Age-Related Change in the Association Choices of Two Species of Juvenile Flamingos
Flamingos are colonial species commonly kept in zoos, well known for their bright plumage and elaborate courtship displays. This project aimed to determine the differences in flock position and association preferences of juvenile Greater Flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) and Caribbean Flamingos (P. ruber) housed in the same zoological collection. Little research has been conducted on the […]
Social interactions in captive female Florida manatees
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.20044.abs The Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) is considered a semi-social species with strong bonds developed primarily between mother and offspring. Some field studies suggest sociality may be more developed and such social relationships may facilitate survival. Seven facilities in Florida house manatees, many of which were brought into captivity because of injury or […]
Association networks reveal social organization in the sleepy lizard
We investigated the social organization of the Australian sleepy lizard, Tiliqua rugosa, by describing the social network of a local population. We attached activity meters and GPS recorders to 21 neighbouring lizards in a semiarid site in South Australia, and monitored their location every 10 min over 3 months (September-December 2007). From over 5000 sets of […]
Sex differences in learning processes of classical and operant conditioning
Males and females learn and remember differently at different times in their lives. These differences occur in most species, from invertebrates to humans. We review here sex differences as they occur in laboratory rodent species. We focus on classical and operant conditioning paradigms, including classical eyeblink conditioning, fear-conditioning, active avoidance and conditioned taste aversion. Sex […]
Association patterns of African elephants in all-male groups: the role of age and genetic relatedness
Strong social bonds are uncommon among male mammals. In many mammals, however, males form all-male groups, providing opportunities for male-male bonds to emerge. We examined association patterns of male African elephants, Loxodonta africana, in all-male groups and assessed the influence of age and genetic relatedness on these associations. We also examined the influence of age […]
How can social network analysis improve the study of primate behavior?
Abstract When living in a group, individuals have to make trade-offs, and compromise, in order to balance the advantages and disadvantages of group life. Strategies that enable individuals to achieve this typically affect inter-individual interactions resulting in nonrandom associations. Studying the patterns of this assortativity using social network analyses can allow us to explore how […]
Space to choose: network analysis of social preferences in a captive chimpanzee community, and implications for management
Abstract Social network analysis (SNA) is rapidly gaining popularity in primatology, but its application to the management of zoo-housed primates has been largely overlooked. Here I use SNA techniques to explore the social structure of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) housed in the new “Budongo Trail” exhibit at Edinburgh Zoo, UK. Given that individuals have extensive space […]
Network structure is related to social conflict in a cooperatively breeding fish
The nature of individual social interactions can have a profound influence on group structure and function. Here, we use social network analysis to examine patterns of dominance interactions and spatial associations in 14 captive social groups of the cooperatively breeding cichlid, Neolamprologus pulcher. In this cichlid, social groups are composed of a dominant breeding pair […]
Genetic relatedness does not predict racoon social network structure
Social assortativity, preferentially associating with certain individuals, is a widespread behaviour among a diverse range of taxa. Animals often choose to associate with other individuals based on characteristics such as sex, age, body size, rank and genetic relatedness. These preferences can scale up to shape the overall social structure of an animal group or population. […]
The effect of conspecific removal on behavioral and physiological responses of dairy cattle
Adverse social and welfare implications of mixing dairy cows or separating calves from their mothers have been documented previously. Here we investigated the behavioral and physiological responses of individuals remaining after conspecifics were removed. We conducted a series of 4 experiments incorporating a range of types of different dairy cattle groupings [experiment 1 (E1), 126 […]