Chapters 21 through 23 Summary and Analysis

Chapter 21: Pepper

Mark and Delia watch the den where Star's pups are. They see other members of the clan bring them food. It is an amazing piece of research—brown hyenas adopt pups who become orphans. This behavior is rare among most species. Although the adoptive relatives appears to be selfless, the core reason for the behavior falls more to the theory of kin selection. The survival of the fittest refers not to an individual's fitness but rather the survival of their genes to future generations.

Their study of the "helping" behavior of the brown hyena is Delia's subject for her Ph.D. Delia spends most of her hours with the hyenas—at first in her truck, then sitting on the grass. Star's young pups begin to trust her. They come close and sniff her hair, her...