Âé¶¹´«Ã½

Life

Animals that are social outliers seem to be better at solving problems

A study in 13 species of ungulates, including horses, sheep, deer and llamas, found that the most innovative individuals were also less integrated in social groups

By Christa Lesté-Lasserre

5 April 2023

A dorcas gazelle succeeds in removing the lid from a cup to get food

Caicoya AL et al. (2023)

Sheep, camels, goats, gazelles and other hoofed animals are better at figuring out solutions to puzzles when they are less integrated into social groups.

Such marginalisation might force individuals to find food, shelter and other needs on their own without group help, thereby fuelling innovation, says at the University of Leipzig in Germany.

“If you’re not well integrated into your social group, you can’t count on friends providing you with support or sharing resources with you, and you have…

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with Âé¶¹´«Ã½ events and special offers.

Sign up

To continue reading, today with our introductory offers

or

Existing subscribers

Sign in to your account
Piano Exit Overlay Banner Mobile Piano Exit Overlay Banner Desktop