6 animal bromances that show the value of male friendship

Best buds There’s strength in numbers. by Jennifer Walter Aug. 17, 2021 Giphy

In the wild, sometimes it pays to stick together.

Shutterstock In many species of animals, males tend to be aggressive and territorial toward members of the same sex. But there are times when forming friendships provides an evolutionary benefit that going at it alone simply doesn’t.

Xinhua News Agency/Xinhua News Agency/Getty Images Here are 6 animal bromances that show the value of friendship:

6. Chimps Male chimps regularly participate in friendly behaviors toward each other — even when they have competition for mates. Research published August 17 in the journal iScience finally nails down why. Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens

Norma Murace Melia / EyeEm/EyeEm/Getty Images "Chimps cooperate frequently, and often in these very dramatic ways: You see things like grooming , all kinds of complex alliance formation, and group territorial defense.” Joseph Feldblum, study author and University of Michigan researcher

Shutterstock It turns out these behaviors help them sire more young.

Shutterstock This is especially the case for those who are close with the alpha male of their group. That relationship can help chimps gain access to mating opportunities they wouldn’t have otherwise.

5. Macaques These male monkeys also form friendships to help climb the social ladder — and their motive might be similar to those of chimps. Giphy

Barcroft Media/Barcroft Media/Getty Images When males macaques bond together, they form coalitions that help them maintain their social standing or raise their status.

mochida1970/Moment/Getty Images A 2010 report in Current Biology found that the strength of male bonds directly correlated with how many offspring they produced. Even in the wild, friends help friends out.

4. Woodpeckers The acorn woodpecker is known for its polygamous breeding habits, in which several birds will live together and raise chicks. Head Like an Orange via Giphy

Shutterstock And there’s actually an advantage for male birds to stick together rather than split off into monogamous pairs.

Daniel A. Leifheit/Moment/Getty Images An August 17 report published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B found that males living in groups with one or two others of the same sex produce more offspring over the course of their lives.

Erol Profit / 500px/500px/Getty Images The non-breeding males will help raise their pal’s offspring. More care means a higher chance that those babies will one day become fully-fledged members of bird society.

3. Scrub Jays The Florida Scrub-Jay also raises offspring in groups, allowing many hands — er, wings — to help their young reach adulthood. Photography by Alexandra Rudge/Moment/Getty Images

DE AGOSTINI PICTURE LIBRARY/De Agostini/Getty Images Male scrub jays, who are usually adult offspring from seasons past, will hang around the nest and help their parents care for the young until they find their own mate.

Craig Goettsch / 500px/500Px Plus/Getty Images In this cooperative breeding setup, male helpers can stick around for up to six years.

2. Lions Power comes in numbers for these big cats . Giphy

Shutterstock Young males will form coalitions that can help them overthrow other males in power once they’re strong enough to fight.

Shutterstock Oftentimes, young male lions will band together with their biological brothers, and one will be in charge of the whole group.

1. Rats When in moderately stressful situations, rats will bond with members of the same sex. Giphy

Shutterstock And these friendships might make them — and us — more resilient to future stress, according to a 2016 study .

Shutterstock Friendship bonds release oxytocin in the brains of both us and rats. In turn, we’re motivated to socialize more — a result that can make us more cooperative and empathetic in hectic times.

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6 animal bromances that show the value of male friendship

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