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We used a simulation model, incorporating empirical data from an arid and a mesic locality, to assess the influence of group size and habitat characteristics on foraging success and energetic returns of the common mole-rat, and thereby gain insight into social evolution within the bathyergids. The most significant finding of the model was that per capita energetic returns for foraging mole-rats decreased with increasing group size, suggesting that there is no simple energetic benefit to be gained from increased colony size; rather, cooperative foraging served to reduce the risks of starvation, particularly in the arid locality. The model suggests that the energetic rewards gained from foraging at a mesic locality are almost three times greater than those gained from an arid locality, where food resources are widely dispersed and patchy. Absolute food availability was less important in determining foraging success than the …