Living in a group usually provides many benefits. Yet, midst of their community, DOTKA and TRIBALE, two ground squirrels from the Canadian Rocky Mountains must come to terms with their peers. What if their social environment influenced their chances of reproducing? Or even their life expectancy? An international research team is trying to answer these questions by deciphering the effect of social stress on the health of these small mammals. A journey to the heart of their social network that makes us reflect on the parallels between animal and our own human societies.