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Improve Your Writing VII
Reading passage
Time: 3 minutes
Altruism is a type of
behavior in which an animal sacrifices its own interest for that of
another animal or group of animals. Altruism is the opposite of
selfishness; individuals performing altruistic acts gain nothing for
themselves.
Examples of altruism abound, both among humans and among other
mammals. Unselfish acts among humans range from the sharing of food
with strangers to the donation of body organs to family members, and
even to strangers. Such acts are altruistic in that they benefit
another, provide little reward to the one performing the act.
In fact, many species of animals appear willing to sacrifice food, or
even their life, to assist other members of their group. The meerkat,
which is a mammal that dwells in burrows in grassland areas of Africa,
is often cited as an example. In groups of meerkats, an individual
acts as a sentinel, standing guard and looking out for predators while
the others hunt for food or eat food they have obtained. If the
sentinel meerkat sees a predator such as a hawk approaching the group,
it gives an alarm cry alerting the other meerkats to run and seek
shelter. By standing guard, the sentinel meerkat gains nothing—it goes
without food while the others eat, and it places itself in grave
danger. After it issues an alarm it has to flee alone, which might
make it more at risk to a predator, since animals in groups are often
able to work together to fend off a predator. So the altruistic
sentinel behavior helps ensure the survival of other members of the
meerkat’s group |
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Last updated:
02 May 2012
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