biology

Interspecies friendship

Interspecies friendship is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Interspecies friendship rather than just read about it. In short: An interspecies friendship is usually a nonsexual bond that is formed between animals of different species. Numerous cases of interspecies friendships among wild and domesticated animals have been reported and documented with photography and video.

Key takeaways

Interspecies friendship belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Interspecies friendship to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Interspecies friendship from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

An interspecies friendship is usually a nonsexual bond that is formed between animals of different species. Numerous cases of interspecies friendships among wild and domesticated animals have been reported and documented with photography and video. Domestication of animals has led to interspecies friendships between species that would never naturally exist together. In many cases of interspecies friendship, the species are not normally seen together, and sometimes, one is of a species that ordinarily preys on the other in nature. The concept of interspecies friendship is similar to that of mutualism in that two individuals from different species exist in a relationship where each organism benefits from the activity of the other. Reasons for the formation of interspecies friendships include domestication, interspecies communication, mutually beneficial exchanges, desire for social bonding or protection is often unknown.

Friendships between humans and other animals

Dogs

The relationship between a human and a household dog (Canis lupus familiaris) is quite common and said to be similar to the relationship seen between a parent and child. Many people agree that there is an emotional bond between themselves and their dog. An important indicator of the bond between a dog and its caregiver can be seen through separation and reunion incidences. The behaviour of the dog including approach latency and the frequency of initiating physical contact varies according to how familiar the dog is with the person. This can be viewed as a snapshot of their relationship. Behaviours such as tail wagging, lip licking, body shaking and vocalization also indicate this. The relationship between humans and dogs is so impactful that therapy dogs are a common practice. From hospitals to schools, dogs help comfort humans.

Cats

Friendships between household cats (Felis catus) and humans are also very common. The relationship between cats and humans dates back over 10,000 years. Cats even had great influence in ancient Egypt. Today, cats live in many countries and are the most popular choice of pet. Cat owners often consider their cat as an integrated part of their family and indicate that they are easy to care for and engage in social behaviours such as allowing humans to hold, pet and play with them. Mutual affection and bonding is displayed between cats and their owners, indicating a sense of friendship.

Horses

Friendships between humans and domesticated horses (E. ferus) are often observed and occur when the horse is willing to allow the person into its flight distance and personal space through friendly interactions such as grooming, scratching and rubbing. Horses are social animals and once a person is accepted into their personal space, they become a part of their social system. A domesticated horse will work hard for praise from its human partner and can be easily trained to respond to human commands. Many people report strong feelings of friendship with their horse and believe that their horse considers them to be its friend, protector, and caretaker.

Non-domesticated animals Interspecies friendships have been displayed between humans and non-domesticated animals. Some examples include:

The interspecies friendship between zoologist Dian Fossey and a group of gorillas. Fossey developed relationships with the gorillas she studied and after years of being away from them, they recognized and remembered her when she returned. After their reunion, the gorillas engaged in amicable behaviour with Fossey such as direct eye contact, sniffing, crooning, resting beside each other and embracing one another. The relationship between Barbara Smuts and a baboon troop. Over the course of many interactions between Smuts and the baboons, eventually the baboons treated her as if she was a part of their troop. Smuts would comfortably rest with them, exchange friendly glances and felt safe amongst them. Friendly encounters have been observed between gray whales and humans. Gray whales seem to enjoy when humans pat them alongside boats. During these human-whale interactions, the whales are generally timid and gentle.

Friendships between non-human animals

Dogs and cats

Dogs (Canis lupus familaris) and cats (Felis catus) that coexist in close quarters are two unrelated species that often display companionship towards each other. Many coexisting dogs and cats exhibit friendly relationships involving behaviours such as playing and sleeping together, grooming each other and understanding differences in body language and communication. Dogs and cats often engage in mutual nose sniffing which is a form of greeting displayed in cats that is not normally observed in dogs. Dogs may acquire this behaviour from the understanding of cat communication signals.

Other examples

There are many documented instances of unusual interspecies friendships. Some examples include:

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Interspecies friendship

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Interspecies friendship claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Interspecies friendship before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Interspecies friendship ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Interspecies friendship

In research: Interspecies friendship appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Interspecies friendship in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Interspecies friendship is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Animal cognition, Friendship, Interpersonal relationships, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Interspecies friendship outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Interspecies friendship in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Interspecies friendship means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Interspecies friendship out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Interspecies friendship in simple terms?

Why does Interspecies friendship matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Interspecies friendship?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Interspecies friendship.