Flea treatment shows downside of social life

From Snowbird, Utah, at a meeting of the Animal Behavior Society

Among ground squirrels in Africa, the hordes of flealike parasites that build up in shared burrows take an unexpectedly large, hidden toll on the mammal’s reproductive success.

Colonies of Cape ground squirrels (Xerus inauris) offer a chance to study the benefits and costs of group living, says Jane Waterman of the University of Central Florida in Orlando.