Question

1. What are the impacts of habitat/environment on group formation in wild horses? In this case, how does intraspecific behavior act as a driver of group formation?
2. Living in a group could bring several disadvantages to an individual, as well as several advantages. Describe the basic social organization and benefits of group-living for African lions.
3. Describe the matrilineal society of the African elephant.   
4. What are the advantages of group formation by the spotted hyena? What is so unusual about the social organization of this species?
5. Describe the unusual social organization of the naked mole rat. What are the advantages of group formation for this species? What environmental factors might have been responsible?

Answer 1

Answer 1:

The impacts of habitat/environment on group formation in wild horses:

The impact of habitat i.e. predation from other predators is one of the primary reasons for the horses to live in groups rather than in isolation. The horses are known for their behavior for living in groups’.They preferred to live in a group than in isolation because it is believed that there is some sort of selective pressure on them and that pressure is due to their predators. The predators can easily attack them if they are present in isolation so, to safeguard themselves as the predator will find it difficult to attack the group of horses than the horse of solitary existence or presence.

Secondly, the horses are considered to be the prey animals and they possess strong fight or flight response. At first, most of them prefer to flee and put their foot backward but, they also are known to fight and defend themselves if it seems difficult for them to flee or if their young ones are in danger. They safeguard their young ones by fighting for them in such a scenario.

There are certain breed of species known for their developed characteristics like high alertness, speed, flexibility, and coordination, etc. and in fact, these species or breed are tried to maintain by the owners by selective breeding techniques.

So, in order to avoid such strong predation from predators, the horses preferred to stay in a group to avoid being targeted by the predators.

The intraspecific behavior is the driving force for them to be in groups or for the formation of groups:

The horses are known for their collective organizational behavior or formation of the herd and form many wild or domestic groups. They are believed to be the social animals as they show the attachment to their fellow animals or animals of the same species, even with humans. This strong companionship from them offers communicating behavior by the actions shown by them to other animals or owners via nickering, mutual grooming and through some other bodily actions or signs.

They often respond collectively or follow the traces or direction of other animals (same species or breed) also. This companionship and positive responses shown from them are some of the reasons to become the driving force for them to form such groups.

The horses if do not have their fellow horse in close proximity their behavior changes by developing bad choices and habits, showing lack of discipline, weaving, or other problems, etc.