The figures that look so curiously out of their burrow in the photo are the pups of dwarf mongooses, the smallest predators in Africa. Their life in territorial groups of 5 to 30 animals often leads to fights between competing groups. These can lead to serious injuries or even death. Biologists previously assumed that these conflicts had a negative impact on the reproductive success of dwarf mongooses, but this connection has now been refuted.
Research by a team led by Amy Morris-Drake from the University of Bristol shows for the first time that animals’ offspring survive better when their groups are in major conflict with rival groups. Drake emphasizes that with more interactions between groups, the mongooses do not produce more offspring. Rather, a greater threat from outsiders is associated with a higher probability of survival of the young once they leave your burrow.
Detailed behavioral observations of a group of mongooses show that adults increase their guarding behavior when they encounter rivals or evidence of their recent presence. This could be an attempt to gather more information about the other group.
Drake’s colleague Andy Radford explains that the conflicts do not have a direct positive effect on the offspring. Rather, these behavioral changes, such as increased vigilance resulting from increased threat, influence the survival of the offspring.