Socioterritorial Units and Interspecific Competition
Modern Carnivores and Early Hominids
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3002718 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Glenn E King (0000-0002-1991-4713, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1976 |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 276-284 |
| Publication date | 1976-10-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Anthropological Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0091-7710 • E-ISSN: 2153-3806 |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1086/jar.32.3.3629564 |
| OpenAlex | W2324268245 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 2 |
Comparative study of social carnivores is a source of ideas about hominid behavior during the earlier stages of adaptation to cooperative big-game hunting. Within this framework, this paper supports and expands a theory previously presented. It was argued that the predominant social units of hyenas, lions, and wolves share several key features. Such units are defined by relative stability in personnel and home range, but they share the capacity to scatter into fluid subgroups that remain affiliated with each other. Evidence is now presented to show that the Indian wild dog, another social carnivore, is organized in the same way. The term "sept" is proposed to designate the comparable unit in all species. Based on data from the Indian wild dog and the hyena, it is argued that one important function of the sept is to provide numerical strength which allows a relatively small predator to compete effectively with larger ones, such as tigers and lions. The relevance of this interpretation to early hominids is discussed
Biology · Carnivore · Competition (biology) · Economic geography · Geography · Hyena · Interspecific competition · Predation · Predator · Range (aeronautics) · Ecology · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology · Primate Behavior and Ecology · Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
| Citations per year | 0.06 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2010 - 2010 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |