Social Animals
Sociability is a trait that applies to the ecology and behavior of a species and not to individual organisms. Social species are genetically inclined to group together and follow a particular set of rules defining interactions between individuals. Humans can be considered a social species because we tend to live in communities instead of segregating ourselves as individuals and dispersing to unoccupied territory. In many species, a family unit, meaning parents and their immediate dependent young, groups together and follows particular guidelines of interaction. However, this does not qualify as a society. A society must be composed of more individuals than are contained in a family unit. Even in typically antisocial species, individuals may temporarily unite to bear and raise young before re-dispersing.
Sociability in animals must be either permanent or semi-permanent, unlike family units. The species must also divide social responsibilities among individuals within the group. For example, one group of individuals, whether determined by age, gender, or body shape, must consistently perform a particular function. This requirement disqualifies animals that are merely non-aggressive with one another, but that do not partake in the formality of social structure.
Definition
A rigorous definition of an animal society is: a group of animals belonging to the same species, and consisting of individuals beyond those in a family unit, who perform specific tasks, spend distinctly more time together, and interact much more within the group than with members of the same species outside of that group.
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