Interrelationships Among Mammals 



The relationships that exist among animals of all 

 kinds present some of the most fascinating aspects of 

 life among the lower forms. No student of animals 

 should overlook the interesting possibilities of such a 

 study. In many cases we observe social structures not 

 unlike those of humans and, in some instances, we can 

 profit by the efficiency of the cooperative systems which 

 characterize various animal groups. 



However, the interrelationships existing in the 

 animal kingdom are numerous and sometimes they are 

 difficult to interpret, but, on the whole, any observa- 

 tions which lead to an understanding of animal life 

 will captivate one's interest and contribute to a well 

 balanced understanding of life in general. 



There are many things to be considered when one 

 attempts to comprehend just what these relationships 

 are and what they mean. In the first place, there are 

 the relationships bewteen the sexes within a species. It 

 is interesting to observe whether an animal is polyga- 

 mous or monogamus; that is, what animals select new 

 mates each breeding season, and which ones select a 

 single mate for life. On the other hand, what part 

 does the male play in building the nest and caring for 

 the mother and young, and to what extent does he gen- 

 erally exercise paternal care for his family. In some 

 animals the male will fight for both its mate and its 

 young, he will carry food to the mother while she is 

 producing and caring for the little ones, and he will, 

 frequently, stand guard over the home and fight vali- 

 antly for the protection of his own. 



In some groups there are bitter struggles among 

 rivals for certain females. Oftimes, after the mating 



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