From Marc Bekoff
I found Robin Dunbar’s essay on friendship to be a fascinating read (24 May, p 34).
However, I was surprised to see that he didn’t include the social carnivores among the “select group of mammals” that form “true friendship” rather than acquaintances.
Ample data show that, like the animals he did include – higher primates, horses, cetaceans and camelids – social carnivores form long-term relationships, otherwise known as friendships.
Boulder, Colorado, US
