Different strokes: Can managing behavioral types increase post-release success?☆
Re-introduction programs for endangered animals operate under the hope that protected habitats can sustain viable populations that rely little on humans. The goal of these programs is to supply animals with the resources and skills they need to succeed in the modern wild. However, predicting the set of skills necessary to respond to unpredictable selection […]
Competition for feed affects the feeding behavior of growing dairy heifers
The objective of this study was to determine how competition for feed influences the feeding behavior of young, growing dairy heifers. Thirty-six prepubertal Holstein heifers (231.5 +/- 12.1 d old, weighing 234.7 +/- 24.0 kg), consuming a total mixed ration ad libitum, were assigned to 1 of 2 treatments: noncompetitive (1 heifer/feed bin), or competitive […]
Competition at the feed bunk changes the feeding, standing, and social behavior of transition dairy cows
Transition dairy cows are vulnerable to the negative consequences of depressed feed intake around calving. Competition can decrease feeding activity in midlactation cows, but the effects of competition on the transition cow are not well understood. The objective was to test the effect of competition on the behavior and feed intake of transition cows. Standing […]
Competition Coalitions and Conflict Interventions among Captive Female Gorillas
Like mountain gorillas (Gorilla gorilla beringei), western gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) at Howletts Wild Animal Park in Kent, England, intervene in conflicts on behalf of kin. However, in each of the 3 study groups, the female gorillas also appeared to form political alliances: all members of the group almost exclusively supported familiar adult females, i.e., […]
A pigheaded compromise: do competition and predation explain variation in warthog group size?
The reproductive payoff to an individual for participating in a group will often be affected by the size of the group. Competition for resources and predation pressure are 2 primary factors that influence sociality and group size in a variety of species. In this correlative study, I investigated how resource competition and predation influenced group […]
Maintenance of female dominance in blue-eyed black lemurs (Eulemur macaco flavifrons) and gray bamboo lemurs (Hapalemur griseus griseus) under semi-free-ranging and captive conditions
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.20140.abs Several species of Malagasy prosimians are characterized by female dominance, an unusual trait among mammals. We compare the extent to which female dominance is displayed and the mechanisms that are used to maintain dominance in the frugivorous blue-eyed black lemurs (Eulemur macaco flavifrons) and the folivorous gray bamboo lemurs (Hapalemur griseus griseus) housed […]
Scent marking in wild banded mongooses: 1. Sex-specific scents and overmarking
Overmarking occurs when one individual places its scent mark directly on top of the scent mark of another individual. Although it is almost ubiquitous among terrestrial mammals, we know little about the function of overmarking and detailed field observations are rare. We investigated the chemical composition of scents and patterns of overmarking by wild banded […]
Scent marking in wild banded mongooses: 2. Intrasexual overmarking and competition between males
Sexual selection has resulted in the elaboration of secondary sexual characteristics in many animals. Although mammalian scent glands, secretions and marking behaviour are commonly sexually dimorphic, these traits have received little attention compared to avian plumage and mammalian weaponry. Overmarking, when one individual places a scent mark directly over that of another individual, is of […]
Scent marking in wild banded mongooses: 3. Intrasexual overmarking in females
In contrast to numerous studies of scent marking in male mammals, studies of female scent marking are relatively rare. We have previously shown that communally breeding female banded mongooses, Mungos mungo, are more likely to overmark the scent of other females. Here we describe female overmarking patterns in more detail, and discuss these results in […]
Personality predicts social dominance in female zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata, in a feeding context
Although personality has been defined as a suite of correlated behaviours, most studies of animal personality actually consider correlations between a few traits. We examined the repeatability and correlational structure of five potential personality traits (activity, neophobia, exploratory tendencies, risk-taking behaviour and obstinacy), in female zebra finches. In addition, we assessed to what extent personality […]