Scientists may be a step closer to understanding the origins of human social behaviour.
An analysis of over 200 primate species by a University of Oxford team suggests that our ancestors gave up their solitary existence when they shifted from being nocturnal creatures to those that are active during the day.
It is likely communal living was adopted to protect against day time predators, the researchers say.
The results are published in Nature.
From work on social insects and birds, some biologists have suggested that social groups begin to form when young do not leave their natal ground, but instead hang around and help raise their siblings.
Now, the latest evidence from primates suggests that this might not have been the case for our ancestors.
Leaping to sociality By looking at whether closely related species share similar social structures, the Oxford team of evolutionary biologists shows that a common history is important in shaping the way animals behave in a group.
By Jennifer Carpenter Science reporter, BBC News
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