Food preferences and nutrient composition in captive Southern brown howler monkeys, Alouatta guariba clamitans
Studies of food preferences in captive primates have so far mainly been restricted to frugivorous species. It was therefore the aim of the present study to assess the occurrence of spontaneous food preferences in a mainly folivorous primate, the captive Southern brown howler monkey, and to analyze whether these preferences correlate with nutrient composition. Using […]
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., […]
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 […]
Female polar bears, Ursus maritimus, on the Barents Sea drift ice: walking the treadmill
For animals in dynamic habitats, the contribution of passive (i.e. by wind or current) and active (movements by the animals themselves) displacement determines whether their space use reflects physical or adaptive behavioural processes. Polar bears in the Barents Sea undertake extensive annual migrations in a habitat that is highly dynamic because of continuous sea ice […]
Defeat is a major stressor in males while social instability is stressful mainly in females: Towards the development of a social stress model in female rats
Social stress models appear useful in elucidating the interrelationship between stress, mood disorders, and drug efficacy. However, reliable social stress models for females are virtually lacking. The aim of this study was to determine stress-related consequences of (a) defeat in aggressive encounters and (b) social instability, in male and female rats. Defeat in male and […]
Sex differences in the effects of two stress paradigms on dopaminergic neurotransmission
Sex differences in behavioral and neurobiological responses to stress are considered to modulate the prevalence of some psychiatric disorders, including major depression. In the present study, we compared dopaminergic neurotransmission and behavior in response to two different stress paradigms, the Forced Swim Test (FST) and the Chronic Mild Stress (CMS). Male and female rats were […]
First Suckling: A Crucial Event for Mother–Young Attachment? An Experimental Study in Horses (Equus caballus)
This study investigates the consequences of interference during first suckling for subsequent mare-young attachment in horses (Equus caballus). Foals brought to their dams’ teats appeared, at later ages (1-3 months), to remain closer to their dams and to play less than control foals that had been allowed to suckle spontaneously. Higher levels of play and […]
Postural effect on manual laterality in different tasks in captive grey-cheeked mangabey (Lophocebus albigena)
The authors examined the effects of task complexity and posture on laterality and compared lateralization during different tasks in 9 captive grey-cheeked mangabeys (Lophocebus albigena) during spontaneous food processing and 3 experimental tasks. Comparisons with data of red-capped mangabeys (Cercocebus torquatus torquatus; semiterrestrial species) were used. Less than half the monkeys were lateralized for simple […]
Extension of reproductive suppression by pheromonal cues in subordinate female marmoset monkeys, Callithrix jacchus
Pheromonal signals from the dominant female marmoset monkey were implicated in maintaining the suppression of LH secretion and ovulation in socially subordinate females. When subordinate, and reproductively suppressed, female marmoset monkeys were removed from their group without scent contact with their dominant females, subordinate females in control group 1 (N = 8) and control group […]
Responses of slaughter pigs to transport and lairage sounds
The behavioral and physiological responses of pigs to transport and subsequent exposure to slaughterhouse sounds were examined. Forty-one groups of four slaughter pigs were separately loaded onto a lorry and transported for 25 min. Another 43 groups were loaded onto the lorry which then remained stationary for 25 min. Following unloading pigs were moved to […]