Social Distancing in the Animal Kingdom

Vampire bats. Photo: diveofficer, via Wikimedia Commons. Distributed under a CC BY 2.0 license.

It’s been about a year since the phrase “social distancing” quickly entered our collective vocabulary. But it’s not a new concept. In a recent review, researchers examined various forms of social distancing practiced in the animal kingdom. It turns out that infection can change social behavior in a range of species. Understanding these social dynamics can shed light on processes like how diseases spread, as well as model ways to prevent disease transmission.

Read more at my Animal Minds blog: Social Distancing in Nature.