[Lewis Thomson (OP)]

Jon wants to know the following.

"I wonder if animals that live in packs (like wolves) have sufficient physical intimacy that they tend to have similar microbiomes, and whether that confers some advantage."

Tell us what you think in the comments below...

[evan_au]

Yes, animals that live together, in a similar habitat with similar diet tend to have a similar microbiome. Microbiomes have ways of transferring from one host to another, including mother to baby.
- Only humans may have interrupted that process somewhat with caesarian births and bottle-feeding.

Are animals the travel in packs in the same family?

Animals that travel in packs tend to breed within the pack.

That causes problems with potential inbreeding, which is resolved in different ways in different species. One method used by lions, elephants and orcas is that once a male is old enough, they are ejected by the pack. They need to:
- take over a different pride (lion brothers)
- Join a different pod (orcas)
- Join a bachelor group or wander around on their own (elephants)

Humans resolve it by having rules against incest, which either encourage or discourage marrying cousins (depending on the society), but generally discourage anything closer than cousins (unless you are an Egyptian Pharaoh, apparently).

[jon_bondy]

I never asked "Are animals the travel in packs in the same family?"  So bizarre.

[evan_au]

It looks like Lewis Thomson posted your email question on your behalf - and attached a title to it!

Hopefully I started to address the question that you did ask...