Definition
A troop refers to a group of animals, typically kangaroos, wallabies, apes, or monkeys.
Introduction
Groups of primates, kangaroos, and wallabies are called “troops,” although kangaroo and wallaby groups can also be called a “mob,” apes a “shrewdness” or “community,” and monkeys a “barrel.” Troop life across species somewhat mirror each other, in that troops are highly social with some form of dominance hierarchy. Troops may be synonymous with family groups but may also be comprised of unrelated individuals.
Kangaroos and Wallabies
There are four distinct species of the Australian marsupial “kangaroos”: red (Macropus rufus), antilopine (M. antilopinus), eastern grey (M. giganteus), and western grey (M. fuliginosus). Kangaroos are herbivorous and can be found in grasslands and open forests across Australia and Tasmania. Kangaroo troops usually consist of multiple adult females, offspring, and at least one dominant male with variations occurring across geographic regions. For...
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Huskisson, S.M. (2019). Troop. In: Vonk, J., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_1620-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_1620-1
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