Animal friendships

"Research into social behaviour in animals has often focused on aggression, yet members of social species are far more likely to interact with each other in a positive way. Animal Friendships explores non-sexual bonding behaviours in a range of mammalian and avian species. Through analysis of factors which trigger and deepen friendships, Dagg uncovers a world of intricate and complex social interactions. These factors include sources of food, formation of coalitions, playdates for infants, mutual grooming and the apparent pleasure of simple companionship. Chapters cover different types of friendship: from those between two individuals, such as male-female or parent-offspring friendships, to those within family groups and even inter-species friendships. Not only does the book explore how and why friendships form, it also showcases the ingenious field techniques used by researchers enabling the reader to understand the scientific methodology. An invaluable read for both researchers and students studying animal social bonding"--

"Every day for many years I watched our three female cats, Silver, Tiger and Gomer. Silver and Tiger were best buddies but Gomer was a loner. Actually, Silver and Tiger were half-sisters, although how would they know this? Silver, named by my young daughter Mary although she was black with a white throat patch, came first as a kitten, given to our family of five by friends who had a sexually too-active female. A year later they gave us Tiger, with gray tabby markings, also a kitten. Silver cuddled and licked her new young friend as they snuggled together. But when full-grown both ignored the calico cat Gomer who arrived at our house as an older adult"--