ABSTRACT
The evolution of group life amongst carnivores in general has been attributed to a variety of ecological and behavioral factors. These are mainly associated with the improved capture and protection of large prey items capable of feeding several individuals (see Kruuk and McDonald, 1985 for a review). Although this hypothesis may hold for the larger canids, felids and hyaenids, it cannot explain why group life has evolved in small predators feeding almost entirely on small invertebrates and which do not share their prey, such as the viverrids, or the European badger Meles meles (Kruuk, 1978). In these cases, protection of a group feeding territory has been postulated as the main factor predisposing towards sociality (Kruuk, 1978; Rood, 1986).
