6 social creatures you never knew had squad goals

It might sound macabre, but vampire bats are one of nature’s most generous social species. These nocturnal flyers often form roosts of up to 100 individuals, and their survival depends heavily on cooperation. If a bat returns from a nightly hunt without feeding, it may face starvation. But here’s where squad loyalty kicks in: other bats who had successful hunts will regurgitate some of their blood meal to feed their less fortunate peers. Even more astonishing, they remember who helped them and are more likely to return the favor in the future.

Elephants live in strong, matriarchal herds where wisdom, memory, and emotional intelligence guide group decisions. Led by the oldest and often wisest female, elephant groups stick together through thick and thin—raising young, mourning the dead, and even revisiting locations of emotional significance. Social bonds among females are incredibly strong, and they’re known to comfort one another with trunks in times of stress. Young males eventually leave the herd, but often form bachelor groups of their own. Elephants communicate using vocalizations, seismic signals, and even coordinated movement.

Parrots aren’t just talkative pets—they're deeply social animals with intricate social structures in the wild. In species like the African Grey and Cockatoos, parrots form lifelong pair bonds and strong flocks that communicate with custom vocal signatures unique to individuals. These birds engage in coordinated activities like foraging, grooming, and playful mimicry. What's truly impressive is their ability to understand and remember social hierarchies, and they often show signs of stress or depression if isolated.

Often unfairly cast as ruthless scavengers, spotted hyenas actually maintain one of the most complex and cooperative social structures among carnivores. Their clans, which can include up to 80 individuals, are dominated by a strict female hierarchy. Hyenas cooperate in hunting, protect clan territories together, and even babysit each other’s young. Social rank is inherited, and females are typically larger and more dominant. Their vocalizations—whoops, cackles, and grunts—are used for individual identification and social coordination.

Bottlenose dolphins take social networking to another level with their fluid, multi-tiered alliances. Males often form lifelong bonds with one or two other males, and these groups will collaborate to herd females or defend territory. But the alliances don’t stop there—smaller groups can join to form “super alliances,” with coordinated behaviors that mirror political coalitions in human society. Dolphins use vocal signatures (akin to names), synchronized swimming, and even “gift-giving” behaviors. Their intelligence, combined with strong emotional connections, make dolphin pods some of the most cohesive and cooperative societies in the marine world.

While they may be tiny, ants are perhaps the most effective social organisms on the planet. Living in colonies that range from a few dozen to millions, ants work collectively as a “superorganism,” where each individual has a defined role—workers, soldiers, and queens. Their communication is chemical, via pheromones, and they make decisions together, from foraging paths to nest-building. Leafcutter ants, for example, farm fungi using freshly cut leaves and have roles assigned to minimize overlap and maximize productivity.