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Do any species other than man go to war?

"The problem in answering this question is how you define war," says Peter Busher, CGS professor of science and chairman of the division of science and mathematics. "Certainly there are insect communities that fight each other.

"Army ants, for instance, seem to sweep across a countryside taking everything in their path. We call them army ants, but are they really capable of plotting out strategy or are they just following instinctive behavior?

"If you define war in this question as a conflict, however, then numerous conflicts do abound in the animal kingdom. There are food conflicts, territorial conflicts, and reproductive conflicts. Many of the ungulates [hoofed animals] battle to win over mates. Hunting might be considered warlike, and there are social mammals -- the coyote, wolf, and some species of African animals -- that draw together for cooperative hunting.

"I study primarily beavers, and they do have territorial issues, although I don't know that this could be considered war. Strange beavers can travel through an area established by other beavers, but they'd better not stay.

"It's doubtful, however, that any of these behaviors can be considered warlike in terms of human definition. Species other than man are concerned with food, protection, and mating. Mankind's wars aren't fought for such meaningful reasons."

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10 November 2000
Boston University
Office of University Relations