Feral pigs threaten biodiversity in 54 countries and cause an estimated $120 billion in damages annually in the USA. They endanger over 600 native species and have driven 14 to extinction. Additionally, they pose a significant zoonotic disease risk, carrying pathogens such as Brucella, leptospirosis, and Japanese encephalitis. Understanding and controlling disease spread relies on models of social dynamics, but these vary widely across regions, limiting the transferability of findings from the USA and Europe to other locations like Australia. This study addresses this gap by analysing the social interactions of 146 GPS-tracked feral pigs in Australia using a proximity-based social network approach. Findings reveal that females exhibit stronger group cohesion, while males act as key connectors between groups. Contact rates are high within groups, facilitating rapid intra-group disease spread, whereas inter-group transmission is slower. Seasonal variations further impact dynamics, with increased contact in summer. These insights suggest that targeting adult males in control programs could help limit disease outbreaks. Given the rising economic and public health concerns associated with animal diseases, the study highlights the need for localized strategies based on feral pig social behaviour to enhance global control efforts.

Behavioral strategies for foraging and reproduction in the oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis) are alternative options for resource allocation and are controlled by neuropeptides. Here, we show that the behavioral switch between foraging and reproduction is associated with changes in antennal sensitivity. Starved flies became more sensitive to food odors while suppressing their response to opposite-sex pheromones. The gene encoding sulfakinin receptor 1 (SkR1) was significantly upregulated in the antennae of starved flies, so we tested the behavioral phenotypes of null mutants for the genes encoding the receptor (skr1^–/–) and its ligand sulfakinin (sk^–/–). In both knockout lines, the antennal responses shifted to mating mode even when flies were starved. This suggests that sulfakinin signaling via SkR1 promotes foraging while suppressing mating. Further analysis of the mutant flies revealed that sets of odorant receptor (OR) genes were differentially expressed. Functional characterization of the differentially expressed ORs suggested that sulfakinin directly suppresses the expression of ORs that respond to opposite-sex hormones while enhancing the expression of ORs that detect food volatiles. We conclude that sulfakinin signaling via SkR1, modulating OR expressions and leading to altered antenna sensitivities, is an important component in starvation-dependent behavioral change.