The direct social benefits of friendships between female plains zebras (Equus quagga)

What is it about?

Friendships, defined as a close and enduring social bond between unrelated individuals, have been found to benefit both humans and non-human animals, and individuals with more and higher quality friendships enjoy healthier, longer, and more productive lives. Yet what benefits do friends provide in the short-term to yield these long-term benefits? We investigated this question in female plains zebras (Equus quagga), a harem-living species in which females form long-lasting social bonds with one another and found found that female plains zebras benefit from the presence in three areas of their social lives. First, individuals were able to sleep for longer laying down when someone stood vigilant beside them, and their “best friend” was most likely to do so. Second, when a female was receiving harassment, their best friend was always the one to intervene on her behalf. Finally, females who were attempting to initiate full harem movements were most likely to be followed by their best friend first, and when their best friend followed they were more likely to succeed in getting the whole harem to move. Though there is more work to be done, our findings demonstrate the immediate benefits friendships can provide in plains zebras, and suggest that best friends in particular may be especially important.

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