Synonyms
Definition
Fear and/or intolerance of strangers, often expressed as aggression or aversion.
Introduction
Dislike for strangers is pervasive throughout the natural world. The introduction of a strange individual often provokes the strongest aggressive responses in animals; a phenomenon termed the “xenophobic principle” by E. O. Wilson in 1975. Strangers can be a threat to one’s territory, resources, status, or mates, and consequently there is selective pressure against tolerating unknown individuals, as the costs vastly outweigh the benefits (Wilson 1975).
The result is that animals may threaten, harass, or even attack strangers. Animals may go great lengths to avoid areas where strangers may encounter each other; at territory borders, “buffer zones” of increased prey/plant density may be created by such avoidance (Mech 1994). Borders may also be patrolled and marked to ward off intruders, or calls used to advertise the occupation of a...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Antonacci, D., Norscia, I., & Palagi, E. (2010). Stranger to familiar: Wild strepsirhines manage xenophobia by playing. PLoS One, 5(10), e13218. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0013218.
Bernstein, I. S., & Gordon, T. P. (1974). The function of aggression in primate societies: Uncontrolled aggression may threaten human survival, but aggression may be vital to the establishment and regulation of primate societies and sociality. American Scientist, 62(3), 304–311. Retrieved from www.jstor.org/stable/27844884.
Fisher, J. (1954). Evolution and bird sociality. In J. Huxley, A. C. Hardy, & E. B. Ford (Eds.), Evolution as a process (pp. 71–83). London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd..
Fragaszy, D., Baer, J., & Adams-Curtis, L. (1994). Introduction and integration of strangers into captive groups of tufted capuchins (Cebus apella). International Journal of Primatology, 15(3), 399–420. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02696101.
Goodall, J. (1986). The chimpanzees of Gombe: Patterns of behavior. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.
Hardouin, L. A., Tabel, P., & Bertagnolle, V. (2006). Neighbour-stranger discrimination in the little owl, Athene noctua. Animal Behaviour, 72(1), 105–112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2005.09.020.
Krebs, J. R. (1982). Territorial defence in the great tit (Parus major): Do residents always win? Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 11(3), 185–194. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00300061.
Manson, J. H., & Wrangham, R. W. (1991). Intergroup aggression in chimpanzees and humans. Current Anthropology, 32(4), 369–390. https://doi.org/10.1086/203974.
Mech, D. (1994). Buffer zones of territories of gray wolves as regions of intraspecific strife. Journal of Mammalogy, 75(1), 199–202. https://doi.org/10.2307/1382251.
Müller, C. A., & Manser, M. B. (2007). ‘Nasty neighbours’ rather than ‘dear enemies’ in a social carnivore. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 274(1612), 959–965. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2006.0222.
Spinks, A. C., O’Riain, M. J., & Polakow, D. A. (1998). Intercolonial encounters and xenophobia in the common mole rat, Cryptomys hottentotus hottentotus (Bathyergidae): The effects of aridity, sex, and reproductive status. Behavioral Ecology, 9(4), 354–359. https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/9.4.354.
Temeles, E. J. (1994). The role of neighbours in territorial systems: When are they ‘dear enemies’? Animal Behaviour, 47(2), 339–350. https://doi.org/10.1006/anbe.1994.1047.
Wade, T. D. (1976). The effects of strangers on rhesus monkey groups. Behaviour, 56(3/4), 194–214. https://doi.org/10.1163/156853976X00028.
Wilson, E. O. (1975). Sociobiology: The new synthesis. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.
Wrangham, R. W. (1999). Evolution of coalitionary killing. Yearbook of Physical Anthropology, 42(1), 1–30. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1096-8644(1999)110:29+<1::AID-AJPA2>3.0.CO;2-E.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Colbourne, J. (2019). Xenophobia. In: Vonk, J., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_621-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_621-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-47829-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-47829-6
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences