Name+UIN:______________________________________________

Species studied (2):______________________________________________

Type of cooperative behavior:_______________________________________________

BIOS 236—Animal Behavior

HW: Cooperative Behaviors
Due Thursday, March 14th at 11:59p.m.
25 points

Many species live in groups. There are costs and benefits of living in groups. One of the benefits is
having many individuals who can work cooperatively to raise young, look out for predators, or hunt
together. In this assignment, you will explore cooperative behaviors in depth.

Decide what type of cooperative behavior interests you, and choose one of the three topics below:
1. Cooperative raising of young (i.e., offspring receive care from other group members in addition to
their parents)
2. Cooperative defense/protection
3. Cooperative hunting

Once you have selected one type of cooperative behavior, research this type of behavior in two different
species.

For your writeup:

• Give an overview of the cooperative behavior you chose in both species.
• Compare/contrast cooperative behavior in the 2 species—overall trends/patterns etc.
• Then, discuss, synthesize, and address the following questions in your synthesis:
• How does the cooperative behavior benefit the two species?
• Are there any drawbacks to the cooperative behavior?
• What conclusions can you draw about cooperative behavior in the two species you studied?

This homework should be typed, single-spaced, with a line space between paragraphs. It should be
about but no longer than one page.