It turns out that social distancing in response to disease happens in many social species, not just humans. In this 2020 review in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, we explore the challenges of recognizing and responding appropriately to emerging infectious diseases, the costs of (and constraints on) social distancing for social species, and how virtual communication could buffer and exacerbate some of the costs of social distancing.
Townsend AK, Hawley DM, Stephenson JF, and Williams KEG. 2020. Emerging infectious disease and the challenges of social distancing in human and non-human animals. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 287:20201039.
