Emotions play a crucial role in an animal's life because they facilitate responses to external
or internal events of significance for the organism. In social species, one of the main …

Two core questions in the study of speech evolution are whether nonhuman primate signals
should be conceived as referential, and what the role of social cognition is in primate …

If the large brains and great intelligence characteristic of primates were favoured by
selection pressures associated with life in complex societies, then cognitive abilities and …

Game theory predicts that individuals should assess numbers of potential opponents before
engaging in aggressive interactions, particularly when numerical odds can determine …

Societies characterized by fission–fusion dynamics consist of subgroups that frequently
change in size and composition. Although this flexible lifestyle permits individuals to reduce …

Cattle vocalisations have been proposed as potential indicators of animal welfare. However,
very few studies have investigated the acoustic structure and information encoded in these …

Theoretically intelligence should evolve to help animals solve specific types of problems
posed by the environment, but it remains unclear how environmental complexity or novelty …

Background Among mammals living in social groups, individuals form communication
networks where they signal their identity and social status, facilitating social interaction. In …

Biologists studying large carnivores in wild places usually do so from a distance, using
telemetry and noninvasive methods of data collection. So what happens when an …

Because collective movements have fitness consequences for all participants, group travel
can impose conflicts of interest when group-mates vary. Challenges associated with …