March 14, 2016 by Jason Gilchrist, Edinburgh Napier University
The banded mongoose, a small social
mammal of the African savannah, is known to be one of the most cooperative and
helpful of all animals.
They live across central and southern Africa in family groups of up to 28. Individuals
routinely feed and protect the offspring of other group members, and when one
of their own is threatened they gang up together to defend against attack from
predators or a rival team of mongooses.
But life is not all friendly cuddles
between team-mates. Recent research shows these animals have a dark side. In
the latest study of these mongooses, published recently in the Proceedings of
the Royal Society B, researchers from the University
of Exeter , Liverpool John
Moores University
War cries
The drama ensues when the presence of
greater numbers of offspring and younger siblings compromise
the productivity – breeding success – of senior group members.
Over a period of days, the happy family's
territory then becomes a chaotic battleground between
relatives. The conflict is ultimately resolved by the older, dominant
individuals evicting their
younger team-mates en-masse.
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