Animals get less social as they age in similar way to humans

While Victor Meldrew was a cantankerous caricature, humans are known to become less social as they get older. Now researchers say we are not alone, with many animals behaving in the same way.

- Nicola Davis

Experts studying animals ranging from wild deer to insects, monkeys and birds have revealed a host of insights into the relationship between age and social connections.

"Overall, it's looking like there's a very general pattern of individuals becoming less social with age," said Dr Josh Firth from the University of Leeds, an editor of a series of papers on animal ageing in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.