1,721,020 research outputs found
Adult play and the evolution of tolerant and cooperative societies
Full text linkPlay is generally considered an immature affair. However, adult play is present in several mammal species living in complex social systems. Here, I hypothesize that adult social play is favored by natural selection in those species characterized by high level of social tolerance and/or by the need of others’ cooperation to reach a goal (i.e., leverage). The integration and comparison of bio-behavioral data on non-human primates and wild social carnivores allows drawing a comprehensive picture on the importance of adult play in facing unpredictable, novel social situations and in overcoming stressful experiences. The ability to cope with potentially competitive interactions through play can favor the emergence of egalitarian societies. A further interesting and beneficial aspect of adult play is its role in synchronizing group activities and favoring collective decision making by renovating the motivation to cooperate in groupmates. As a last step, some considerations about the presence of adult play in the most egalitarian and cooperative human groups (e.g., hunter-gatherer societies) allows discussing the apparent dichotomy between cultural and biological evolution of certain behavioral traits, including social play in adulthood
Wolves and dogs unleashed: exploring differences and similarities in adult play
No full textThe behavioral outcomes of wolf domestication include high tameness and playful motivation Wolves and dogs exhibit extended play into adulthood, making adult play a key model to explore domestication effects We collected data on mother-reared wolves and Czechoslovakian Wolfdogs (CWDs), analyzing play fighting behaviors. CWDs are a good comparison model due to their genetic closeness to wolves. Wolves played in a more competitive and less reciprocal way compared to dogs, although they avoided biting playmates' throat, the most vulnerable body part. Compared to CWDs, wolves also shortened play sessions to limit escalation risks. Despite studying one wolf colony and a few CWD groups, domestication's effect on making play 'tamer' is evident even in less selected dog breeds. Both species shared about 78% of play patterns. Interestingly, the level of play variability was comparable between wolves and dogs thus suggesting that both species require a certain level of unpredictability to make their sessions rewarding. In conclusion, variation and constancy in adult play fighting within the genus Canis offer insights into its functional role in mature animals. Our data highlight Canis species' potential for future adult play studies, presenting them as excellent research models
Record of thanatology and cannibalism in drills (Mandrillus leucophaeus)
Full text linkComparative thanatology includes the scientific study of death in non-human animals, which involves emotional, social, and exploratory responses of individuals and groups towards corpses. Stillborn babies and dead infants often elicit maternal and alloparental care that can persist for days, weeks, or even months, especially in primates. After this period, cannibalistic acts can occur not only by groupmates but also by the mother. Such cannibalism has been reported both in captive and wild primate groups, suggesting that the phenomenon is evolutionary adaptive. Here, we report a case in drills (Mandrillus leucophaeus), a largely unstudied monkey species. We collected data from the birth to the death of the infant on maternal and alloparental care towards the newborn across three phases: pre-mortem, post-mortem, and post-mortem cannibalism. The mother maintained high levels of grooming after the infant’s death. Both the mother and other group members interacted with the dead baby by trying to engage its gaze. Two days after the death, the mother started to eat the corpse until it was almost completely consumed; there was no sharing with other group members. Although we cannot draw firm conclusions about potential benefits of the mother’s behavior, this observation on drills adds a piece to the puzzle of thanatological behaviors and cannibalism in primates
Is birth attendance a uniquely human feature? New evidence suggests that Bonobo females protect and support the parturient
No full textBirth attendance has been proposed as a distinguishing feature of humans (Homo sapiens) and it has been linked to the difficulty of the delivery process in our species. Here, we provide the first quantitative study based on video-recordings of the social dynamics around three births in captive bonobos (Pan paniscus), human closest living relative along with the chimpanzee. We show that the general features defining traditional birth attendance in humans can also be identified in bonobos. As in humans, birth in bonobos was a social event, where female attendants provided protection and support to the parturient until the infant was born. Moreover, bystander females helped the parturient during the expulsive phase by performing manual gestures aimed at holding the infant. Our results on bonobos question the traditional view that the “obligatory” need for assistance was the main driving force leading to sociality around birth in our species. Indeed, birth in bonobos is not hindered by physical constraints and the mother is self-sufficient in accomplishing the delivery. Although further studies are needed both in captivity and in the wild, we suggest that the similarities observed between birth attendance in bonobos and humans might be related to the high level of female gregariousness in these species. In our view, the capacity of unrelated females to form strong social bonds and cooperate could have represented the evolutionary pre-requisite for the emergence of human midwifery
Virtual visit of the Primate Gallery of the Museum of Natural History and Territory (University of Pisa): accessibility and usability for blind users
No full textUsability guidelines are available to design web site visits accessible to the blind users. However, the actual usability of accessible web pages changes depending on the type of information the user is dealing with. Museum web sites including specimen/exhibition hall descriptions need specific requirements to allow vision-impaired users, who navigates using a screen-reader (a device that reads the text of the page), to access pieces of information based on a visual perception. Here we address the additional usability guidelines applied to the web pages describing the Primate Gallery of the Museum of Natural History and Territory (University of Pisa)
Correction to: If horses had toes: demonstrating mirror self recognition at group level in Equus caballus (Animal Cognition, (2021), 24, 5, (1099-1108), 10.1007/s10071-021-01502-7)
No full textIn the original publication of the article, the table (Table 3) has been incorrectly published, this has been corrected in this paper (Table 3)
The interconnection of hierarchy, affiliative behaviours, and social play shapes social dynamics in Maremmana beef cattle
Full text linkDominance hierarchies can be interconnected with behaviours that are essential to manage social living, such as affiliative behaviours and social play, whose importance can already emerge in the early phases of life. Here, we carried out an observational study (all occurrences sampling) to investigate the possible interconnection between these three behavioural categories in a group of Maremmana beef cattle (n = 44, 6–21 months of age) in an extensive breeding system. We found that a clearly linear hierarchy is present in the group, and that the age of the animals positively correlated with their hierarchical ranks. Affiliative behaviours were directed up to the hierarchy: dominants received more affiliative behaviours and subordinates were generally starting the sessions, suggesting that affiliative behaviours may be used by subordinates to bond with dominants for possibly gaining some benefits. Social play mainly consisted of play fighting and dominant subjects played with the highest frequency. However, playful modality was independent from playmates’ relative rank position, with longer-lasting sessions being characterized by unbalanced and unreciprocated patterns. This indicates that play fighting in cattle has a competitive rather than cooperative nature and that it may be used as physical training to develop competitive skills in all groupmates. When play fighting was punctuated by affiliative behaviours, the playful sessions lasted longer. In this view, affiliative behaviours can have a communicative value useful in downgrading the competition emerging during play fighting. In conclusion, under naturalistic conditions young animals of beef cattle express all the behavioural repertoire typical of adulthood and their agonistic, affiliative, and playful behaviours are strongly interconnected in shaping social dynamics. Thus, our study suggests that extensive farming conditions are ideal to study the behavioural strategies domestic animals enact to form cohesive social groups. Such information is needed to enhance management and welfare of domestic ungulates
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