Abstract
The young of several species of carnivores are often cared for by individuals that are not their parents. Tending to infants other than one’s own is termed alloparental behavior and may involve either “helpers” with no young of their own, or adults with their own offspring who also tend to those of other parents. We review the incidence of alloparental behavior among Carnivora, and consider the evidence for the evolution of such behavior in terms of the processes of kin selection, reciprocity and mutualism. In particular, we emphasize the view that the social organizations of carnivores are adapted inter- and intraspecifically to ecological circumstances. These social adaptations involve different individual strategies (such as helping or dispersing), and the development of complex social relationships. Although the functional significance of different reproductive strategies has received some thought, the developmental processes involved have been neglected. We suggest that studies of the processes that direct an animal towards a given reproductive (or social) role would be fruitful, and that they might most usefully be approached in terms of the effects of ecological circumstances on social organization, and on the development of individuals and their social relationships.
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Macdonald, D.W., Moehlman, P.D. (1982). Cooperation, Altruism, and Restraint in the Reproduction of Carnivores. In: Bateson, P.P.G., Klopfer, P.H. (eds) Ontogeny. Perspectives in Ethology, vol 5. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-7578-8_10
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