PSYC 3100 Chapter Notes - Chapter 14: Reciprocal Altruism, Margo Wilson, Hominidae
16 Sep 2013
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The best insight into this question is comparative study of other species. Sociality (the tendency for an animal to associate with other members of its species) has a particular distribution across the animal kingdom. Animals are social if it pays them to be social, and more solitary if the cost of being social outweighs the benefits. Because selection is not efficient at crafting adaptations at the level of group, the evolution of social or solitary life depends on the benefits/costs to the individual. Less vulnerable to predators (more alert senses, groups can be repelling to some predators) What works depends on the circumstances: some species may have many predators, especially if they are small. For example, the orangutans they are the only asian great ape and are one of the only solitary primates. They are very big and live very high up in trees, making them quite protected against predators.
