322,896 research outputs found
Post-conflict opponent affiliation reduces victim re-aggression in a family group of captive arctic wolves (Canis lupus arctos)
No full textPost-conflict affiliative interactions have been widely investigated in primates but not extensively in other species. Using the Post Conflict-Matched Control (PC-MC) comparison method, this study investigated the patterns of post-conflict opponent affiliation (POA) of a captive family group of 19 arctic wolves (Canis lupus arctos), investigating the correlation with various factors. We found that POAs occurred mainly in the non-feeding context and more often when the victim was dominant and the aggressor subordinate. Furthermore, POAs were more likely to have been initiated by the victim than the aggressor. Victims’ stress related behaviours occurred more in PC than MC periods, and more after high vs. low intensity aggressions but they were not more likely to occur after conflicts between wolves with a stronger social bond and POAs did not reduce their rate of occurrence. Our results showed that re-aggression was twice less frequent when a friendly interaction occurred between the aggressor and the victim, and consistent with this, victims engaged in POAs more often than the aggressor. Overall, our results support the hypothesis that POAs in wolves may have been selected for as a mechanism to avoid conflict escalation, which could lead to social disruption and hence jeopardize cooperative activities. The high relatedness among individuals in the pack and the greater dependence of all members on cooperation in breeding and hunting may reduce the importance of ‘relationship quality’ as a mediating factor of POAs, although dominance relationships, which are directly linked to the risks of further conflicts, do play an important role
Dominance relationships in a family pack of captive arctic wolves (Canis lupus arctos): The influence of competition for food, age and sex
No full textBackground. Dominance is one of the most pervasive concepts in the study of wolf social behaviour but recently its validity has been questioned. For some authors, the bonds between members of wolf families are better described as parent-offspring relationships and the concept of dominance should be used just to evaluate the social dynamics of non-familial captive pack members (e.g., Mech & Cluff, 2010). However, there is a dearth of studies investigating dominance relationships and its correlates in wolf family packs. Methods. Here, we applied a combination of the most commonly used quantitative methods to evaluate the dominance relationships in a captive family pack of 19 Arctic wolves. Results. We found a significant linear and completely transitive hierarchy based on the direction of submissive behaviours and found that dominance relationships were not influenced by the competitive contexts (feeding vs. non-feeding context). A significant linear hierarchy also emerges amongst siblings once the breeding pair (the two top-ranking individuals) is removed from analyses. Furthermore, results suggest that wolves may use greeting behaviour as a formal signal of subordination. Whereas older wolves were mostly dominant over younger ones, no clear effect of sex was found. However, frequency of agonistic (submissive, dominant and aggressive) behaviours was higher between female-female and male-male dyads than female-male dyads and sex-separated linear hierarchies showed a stronger linearity than the mixed one. Furthermore, dominance status was conveyed through different behavioural categories during intra-sexual and inter-sexual interactions. Discussion. Current results highlight the importance of applying a systematic methodology considering the individuals' age and sex when evaluating the hierarchical structure of a social group. Moreover, they confirm the validity of the concept of dominance relationships in describing the social bonds within a family pack of captive wolves
Scent-Marking Behaviour in a Pack of Free-Ranging Domestic Dogs
No full textMost mammals scent-mark, and a variety of hypotheses have been put
forward to explain this behaviour. Most of our knowledge about scent
marking in domestic dogs comes from studies carried out on laboratory or
companion dogs, while few studies have been carried out on free-ranging
dogs. Here, we explored the functional significance of different scentmarking
behavioural patterns in a pack of free-ranging domestic dogs by
testing two non-exclusive hypotheses: the indirect territorial defence
and the dominance/threat hypotheses. Through direct observation, we
recorded the locations of dog scent marks (urination, defecation and
ground scratching) and information regarding the identity and posture of
the marking animal. We found evidence that markings are used by dogs
to form a ‘property line’ and to threaten rivals during agonistic conflicts.
Both males and females utilized scent marking to assert dominance and
probably to relocate food or maintain possession over it. Raised-leg urination
and ground scratching probably play a role in olfactory and visual
communication in both males and females. Urinations released by
females, especially through flexed-leg posture, may also convey information
about their reproductive state. Finally, our observations suggest that
defecation does not play an essential role in olfactory communication
among free-ranging dogs and that standing and squat postures are associated
with normal excretion. Our results suggest that many of the proposed
functions of marking behaviours are not mutually exclusive, and all
should be explored through detailed field and laboratory studies
Searching for difference in behavioural response of piglet groups subjected to a novel situations.
No full textIndividual difference in animal behaviour could clarify the differences in stress coping style, which have consequences in production, health and welfare. If differences in behaviour reflect coping characteristics, then behaviour in one situation should predict behavioural reactions in other situations and at other times. The Backtest (BT), the Open Field (OP) and the Novel Object (NO) tests have been used to identify individual reaction patterns in pigs and to measure parameters that previous studies showed to be correlated to the coping strategies of animals. The BT allows classifying piglets in two different "coping styles": high-resisting (HR), which adopt a (pro) active coping style and low-resisting (LR), which seem to behave as passive (or reactive) coopers. In previous researches subjects were tested singularly, so the aim of this study was to investigate if differences between HR and LR could be detected when piglets are tested in group. A total of 132 piglets were subjected to BT and then they were housed in group of four individuals for a total of 12 HR‟s boxes, 12 LR‟s boxes and 9 mixed boxes (2 HR and 2 LR piglets). At the age of 44 days piglets housed in the same box were subjected all together to OP and NO. We found difference in exploration time (p<0,03) during OP and in aggressive behaviour frequency (p<0,03) during NO; both of them were higher in LR than in HR piglets. We did not find any other relation between results of Backtest and reactions in the open field and novel object tests. Our results suggest that differences between HR and LR piglets involves few behavioural occurrences when animals were subjected in group to novel situations
Social Variables Affecting Mate Preferences, Copulation and Reproductive Outcome in a Pack of Free-Ranging Dogs
No full textMating and reproductive outcome is often determined by the simultaneous operation of different mechanisms like intrasexual competition, mating preferences and sexual coercion. The present study investigated how social variables affected mating outcome in a pack of free-ranging dogs, a species supposed to have lost most features of the social system of wolves during domestication. We found that, although the pack comprised multiple breeding individuals, both male copulation success and female reproductive success were positively influenced by a linear combination of dominance rank, age and leadership. Our results also suggest that mate preferences affect mating outcome by reinforcing the success of most dominant individuals. In particular, during their oestrous period bitches clearly searched for the proximity of highranking males who displayed affiliative behaviour towards them, while they were more likely to reject the males who intimidated them. At the same time, male courting effort and male-male competition for receptive females appeared to be stronger in the presence of higher-ranking females, suggesting a male preference for dominant females. To our knowledge, these results provide the first clear evidence of social regulation of reproductive activities in domestic dogs, and suggest that some common organizing mechanisms may contribute to shape the social organization of both dogs and wolve
SOCIAL DYNAMICS OF A GROUP OF FREE-RANGING DOMESTIC DOGS LIVING IN A SUBURBAN ENVIRONMENT.
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