Packs of African Wild Dogs Vote on Group Decisions by Sneezing

[Xarog]

Do pack animals just follow their leader? Or if not, how do they reach a consensus? According to observations taken of African wild dogs in Botswana, one option is sneezing.

According to new research, if enough animals in the pack sternutate, that constitutes a quorum that it's time to get up and go hunting.

The research was initiated by Neil Jordan of the UNSW Centre for Ecosystem Science, who was studying the dogs' social rallies. This is when the dogs, when they have finished resting, conduct energetic greeting ceremonies before running off to hunt.

Jordan started to notice that, prior to these rallies, the dogs would sneeze a lot more than usual.

"I wanted to better understand this collective behaviour, and noticed the dogs were sneezing while preparing to go," he said.

"We recorded details of 68 social rallies from 5 African wild dog packs living in the Okavango Delta in Botswana, and couldn't quite believe it when our analyses confirmed our suspicions."

Previously, researchers had thought the dogs were sneezing just to clear their airways. But the amount of sneezing, and the dogs involved in the sneezing, indicates that it has a more deliberate purpose.

"The more sneezes that occurred, the more likely it was that the pack moved off and started hunting. The sneeze acts like a type of voting system," says Jordan.

The research team found that if the dominant dogs sneezed, then only a few sneezes were required for the rally to take place. If the dominant dogs did not sneeze, then the rally would only take place after 10 or more sneezes.

https://sciencealert.com/cutest-polling-booth-ever-african-wild-dogs-vote-by-sneezing

 

[OrbitalDawn]

That is pretty damn fascinating.

Awaiting a BBC Planet Earth segment on it.

 

[Jola]

So if you are alone in the bush, best not sneeze !

 

[Techne]

So if you are alone in the bush, best not sneeze !

Or, if you suspect being chased by wild dogs,start sneezing and whisper "I'm with you guys, I know where my mother in law is".