In biology, altruism refers to behaviour by an individual that increases the fitness of another individual while … See more

In ethology (the study of behavior), and more generally in the study of social evolution, on occasion, some animals do behave in ways that reduce their individual fitness but increase the fitness of other individuals in the populati… See more

The existence of altruism in nature is at first sight puzzling, because altruistic behaviour reduces the likelihood that an individual will reproduce. The idea that group selection might explain the evolution of altruism was first broach… See more

Biological market theory is an extension of the idea of reciprocal altruism, as a mechanism to explain altruistic acts between unrelated individuals in a more flexible system of exchanging commodities. The term 'b… See more

• Wolves and wild dogs bring meat back to members of the pack not present at the kill; in harsh conditions, the breeding pair of wolves take the greatest share to continue to produce pups.
• Mongooses support elderly, sic… See more

• Some termites, such as Globitermes sulphureus and ants, such as Camponotus saundersi release a sticky secretion by fatally rupturing a specialized gland. This autothysis altruistically defends the colony at the expens… See more