According to a study, the spotted hyenas, just like social media users, often choose to form connections with friends of friends. The scientists said that they collected over 55,000 observations of social interactions of the spotted hyenas, which is also known as the laughing hyena, over a period of about two decades in Kenya.

According to the scientists, they found that the animal forms bond with friends of friends, which in scientific terms called ‘triadic closure’. It could be the most consistent factor that has been influencing the long-term dynamics of the social structure of the spotted hyenas, the scientists said.

The scientists said that apart from bonding with friends of friends, individual traits like sex and social rank, and environmental effects like the abundance of prey also play an important role, but the animal’s ability to maintain social bonds has been found the key factor.

Dr Ilany, lead author on the study, said, “Cohesive clusters can facilitate efficient cooperation and hence maximize fitness, and so our study shows that hyenas exploit this advantage. Interestingly, clustering is something done in human societies, from hunter-gatherers to Facebook users”.

The scientists said that hyenas have the ability to discriminate maternal and paternal kin from distinct hyenas. The animal is also very selective in its social choices, according to the scientists. The animal does not form bond with every hyena, but prefers the friends of their friends.

According to the scientists, they discovered that the animals follow a complex set of rules while making decision related to their social life. Male hyenas follow rigid rules while forming bonds, and females change their preferences with time. A female hyena could think about its social rank at one time, but then later choose based on rainfall amounts, the scientists said.