Triadic Closure in Animals
http://www.futurity.org/hyenas-social-networks-922882/
Not found in just human relationships, triadic closure, is also found among animal groups. Triadic closure is found in hyenas, who crete bonds with friends of their friends. Hyenas use such bonding method as it increases cooperation and maximizes their group strength. Such clustering, existent in human relationships ever since the hunter-gathering times, has currently been found in non-human species after a 20-year period observation of hyenas in Kenya. For survival, these triadic closures are necessary and beneficial, helping hyenas create stable groups called clans.
As discussed in class, triadic closure is a property among three nodes, A, B, and C, where if B and C both have strong ties to node A, there is an edge between B and C. It is interesting that such relationship is found among non-human societies as well. Providing maximum protection, preference toward friends of friends rather than complete strangers is a survival method for hyenas. Such interrelated and sophisticated choices of clan members depicts tight group bonding among hyenas. Just like Facebook users who know friends of our friends through social media, these hyenas also prefer boding with friends of friends.