Analysing animal social structure

This paper presents a framework for analysing the social structure of populations in which interactions between some identified individuals can be observed. Statistics describing the nature, quality and temporal patterning of one or more interaction measures are used to define relationships between pairs of individuals or classes of individual. Multivariate techniques can then be used to display the social structure of the population. These displays indicate the social complexity of the population and can be used to classify relationships and examine patterns of relationship between classes of animal. They can also be used to define and delineate groups. This framework and these techniques should be particularly useful when analysing complex fission fusion societies, as are found among the primates and cetaceans.