Animals with attitude make evolutionary sense

0 Comments | AFP, May, 2007

PARIS (AFP) — Why does one sparrow boldly grab crumbs from an outstretched hand while another hops about nervously at a safe distance, afraid to collect a free meal?

Baffling differences in behaviour within the same species are not just an accident of nature but an expression of animal personality and part of a complex evolutionary strategy, a team of researchers argue in a theoretical study published Thursday in the British journal Nature.

Once thought to be the exclusive domain of human beings, personality is increasingly seen by scientists as a trait common in wild animals, ranging from squids and spiders to mice and monkeys.

It also serves a purpose, they say.

Dozens of observational studies in recent years have shown that otherwise...