Nature’s secret vow

In the animal world, power is rarely conquered alone. Whether by quorum, inheritance, experience, or pure diplomacy, nature shows us that group life requires rules, voting and, often, a surprising and creative “democratic sense.”

The idea that only humans have complex political structures and elections is contradicted by several observations of animals’ social behaviour. Several species have developed mechanisms that resemble democratic voting processes, although it occurs naturally, adapted to their biology.

Democracy by consensus and quorum

We find surprisingly effective systems of collective decision-making in social insects, such as ants and bees. Temnothorax albipennis ants, for example, use the sensing quorum strategy to choose a new nest. They are explorers, visit possible locations, return and recruit others. When a certain number of ants (“quorum”) arrive at the same place, transportation of the entire colony begins – without any centralised leadership.

In bees, the mechanism is equally fascinating: a swarm sends explorers who communicate the quality of potential locations through the “waggle dance”, a complex choreography. As more bees promote a location, consensus is reached, and the entire swarm departs for the new location.

Oddly enough, researchers point out that bee behaviour provides an interesting parallel to human elections, stating that there is no room for propaganda here. Each bee does its best assessing a site, as its well-being directly depends on the health of the entire colony. That is: in the “parliament” of bees, the truth is not optional; it is a rule of survival.

This confirms the complex and essential network of castes and communication that exists within a hive. Only a well-structured society, where each individual – from the queen to the workers – plays a defined role, allows the colony to prosper and face the challenges that nature poses to it.

Mammals in action

Among the buffalo and deer, the decision to start moving is made collectively: when about 60% of the adults get up, the rest follow. A true body vote.

Studies focusing on  painted-vulturine wild birds show that, when the dominants monopolise resources, subordinates move in groups to another location, forcing the alpha to give up. An example of a “democratic counterweight” within the hierarchy.

Baboons can also “vote with their feet” by following the majority in collective movements.

In groups of African elephants, leadership usually falls on the oldest female, whose memory of migratory routes and water sources is crucial for the group’s survival. It is leadership based on accumulated experience and prestige. A similar pattern is observed in some orca populations, where grandmothers – although they no longer reproduce – guide the group’s movements with their ecological knowledge. The loss of these figures can severely compromise the cohesion and survival of the whole community.

This type of organisation is only possible because these species have complex cognitive and social capacities. Several studies suggest, in fact, that many animals have sophisticated forms of consciousness, allowing them to sustain highly elaborated collective decision-making processes.

Decision-making by consensus and flexible leadership

Decision-making through consensus is common among many social vertebrates. Studies suggest that in complex contexts, group decisions outweigh those of an experienced leader, being less extreme and more balanced.

Recent research on fish has shown that individuals without opinions or poorly informed may favour the majority outcome. These individuals act as a “filter” that prevents a powerful minority from dictating the group’s behaviour, promoting a form of democracy based on quantity rather than intensity of opinion.

In dolphins, some decisions are made by individuals with more information, through specific signals, which configures a non-shared consensus model. Useful when someone has more knowledge than others.

Adapted democracy

Although the term democracy is associated with human politics – votes and formal debates – the animal kingdom shows that comparable processes exist, adapted to the environment and biology of each species. Collective decision-making, whether by quorum, body consensus, gradual influence or informed leadership, shows that the participation of many is often beneficial for social cohesion, balance of power and group survival.

This plurality of mechanisms challenges the notion that power rests in individual hands, showing that evolution rewards collective and adaptive solutions. Animal “democracy” can be considered real, even if it does not look like human democracy, since it translates the same fundamental principles: participation, flexibility and resilience.

Did you know that…

• In clownfish, the group is led by the dominant female. If she dies, the male of higher status changes sex and assumes the role of leader. It’s the marine version of democracy with a surprising biological adaptation.
• In meerkats, collective decisions are made in noisy “group meetings”. Only when the chorus of vocalisations reaches a certain volume does the group decide to leave the den to look for food.
• In pigeons, studies have shown that each individual contributes a small part of their visual perception to the collective movement. It’s as if the flock’s flight is a kind of “democratic media” from everyone’s point of view.