The Atlantic: Why are some mammals killers?

Hobson, an assistant professor in UC's College of Arts and Sciences, has studied the behavior of a variety of animals, including social birds such as monk parakeets and little blue penguins, in her Hobson Lab.

Male lions are known to engage in lethal battles with rivals and kill cubs when they take over prides. Chimpanzees have been known to kill other chimpanzees in brutal group fights some researchers have likened to warfare.

The Atlantic reported on a study by the Arid Zones Experimental Station in Spain on “adulticide,” the act of an adult animal killing another adult of its kind. So far, researchers have documented 352 of the approximately 6,500 mammals that kill others. And there are likely more.

The study found that most mammal perpetrators were males that killed other males. And often they were during dominance battles to vie for a mate. Hoofed animals from antelope to bison to bighorn sheep engage in violent clashes, sometimes with lethal results.

Hobson, who was not part of the study, told the Atlantic, “Some things just happen — there’s a bad fight and one gets stabbed worse than the other.”

By studying lethal aggression in other mammals, researchers hope to gain insights into what can drive people to similar ends.

Read the Atlantic story.