Hyena-like dogs vote on important issues with sneezing

African hyenoid dogs, despite their not very good reputation, are distinguished by excellent manners at the table. Puppies are allowed to eat in the first place, they share meat with wounded brothers. But that's not all: it turns out that hyena-like dogs have invented a completely democratic way to decide when it is time to go hunting for a new portion of food. No, they do not throw ballots into the ballot box, do not pull their paws up and do not lay out black and white pebbles on the jugs. For real democratic procedures, they only need to sneeze.

Sneeze for our candidate

Neil Jordan, a professor at the University of New South Wales who studies hyenoid dogs in Botswana, worked with animals for four years before he began to notice a strange feature. When the alpha males were ready for the hunt, they began to run and take a position that is probably familiar to the owners of the dogs - when they go down, open their mouths, move back. So many domestic dogs ask for a walk.

But dogs that are lower in the social hierarchy usually eat after their dominant counterparts and are therefore the first to feel hungry. To persuade their more well-fed friends to go hunting, these dogs begin to sneeze.

Interested in this phenomenon, the research team studied about five packs of hyena-shaped dogs for about a year - almost 50 individuals around Moremi Nature Reserve in Botswana. Over the course of this year, capturing observations on video, the researchers concluded that the number of sneezing dogs was the most important factor that influenced the decision of the entire pack.

One vote for three

The first attempts at "sneezing law" had a 26 percent chance that the flock would heed the voice of the people. By the third wave, the probability grew already to 64%. Of great importance was also who exactly "voted". An alpha male had an average of three sneezes to make the whole group move. Less significant individuals had to do about ten sneezes.

Perhaps in this way the selection of hunters takes place: if the team sees that a mighty warrior is ready to go with them, it is easier to agree to a new campaign. In this case, sneezing is not considered a sign of aggression in hyenoid dogs, as is the case with coyotes, jackals and dingoes.

By the way, African hyenoid dogs are not the only animals that make decisions by voting. Three screeching meerkats will more quickly convince their brethren to move than two. Some bees reach a consensus before heading to a new hive. Similar behavior is observed in some species of monkeys.

So democracy seems to be a pretty natural thing.