From meerkat school to whale-tail slapping and oyster smashing, how clever predators shape their world

Ecologists have long thought animals acted on instinct alone. But a growing body of evidence shows many animals, much like us, have complex brains and social lives.

In our new research published in Trends in Ecology & Evolution, we argue the science of ecology can learn a great deal from the study of animal cognition and culture. Cognition is what goes on in the mind, which determines how animals perceive and respond to the world around them. Culture is the development and spread of socially learned behaviors. These are important—but generally overlooked—mechanisms influencing ecosystems.