"War had always seemed to me to be a purely human behavior. Accounts of warlike behavior date back to the very first written records of human history; it seemed to be an almost universal characteristic of human groups."-Jane Goodall
Many claim that war is a singularly human trait, that animals are not capable of organized aggression. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines war as a struggle or competition between opposing forces for a particular end. The definition itself seems very Darwinian, and war of the species is obviously rampant throughout the animal kingdom. Humans, in some aspects, are fundamentally different than our furry friends and war like behavior is one way we define ourselves. Maybe these animals can convince us we aren't so different after all, because war might be what connects us and not what defines us. Here is a list of ten animals that have mastered the art of war.
10 Wolves
“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Wolf packs, like the military, have structured ranks and pecking orders, and like the military, wolves can increase the rank through strength and dominance. Wolf packs often battle with other packs over territory disputes and prime hunting ground. It is very important for wolf packs to increase their numbers to defend against invasion, so often cubs are the most important commodity the packs can have. Each pack member works to ensure the survival of the cubs and this is where wolf war tactics come into play. Wolf packs have been observed quietly seizing the opposing wolf pack's den, forming a blockade at it's entrance, and separating the cubs from the rest of the pack until their starvation occurs. They decrease the opposing pack's number for the next season, and increase their own chances for seizing territory, all without a fight. This blockade method to deny resources is used throughout human history again and again, and is one of the most effective methods in defeating the enemy without taking a loss of your own forces. Siege war tactics can be very difficult to defend against and is often one of the most effective ways to defeat the enemy.
9 Frigate Bird or Man-o'-War
"He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared." ― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
“Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.”― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
In fitting with it's nickname the Frigate Bird is shamefully warlike, this most-aerial of waterbird's specialty lies in its piratical tendencies and superior speed and maneuverability. The pirating pelican, uses its long and sharply hooked bill and quick reflexes to attack other unsuspecting and inferior sea birds, wringing their necks until they regurgitate their catch, which the Frigate quickly snatches up for the steal. They can use this kleptoparisitic feeding behavior to obtain up to 40 percent of their dietary needs and when they aren't using their superior speed to hit the enemy hard and fast they steal the enemy's young as food or just to drop in the ocean to eliminate competition for resources and territory. They hit hard, fast, and without warning; Our own military tactics are sounding quite humane in comparison.
8 Crickets
“Opportunities multiply as they are seized.”― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Violent sexual competition is rare, but battles over territory and resources abound in the Cricket's world. Crickets can be very warlike, forming small groups that act as militias to defend prime resources. The hierarchy of these groups are determined by strength. The Chinese are known to use these warlike propensities in cricket fighting, much like dog fighting. Prime territory for crickets can hold all the advantages attracting mates and providing the best nutrition, so war over these resources is inevitable. Each cricket practices it's fighting skill with other members of it's group to determine strength and rank and to hone their ninja skills. The goal is to conquer new territory, seize it by force, and defend it effectively from future invaders. Because of the availability of crickets, biology professors often use them to demonstrate offensive and defensive maneuvers commonly used throughout the animal kingdom.
7 Banded Mongoose
“Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons. And they will follow you into the deepest valley.”― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
“A leader leads by example, not by force”― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Like the other animals on this list, the banded mongoose form groups and defend their territory. But it is the way they war that is particularly interesting. The non-breeding younger males form exclusive one-on-one caring relationship with a favored pup and become their escorts and guides through their formative phases. Escorts find food for their pup, defend their pup against threats, and teach them dominant behaviors. This escort system is a unique feature of the banded mongoose, not seen anywhere else in the animal kingdom. Although, humans populations like the Romans, Greeks, and Medieval Knights, all had similar practices. The pups are taught to patrol their territory, mark their presence with urine and feces, and defend their family group to the death. The banded mongoose is known to exhibit the nasty-neighbor effect where more aggression is shown towards neighbors than non-neighbors of the same species.
6 Hyena
“Know yourself and you will win all battles.”― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Spotted Hyenas, also known as nature's gangsters, are closely related to the warlike mongoose and form clans that closely resemble the social systems of old-world primates such as baboons. The social rank of the female is solely decided by the social status of it's mother, and in these clans females rule supreme. The clans can include up to 90 individuals, and as territory increases large wars between clans over territory may occur. Some people claim that next to humans the spotted hyena may be the most fatally aggressive species on earth and rank is very important among hyena's social interactions and determines every aspect of a hyena's life. The cubs, playing war-like games, will often gang up on and attack an adult hyena, but only if one of the cubs in the group ranks higher than the adult. Age has nothing to do with their ranking. Researchers at the University of California-Berkeley are discovering unexpected physiological, social, and behavioral characteristics behind hyena aggressiveness and the results of the studies are encouraging scientists to explore characteristics of animal aggression and sexual development in other species including humans.
5 Crows
“When the enemy is relaxed, make them toil. When full, starve them. When settled, make them move.”― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Most know that a group of crows is called a murder but they probably don't know why. One explanation is based on an old folklore tale that crows will gather and decide the capital fate of another crow. This is somewhat based in fact, as crows will often kill weak or sick members to ensure predators aren't attracted to the whole group. Crows are known for being adept at using tools, water displacement abilities, and their superior memories. They form distinct family groups that roost among a larger groups, to defend against other large groups and predators. When threatened, crows have been seen forming massive angry mobs to attack the threat. While not always violent, the murder can be relentless in their harassment exhausting their opponents. They often defend against the great horned owl with this war tactic, pestering it during the day when it should sleep, to ensure the owl is too tired to attack at night when the crows are at rest. It can become a large spectacle that sometimes ends in the death of the owl.
4 Lions
“All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.”― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
“If he sends reinforcements everywhere, he will everywhere be weak.”― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
"mystify, mislead, and surprise the enemy”― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
The lion's roar is a territorial display that can be heard from miles away, and lions are able to count the number of individuals in a roaring group and amass a group that safely outnumbers them accordingly. The challenging group is then attacked by the defending group. Lions have been observed manipulating their roars to outsmart other groups making it appear like less members are attacking and therefore tricking the defending group into a battle that cant be won. An all male pride, known as the Majingilane Males, use this and other crafty tactics to mate with females of other prides. The Majingilane Pride sends out a raiding group to attack and distract the defending group's males. While the males of the defending group are engaged in battle, several sneaky members from the raiding group who had sat out of the fight, approach the females to mate, unbeknownst to the defending males. They have been also know to use this same tactic to steal food and territory.
3 Fork-Tailed Drongos
“Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in relationto the foe whom he is facing.”― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
"He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces."― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Tufted capuchin monkeys are ranked according to age, and when resources are low younger monkeys must get creative or lose precious nutrition to their older counterparts. No matter, the young monkeys just sound the alarm, alerting their brethren to a non-existent predator, which scares the older monkeys away from their food and the young monkeys quickly snatch it up. But there is another species that masters this elaborate con, and brings it to a whole new level of awesome. The African Fork-Tailed Drango prefers the con to getting their food the old fashioned way, through hardship and toil. They sound the alarm and if this prank fails to scare off its wiser Drongo brethren, they go for an easier mark. The drongo has learned to imitate the warning calls of 50 different desert dwelling species and among them are pied babblers, sociable weavers, and even the intellectually superior mammal, the meerkat. If the meerkat proves to intelligent for it's tricks, the drongo simply fine tunes its warning calls until they become so accurate, they are too risky for the meerkat to ignore. We could draw a comparison with the current conflict between Russia and the Ukrainian forces in Crimea. Several false reports of explosions and armed attacks have been reported by Russia's journalists stating that mass numbers of citizens are leaving Crimea for Russia and applying for Russian citizenship. None of this was substantiated, but it does make us wonder if Russia's objective was to encourage this very thing. Did they want to perpetuate the mass expulsion of Crimea with false alarms of battle and danger between Russian and Ukrainian soldiers?
2 Bullsnake
“The skillful tactician may be likened to the shuai-jan. Now the shuai-jan is a snake that is found in the Ch'ang mountains. Strike at its head, and you will be attacked by its tail; strike at its tail, and you will be attacked by its head; strike at its middle, and you will be attacked by head and tail both.”― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
"To know your enemy, you must become your enemy."― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Rattlesnakes use both their head and tail as a means of attack and intimidation. Rattlesnakes are a type of pit viper and are therefore venomous. On their tails is a rattle they use to make an ominous sound of warning and threat. Their tails can also be used to confuse a predator into thinking it a weapon, the predator such as a hawk, sees no vulnerabilities to attack and so moves on for easier prey. This method can work against other snakes as well, but it is a common fallacy that bull snakes eat rattlers. Although, the bull snake does mimic the rattlesnake quite well. This ensures that they have the same advantages of survival to adequately compete for food and territory. Bull snakes are not venomous and they do not have a rattle, but they have found ways around their inferiority. Their markings and coloring are quite similar to the rattlesnake, almost identicle, and when threatened the bull snake flattens its head like a viper, rears up, and bounces it's tail off the ground in quick succession that imitates the pitch of a rattlesnakes's rattle perfectly. In the past imitating the rattlesnake has been very effective, but with the increasing population of humans in its habitat the bull snake is often mistaken for a rattler and killed, it does not help that the bull snake frequents cultivated areas more often than the rattlesnake.
1 Polyergus Ants
"He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks. "― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
The battle is raging and the scale of violence is monumental. Tens of thousands of soldiers sweep in ready to die for the cause, and the engagements are quick and brutal. Each soldier with a task imprinted in it's brain, and executes the task with a suicidal fervor that leaves a gut-wrenching and oozing mass of body parts strewn around the battleground. This is not a human battlefield but a daily occurrence in the miniature world of ants. The polyergus ants come in many different forms all over the world, but they have the warlike propensity all ants share and a knack for taking slaves. They regularly perform raids on the Formica Ant, kidnapping them, and forcing them into slavery. Their tasks as slaves include executing all the menial labor of everyday living, collecting building materials, collecting food, and caring for their captor's young. The polyergus ants prefer to be fed by hand, and spend their days lazing about or raiding a kidnapping the formica ants, similar to viking raiders of old. When there is resistance, fighting breaks out until the polyergus queen fights her way to the formica queen. The polyergus queen then steals the formica queens scent by licking and biting her until she eventually strangles her and takes over as queen of the formica colony. The scent enables her to command the formica troops, this is chemical warfare at its most fundamental level and all of this behavior comes instinctively. The ants move as if they are branches of one consciousness.
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