A SOCIAL ANIMAL RESEARCH PROJECT BASED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF EXETER
We are a team of researchers who study social behaviour in wild animals. We try to understand why animals cooperate or compete with each other, and how different types of animal society evolved. Our main research organisms are:
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.
MEET THE MONGOOSES
Banded mongooses are the rougher, tougher cousins of the meerkat, and have fascinating social lives. Watch the video to learn more about our research on these extraordinary animals.
MEET THE PAPER WASPS
Paper wasps form small, hierarchical societies which are ideal to study the evolution of cooperation and conflict. Watch the video to find out more about our research at our Spanish study site.
MONGOOSES IN THE MEDIA
Listen to Dr Emma Vitikainen being interviewed by the BBC to discuss her latest paper revealing how social care in banded mongooses may be sex biased. Click to hear the full interviews with the BBC World Service and BBC kids.
GUEST LECTURE
Professor Michael Cant recently gave a guest lecture at the Centre for Whale Research in Washington highlighting his work on post-reproductive lifespan in killer whales and humans. To find out more watch here.
ABOUT OUR RESEARCH
“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.