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En muchas comunidades de animales, tener amigos es de suma importancia para la supervivencia y la reproducción. Éste es le caso de la pintada común en la sabana en Kenia; el hyrax de roca en Israel; los murciélagos vampiros de Panamá, y las marmotas de vientre amarillo de las montañas de Colorado.

Being sociable has its advantages. Finding food and facing the enemy is much easier with the strength found in numbers. In hard times, you can count on family and friends. But social connections also carry a negative side. Pests and viruses can take this opportunity to spread! By examining social networks in animal societies, we can better understand how diseases and parasites spread.

In social animals, family is paramount. The little ones cannot survive without the attentive care of their parent. This family unit forms the basic social group. Several families, linked together, form a larger group. In the animal world, nothing is more important than the bonds of blood.

Did you know that animals are innovative individuals? Capable of inventing new ways of doing things? And to spread their inventions, these leaders can count on copycats. In fact, imitating parents and friends is the basis of learning in many animal species. Copying saves time and can even save lives. Learning from others is beneficial for escaping predators, finding food and creating useful alliances. Sometimes, a new behavior appears in a particular region or group. We are talking about culture, where animal communities have a culture of their own that can be as human human ones. How does culture emerge? How do ideas spread? These are the questions that scientists are finally beginning to answer. Animal societies are emerging as a reflection of human ones.

Como los humanos, los animales tienen personalidades únicas que se reflejan en sus relaciones sociales. Así lo demuestran aves como el carbonero común en Alemania, las hormigas "azteca" de la selva tropical de Panamá, los elefantes de la sabana de Kenia o los chimpancés de la selva de Uganda.