SOCIAL ANIMAL RESEARCH PROJECT BASED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER
Banded mongooses are the rougher, tougher cousins of the meerkat, and have fascinating social lives.
Paper wasps form small cooperative teams composed of both kin and non-kin, who together share the tasks of building a nest and rearing offspring.
Killer whales live together in close-knit family groups and have extraordinary social lives.
“Social evolution is one of the most exciting topics in biology. How does altruism evolve? How do self-interested individuals resolve conflicts? Why does inequality vary in animal societies? Our research tackles these and other questions, through theory and field research on animals ranging from insects to humans.”
The Socialis project is directed by Professor Michael Cant, a Professor of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Exeter. He collaborates with teams of specialist biologists based all over the world.