Synopsis

For some time, scientists have sought to understand the prevalence of social living in the animal kingdom. It appears that animal societies are often structured around dominance hierarchies, shaped by the potent influence of sexual selection. The work of Thorlief Schjelderup-Ebbe, Solly Zuckerman, Clarence Ray Carpenter, Frank Fraser Darling, William Hamilton, and Amotz Zahavi illuminates different facets of this complex question.