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Table 1 Various social (top) and cognitive (bottom) features of mammals (M) and birds (B) with respect to their developmental mode (A = altricial, P = precocial)

From: The importance of the altricial – precocial spectrum for social complexity in mammals and birds – a review

Characteristics of social complexity Subcategory Taxonomic Class Developmental Mode Examples Reference
Social features
Long-term, extended bonds/Valuable relationships Kin M A Primates - Review; Yellow baboon (Papio cynocephalus); Mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei); Gelada (Theropithecus gelada); Raccoon (Procyon lotor) [71, 89, 211213]
   M P Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus); Cetaceans – Review; African elephant (Loxodonta africana); Wild boar (Sus scrofa); Horse (Equus cabalus) [214218]
   B A Raven (Corvus corax); Jackdaw (C. monedula;); Rook (C. frugilegus); [6, 72, 113, 219221]
   B P Greylag goose (Anser anser); Barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis) [86, 222, 223]
  Unrelated individuals M A Bechstein bat (Myotis bechsteinii); Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) [130, 224, 225]
   M P Horse; wild Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) [226, 227]
   B A various species – Review; Long-tailed manakin (Chiroxiphia linearis); Laysan albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis) [228231]
   B P various species - Review [231233]
Affiliative behaviours Allogrooming/Allopreening M A Chimpanzee; Rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta); Vervet monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) Columbian ground squirrel (Spermophilus columbianus) [225, 234237]
   M P Horse; Cow (Bos taurus) [114, 238, 239]
   B A Green woodhoopoe (Phoeniculus purpureus); various Corvid specs. (raven, jackdaw, rook) [6, 106, 240]
   B (semi-) P Common guillemot (Uria aalge) [241]
  Allofeeding/Food sharing M A various species - Review [242]
   M P various species (Cetaceans) - Review [242]
   B A Jackdaw; Eurasian siskin (Carduelis spinus); Cliff swallows, (Hirundo pyrrhonota); ± all cooperative breeders, e.g. Arabian babbler (Turdoides squamiceps) [243247]
   B P Barnacle goose; Greylag goose [223, 248, 249]
  Behavioural synchrony M A Primates - Review [17]
   M P Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus); Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) [250, 251]
   B A Jackdaw; Cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus) [6, 252]
   B P Red junglefowl (Gallus gallus); Greylag goose [253, 254]
  Spatial (close) proximity M A various primates and non-primates – Review; Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii); Collared peccary (Pecari tajacu). [92, 255, 256]
   M P African elephant; feral goat (Capra hircus); Cow; [87, 93, 257]
   B A various Corvid spp. (raven, jackdaw, rook, New Caledonian crow (C. moneduloides)) [6, 83, 93]
   B P Barrow’s goldeneye (Bucephala islandica); Greylag goose [86, 88]
Coalitions/Alliances   M A Spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta), various primates and non-primates – Review, Vervet monkey [101, 236, 258, 259]
   M P Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphins; Various ungulates - Review [251, 258]
   B A various Corvid spp. (raven, jackdaw, rook, carrion crow (Corvus corone)) [83, 100, 258, 260]
   B P Greylag goose; Bewick’s swan (Cygnus bewickii); Eider duck (Somateria mollissima) [258, 261264]
Communal defence   M A Crested black macaque (Macaca nigra) [103]
   M P Chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra); [102]
   B A Montagu’s harrier (Circus pygargus); Sabine’s gull (Xema sabini) [265, 266]
   B P White-fronted goose (Anser albifrons) [267]
Communal/Cooperative breeding   M A various species - Review [107, 125, 268]
   M P various species – Review; e.g. Degu (Octogon degus); African striped mouse (Rhabdomys pumilio) [105, 107, 110, 125, 268]
   B A various species - Review [104, 109, 269]
   B P various species – Review; White-winged trumpeter (Psophia leucoptera); Buff-throated partridge (Tetraophasis szechenyii); Black-breasted wood-quail (Odontophorus leucolaemus); Common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus); Dusky moorhen (G. tenebrosa); pukeko (Porphyrio melanotus) [104, 109, 120123, 269271]
Conflict resolution (e.g. reconciliation/consolation; redirected aggression)   M A various Primates – Review; Wolf (Canis lupus); Spotted hyena; Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) [74, 111, 115, 272275]
   M P Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus); Horse; [114, 276, 277]
   B A various Corvid specs. (raven, rook) [112, 113, 278]
   B P Greylag goose [261]
Social support/Social buffering   M A various species – Review; Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus); Wistar rat (Rattus norvegicus domesticus); Domestic pig (Sus scrofa domestica) [116, 279281]
   M P Guinea pig (Cavia aperea and Galea monasteriensis) [282]
   B A various Corvid spp. (raven, jackdaw, rook) [6, 240]
   B P Domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus); Greylag goose - Review [117, 283]
Cognitive features
Recognition of close kin Parent-offspring M A Seba’s short-tailed bat (Carollia perspicillata); Brandt’s vole, (Lasiopodomys brandti) [160, 284]
   M P Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea); Goat [159, 162]
   B A Cliff swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota); Cave swallows (P. fulva) Black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla); European storm petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus); Spectacled parrotlet (Forpus conspicillatus) pyrrhonota); Black redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros) [157, 158, 161, 170, 285, 286]
   B P Black swan (Cygnus atratus) [287]
  Offspring-parent M A Common racoon (Procyon lotor) [288]
   M P Fallow deer (Dama dama); Red deer (Cervus elaphus); Sheep (Ovis aries) [165, 175, 289]
   B A Bell miner (Manorina melanophrys) [290]
   B P Saunder’s gull (Saundersilarus saundersi); Greylag goose [163, 164]
  Sibling M A Spotted hyena; House mouse (Mus musculus domesticus) [171, 291]
   M P Spiny mouse, (Acomys cahirimus); Beaver (Castor canadensis) (reviewed in [168] Table 4, [292])
   B A various species – Review; Spectacled parrotlet; Barn owl (Tyto alba); Barn swallow (Hirundo rustica); Long-tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus) [154, 167169, 176, 293]
   B P Greylag goose [166]
Recognition of distant kin   M A Belding’s ground squirrel (Spermophilus beldingi); White-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus); Oldfield mouse (P. polionotus rhoadsi); Rat [294]
   M P Spiny mouse [294, 295]
   B A Zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) [296]
   B P Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) [156]
Recognition of unfamiliar kin   M A House mouse; Meerkat; Belding’s ground squirrel; White-footed mouse; Rat [171, 177, 294]
   M P Iberian red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) [297]
   B A Zebra finch; Japanese quail; Siberian jay (Perisoreus infaustus) [155, 156, 298]
   B P Peacock (Pavo cristatus); wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) [178, 299]
Individual recognition   M A Dwarf mongoose, (Helogale parvula) (recent review [142, 300])
   M P domestic goat; African elephant; Horse [159, 301, 302]
   B A Barn owl; Zebra finch Black redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros) [158, 176, 303]
   B P Greylag goose [166]
Long-term memory   M A Guinea baboon (Papio papio); Cotton-top tamarin (Saguinus oedipus) [179, 181]
   M P Goat; Northern fur seal; (Callorhinus ursinus); Australian sea lion; Horse [180, 183185]
   B A various Corvid specs. (raven, jackdaw, rook, Jungle crow (Corvus macrochynchos); Pigeon (Columba livia) [6, 179, 182, 186]
   B P Greylag goose [187]
Keeping track and deducing unknown relationships (transitive inference)   M A Rhesus macaque; Black lemur (Eulemur macaco), Common brown lemur (E. fulvus); House mouse [304306]
   M P Horse [185]
   B A various Corvid specs. (Pinyon jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus), Clark’s nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana), Azure-winged magpie (Cyanopica cyanus), Western scrub jay (Aphelocoma californica)); Pigeon [193, 307309]
   B P Chicken, Greylag goose [310312]
3rd party recognition   M A Primates – Review; Chimpanzee; Spotted hyena; Meerkat: domestic Dog (Canis lupus familiaris) [140, 258, 259, 273, 313315]
   M P Fallow deer; Przewalski horse (Equus ferus przewalskii) [316, 317]
   B A various Corvid specs. (raven, rook) [112, 278]
   B P Greylag goose [261, 318]
Social learning   M A Meerkat [59, 202, 319]
   M P African elephant; Thornicoft’s giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis thornicrofti); various Cetaceans – Review; Domestic pig [196198, 320, 321]
   B A various species – Review; Pigeon; King penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) [199201]
   B P Greylag goose [203]
  1. For a definition of characteristics of social complexity, see Table 2 in the main text. Some features are further classified in significant subcategories
  2. No human studies are included