I’ve noted before that one of the most difficult parts of any job is the interpersonal side of it. Researchers are looking into which other animal groups develop interpersonal skills and at what levels.
A group of researchers from Michigan St. have been studying hyenas. They’ve found that spotted hyenas in Kenya can identify and “know” up to 60 to 80 different hyenas. In the study the researchers took a look at the shape of the brain of the hyenas. They found that the larger the frontal cortex the more socially aware the animal is.
For more information on this study it is available here: Hyneas – Social and Smart by Carl Zimmer