Question: I am interested in how different environments affect different animals and why they react in so many different ways?

Lewis Dean answered on 19 Mar 2014:

That’s exactly what I am interested in too! There are so many things that affect how animals react and how they evolve. There are many scientists who investigate how different animals cope in different environments and how they have evolved to do that.

One bit of the environment that is often forgotten is the ‘social environment’ – your friends, family, enemies, other group members. In monkeys and apes, social groups can be really complex, with some animals being higher ranked than others and animals making friendships or falling out with one another. There is a theory that some apes and monkeys are really intelligent to be able to remember all of this information about their group.