William O'Hearn
@williamohearn.bsky.social
Postdoctoral Researcher in Center for Animal Research, Uni Exeter | Studying social cognition and partner choice in baboons and macaques
Personal website: https://williamohearn.weebly.com/
Personal website: https://williamohearn.weebly.com/
New paper out in iScience. We found the pattern of Guinea baboon meat transfers follows the shape of their nested multi-level society. Transfers of meat are more tolerant at the lower levels of the society and are more likely to occur along stronger social relationships. www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
Meat transfer patterns reflect the multi-level social system of Guinea baboons
Wildlife behavior; Biological sciences; Zoology; Evolutionary biology
www.cell.com
October 31, 2025 at 1:36 PM
New paper out in iScience. We found the pattern of Guinea baboon meat transfers follows the shape of their nested multi-level society. Transfers of meat are more tolerant at the lower levels of the society and are more likely to occur along stronger social relationships. www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
Reposted by William O'Hearn
Social relationships are powerful predictors of fitness across social animals. But *why*?
In our new @cp-trendsecolevo.bsky.social paper, we outline testable predictions for why relationship quality and quantity adaptively vary across socio-ecological contexts.
tinyurl.com/55dnkeh7
In our new @cp-trendsecolevo.bsky.social paper, we outline testable predictions for why relationship quality and quantity adaptively vary across socio-ecological contexts.
tinyurl.com/55dnkeh7
October 16, 2025 at 7:07 AM
Social relationships are powerful predictors of fitness across social animals. But *why*?
In our new @cp-trendsecolevo.bsky.social paper, we outline testable predictions for why relationship quality and quantity adaptively vary across socio-ecological contexts.
tinyurl.com/55dnkeh7
In our new @cp-trendsecolevo.bsky.social paper, we outline testable predictions for why relationship quality and quantity adaptively vary across socio-ecological contexts.
tinyurl.com/55dnkeh7
Reposted by William O'Hearn
Curious about how primates acquire and process social information to generate social knowledge? 🦧
Check out our new review paper on social evaluation, with a particular focus on the cognitive mechanisms involved in assessing others' skills and competence 👇
Check out our new review paper on social evaluation, with a particular focus on the cognitive mechanisms involved in assessing others' skills and competence 👇
🔔 New paper out on Social evaluation of skill and competence in primates
@mariehirel.bsky.social, @williamohearn.bsky.social and @julxf.bsky.social made this happen
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
@mariehirel.bsky.social, @williamohearn.bsky.social and @julxf.bsky.social made this happen
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Social evaluation of skill and competence in primates
Social life is a continuous interplay of observing and interacting with conspecifics, predicting their behavior, and responding to their actions. This…
www.sciencedirect.com
August 25, 2025 at 10:47 PM
Curious about how primates acquire and process social information to generate social knowledge? 🦧
Check out our new review paper on social evaluation, with a particular focus on the cognitive mechanisms involved in assessing others' skills and competence 👇
Check out our new review paper on social evaluation, with a particular focus on the cognitive mechanisms involved in assessing others' skills and competence 👇
Reposted by William O'Hearn
🔔 New paper out on Social evaluation of skill and competence in primates
@mariehirel.bsky.social, @williamohearn.bsky.social and @julxf.bsky.social made this happen
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
@mariehirel.bsky.social, @williamohearn.bsky.social and @julxf.bsky.social made this happen
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Social evaluation of skill and competence in primates
Social life is a continuous interplay of observing and interacting with conspecifics, predicting their behavior, and responding to their actions. This…
www.sciencedirect.com
August 24, 2025 at 6:40 PM
🔔 New paper out on Social evaluation of skill and competence in primates
@mariehirel.bsky.social, @williamohearn.bsky.social and @julxf.bsky.social made this happen
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
@mariehirel.bsky.social, @williamohearn.bsky.social and @julxf.bsky.social made this happen
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by William O'Hearn
New @cornishjackdaws.bsky.social paper out today in @royalsociety.org Biology Letters. We found adult jackdaws can learn to tolerate usually bullied or ignored juveniles when they provided information about a new foraging resource.
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Wild jackdaws learn to tolerate juveniles to exploit new foraging opportunities | Biology Letters
Social tolerance can enhance access to resources and is thought to be crucial in facilitating
the evolution of cooperation, social cognition and culture, but it is unknown whether
animals can optimize...
royalsocietypublishing.org
August 20, 2025 at 3:59 AM
New @cornishjackdaws.bsky.social paper out today in @royalsociety.org Biology Letters. We found adult jackdaws can learn to tolerate usually bullied or ignored juveniles when they provided information about a new foraging resource.
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Reposted by William O'Hearn
New paper led by @josharbon.bsky.social. Adults jackdaws often bully youngsters, but we show they can learn to be tolerant and attend to juveniles as sources of information. @uniexecec.bsky.social. Funded by @leverhulme.ac.uk & @swbiodtp.bsky.social
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
August 20, 2025 at 8:16 AM
New paper led by @josharbon.bsky.social. Adults jackdaws often bully youngsters, but we show they can learn to be tolerant and attend to juveniles as sources of information. @uniexecec.bsky.social. Funded by @leverhulme.ac.uk & @swbiodtp.bsky.social
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Reposted by William O'Hearn
So happy to see my first PhD paper out royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
With my amazing supervisor @robinmorrison.bsky.social and the @savinggorillas.bsky.social, we examined female dispersal decisions in mountain gorillas.
With my amazing supervisor @robinmorrison.bsky.social and the @savinggorillas.bsky.social, we examined female dispersal decisions in mountain gorillas.
Dispersed female networks: female gorillas’ inter-group relationships influence dispersal decisions | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Dispersal is a fundamental aspect of many animal societies, impacting gene flow, knowledge transmission, culture and individual fitness. However, little is known about the information individuals use when dispersing. Mountain gorillas exhibit a flexible ...
royalsocietypublishing.org
August 6, 2025 at 4:24 PM
So happy to see my first PhD paper out royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
With my amazing supervisor @robinmorrison.bsky.social and the @savinggorillas.bsky.social, we examined female dispersal decisions in mountain gorillas.
With my amazing supervisor @robinmorrison.bsky.social and the @savinggorillas.bsky.social, we examined female dispersal decisions in mountain gorillas.
Reposted by William O'Hearn
When female gorillas leave one social group and join another, they tend to seek out groups with other females that they've lived with in the past, showing the power of long-term relationships.
Study finds female mountain gorillas prefer to join 'buddies'
When female gorillas leave one social group and join another, they tend to seek out groups with other females that they've lived with in the past, showing the power of long-term relationships.
n.pr
August 6, 2025 at 5:38 PM
When female gorillas leave one social group and join another, they tend to seek out groups with other females that they've lived with in the past, showing the power of long-term relationships.
Reposted by William O'Hearn
Our new article is out! We explored how early life social experiences and age affect social connectedness measures later in life for captive female olive baboons. Please feel free to message me if you have any questions / want to discuss anything 😊🐒 link.springer.com/article/10.1...
The effects of early life rearing experiences and age on sociality in captive olive baboons (Papio anubis) - Primates
Social connections within primate groups are continuously changing, and an individual’s connectedness within their social network can have important consequences on morbidity and mortality. Here, we e...
link.springer.com
July 28, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Our new article is out! We explored how early life social experiences and age affect social connectedness measures later in life for captive female olive baboons. Please feel free to message me if you have any questions / want to discuss anything 😊🐒 link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by William O'Hearn
Very excited to see our paper using historical data to infer toothed whale lifespans published this week in the Biological Journal of the Linnaean Society (@biojlinnsoc.bsky.social)
doi.org/10.1093/biol...
w. @darrencroft.bsky.social @drwhale.bsky.social @mialybkaer.bsky.social, Dan Franks
doi.org/10.1093/biol...
w. @darrencroft.bsky.social @drwhale.bsky.social @mialybkaer.bsky.social, Dan Franks
June 6, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Very excited to see our paper using historical data to infer toothed whale lifespans published this week in the Biological Journal of the Linnaean Society (@biojlinnsoc.bsky.social)
doi.org/10.1093/biol...
w. @darrencroft.bsky.social @drwhale.bsky.social @mialybkaer.bsky.social, Dan Franks
doi.org/10.1093/biol...
w. @darrencroft.bsky.social @drwhale.bsky.social @mialybkaer.bsky.social, Dan Franks
Reposted by William O'Hearn
My first co-author paper is out in Current Biology!
In this study, led by Daniela Perez and Serena Ding, we show that nematode self-assembling towers occur in nature and can serve as a collective dispersal mechanism 🪱
Check out a video where Daniela explains the findings and the paper here 👇
In this study, led by Daniela Perez and Serena Ding, we show that nematode self-assembling towers occur in nature and can serve as a collective dispersal mechanism 🪱
Check out a video where Daniela explains the findings and the paper here 👇
Move over, starling murmurations. There’s a slimier, squirmier collective behavior in town. It's a living, twisting tower of worms.
Everybody, meet the wormuration 🪱🪱
Latest paper by Daniela Perez, Serena Ding and team @uni-konstanz.de
Paper: doi.org/10.1016/j.cu...
youtube.com/shorts/F8QVc...
Everybody, meet the wormuration 🪱🪱
Latest paper by Daniela Perez, Serena Ding and team @uni-konstanz.de
Paper: doi.org/10.1016/j.cu...
youtube.com/shorts/F8QVc...
Have you ever seen a worm tower?
YouTube video by Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior
youtube.com
June 6, 2025 at 7:00 AM
My first co-author paper is out in Current Biology!
In this study, led by Daniela Perez and Serena Ding, we show that nematode self-assembling towers occur in nature and can serve as a collective dispersal mechanism 🪱
Check out a video where Daniela explains the findings and the paper here 👇
In this study, led by Daniela Perez and Serena Ding, we show that nematode self-assembling towers occur in nature and can serve as a collective dispersal mechanism 🪱
Check out a video where Daniela explains the findings and the paper here 👇
Reposted by William O'Hearn
Postdoc job alert! I'm hiring a 3-yr postdoc to work on our Social Modifiers of Primate Lifespans grant. Job info and how to apply below. Deadline June 1. Pls share! jobs.exeter.ac.uk/hrpr_webrecr...
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jobs.exeter.ac.uk
May 2, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Postdoc job alert! I'm hiring a 3-yr postdoc to work on our Social Modifiers of Primate Lifespans grant. Job info and how to apply below. Deadline June 1. Pls share! jobs.exeter.ac.uk/hrpr_webrecr...
Reposted by William O'Hearn
Thrilled to have the 1st project in my @snsf-ch.bsky.social Ambizione fellowship in @pnas.org this week. With Vic Martignac, @samellisq.bsky.social and @savinggorillas.bsky.social we asked what is a good social environment for a gorilla? And the answer was complicated... www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Group traits moderate the relationship between individual social traits and fitness in gorillas | PNAS
Evidence across a broad range of disciplines has demonstrated how individuals’ social
environments can impact their health, lifespan, reproduction,...
www.pnas.org
May 7, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Thrilled to have the 1st project in my @snsf-ch.bsky.social Ambizione fellowship in @pnas.org this week. With Vic Martignac, @samellisq.bsky.social and @savinggorillas.bsky.social we asked what is a good social environment for a gorilla? And the answer was complicated... www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by William O'Hearn
Well done @macaelaskelton.bsky.social, our MacaqueNet technician extraodinaire 💚
To celebrate our new #MacaqueNet paper, I wrote a blog for @animalecology.bsky.social. This #StoryBehindThePaper shares how we came together to build the first standardised macaque social behaviour database!
animalecologyinfocus.com/2025/04/10/m...
#Macaques #BigTeamScience #ComparativeResearch
animalecologyinfocus.com/2025/04/10/m...
#Macaques #BigTeamScience #ComparativeResearch
MacaqueNet: Advancing comparative behavioural research through large‐scale collaboration
We present MacaqueNet, a global community of macaque researchers who developed the first publicly searchable, standardised database on affiliative and agonistic behaviour. This cross-species database...
doi.org
April 14, 2025 at 10:19 AM
Well done @macaelaskelton.bsky.social, our MacaqueNet technician extraodinaire 💚
BEHOLD THE FLAGSHIP PAPER OF MY PHD! 🚢 I trained wild and zoo housed Guinea baboons to pull a lever for peanuts to test whether they monitored the foraging skills of others and used the information to inform their social choices 🧵 (1/9) royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
March 5, 2025 at 8:49 AM
BEHOLD THE FLAGSHIP PAPER OF MY PHD! 🚢 I trained wild and zoo housed Guinea baboons to pull a lever for peanuts to test whether they monitored the foraging skills of others and used the information to inform their social choices 🧵 (1/9) royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...