Social life brings benefits. Animals that live in groups are better protected from predators, giving them more time to feed and care for their offspring. However, each individual within the group has different needs. For example, while some need more time to digest, others may already want to go to a place with food or go to the river to drink.
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To maintain group cohesion, animals must make decisions together, which is why each social species has its voting system. In some cases the opinion of all individuals counts equally, in other cases only part of the group can vote and there are also cases where the leader has all the power. Here are five examples:
Buffalo: They decide where to graze
Lake Manyara National Park is located in Tanzania, a place that offers various feeding grounds for buffalo. In the afternoon the herd can often be found resting on the shore of the lake. Most people lie down, but every once in a while a buffalo will straighten up, shake itself a little, and lie down again as if stretching its legs. When the sun touches the horizon, it’s time to look for an area with good pasture to eat. The herd stands up and together they start walking in the same direction. Somehow everyone knows where to go.
Animals that live in groups are better at protecting themselves from predators, but to maintain cohesion, they must make decisions together.”
In the 1990s, Herbert Prins, a professor of ecology at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, realized that only women stood up to supposedly stretch their legs, and that they were actually voting by doing so. After shaking off and before lying down again, they “faced” in a specific direction for one minute, holding their heads higher than when they were at rest, but lower than when they were awake. After the females voiced their preferences, the herd moved in the direction with the most votes.
Bees: Scouts choose the new nest
As a hive grows, the queen and half of the group leave to settle in a new location, while a young queen maintains the old colony. The selection process for the new nest begins with the departure of hundreds of scout bees who are responsible for inspecting each hole in the trees to find the ideal nest. They take into account factors such as size, exposure to light, humidity or temperature.
At the end of the quest, the scouts will return to the hive and the election campaign will begin. Through a kind of dance, everyone shares the place they liked the most, providing information about its location and quality. When a large number of bees dance together, the decision has been made. In just one minute, all the bees are flying towards their new homes.
Swans: After the ritual, they start flying
Whooper swans during a snowfall in Rongcheng Swan National Nature Reserve, China, on December 14, 2022. VCG (Getty Images)
Migratory birds have to make countless important decisions on their journey, such as when to begin the flight after stopping to feed and rest. If they take too long, the journey may take longer than necessary and they may not reach their destination on time. However, if they don’t eat enough and leave too early, they run the risk of running out of strength. To make matters worse, gregarious birds must make these decisions by consensus among hundreds of individuals.
In some species, voting is done democratically through ritualized behavior, that is, through the successive repetition of stereotyped behavior. An example is swans. When an individual wants to take off, it begins to toss its head and flap its wings restlessly. Gradually, more people join the ritual until the movements intensify just 30 seconds before takeoff. The time has come to go.
Meerkats: vocalizations for voting
Meerkats search for predators and food in their surroundings at Animal Kingdom Park in Orange, Florida, USA in 2022. Joseph Prezioso (Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Meerkats live in Africa and form very closed groups of up to 50 individuals. Since these are predominantly carnivorous animals that search for their small prey in the sand, they cannot communicate visually with one another while foraging. As such, they have developed a wide range of vocalizations that they use in different contexts. For example, the vocalization of “close” is used to avoid getting too far apart.
When a meerkat realizes that there is no prey nearby and wants to move to another feeding spot, it makes the vocalization “Move”. A study published in 2010 showed that only two other meerkats in the group joined in vocalizing, which was enough to get everyone moving. This was true regardless of the dominance, gender or age of the callers, as everyone can assess food availability.
Elephants: The matriarch decides
A herd of elephants enjoy a morning drink at a waterhole in Paterson, South Africa. David Silverman (Getty Images)
There is no democratic voting for the elephants as the final decision on when and where to eat rests with one person: the matriarch. This is the oldest woman in the group and everyone accepts her guidance as experience and wisdom often go hand in hand. In fact, several studies have shown that older elephants make better decisions.
For example, elephants often encounter lions on the savannah, but these are not always a threat. A small group of lionesses is no match for a herd of elephants trying to protect their young. However, male lions are much more dangerous and the risk also increases when the group of lionesses is very large. One study found that the older the matriarch, the better at assessing the risk posed by the presence of predators. With elephants, wisdom is the boss.
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