Importance of Hyenas’ survival rates: Triadic Closure
For people, there is a tendency for us to meet mutual friends and become friends with each other. If I’m friends with person B and person C, there is a high chance than B and C would be friends. This is the Triadic Closure, which the Strong Triadic Closure Property states that for every 2 strong ties it has, there would be a link between them, whether strong or weak. The reasons why this occurs is because there is an opportunity for B and C to meet, an incentive to want to know each other, and compatibility and similarity of B and C as they are both already friends with me. These motives are rather related to social satisfaction or job connections/networking.
Meanwhile humans’ hidden motives are not vital for survival, for animals, social structures are incredibly vital for survival of their species. These social networks determine various aspects of their survival rates including reproductive success, social ranking, access to food. For instance, animals like hyenas benefit from triadic closures. Hyenas live in large stable complex groups, where high ranking hyenas would be able to have priority of the access to food and has a stronger social bond. According to the scientists, triadic closures was the “most consistent factor influencing the long-term dynamics of the social structure of spotted hyenas”. Therefore, hyenas’ current social network influences their future state as there is a tendency for hyenas to be friends with their friends (triadic closure). Linking back to what we learned in class, the more mutuals people have, the more likely they would connect. Therefore, this stresses the fact that hyenas’ initial social network is incredibly important. Although this is not applicable to In this study, they also noticed that both male and female hyenas are influenced by the tendency toward triadic closure.
References:
https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2015/its-best-to-make-friends-of-friends-even-spotted-hyenas-know-that