Does the social network structure of wild animal populations differ from that of animals in captivity?
The social behaviour of wild animals living in groups leads to social networks with structures that produce group-level effects and position individuals within them with differential consequences for an individual’s fitness. Social dynamics in captivity can differ greatly from those in wild conspecifics given the different constraints on social organization in wild populations, e.g. group […]
Mutual grooming functions to prolong grooming received in ringtailed lemurs
Mutual (simultaneous) grooming occurs in a variety of mammals and is characterized by a distinct payoff structure compared to unidirectional grooming, as in mutual (but not in unidirectional) grooming both partners simultaneously get the benefits of the receipt of grooming. Mutual grooming, however, has been very little investigated. We studied a captive group of ringtailed […]
Effect of environmental enrichment by providing trees as rubbing objects in grassland: Grazing cattle need tree-grooming
We examined the role of trees as grooming objects in grazing pasture and investigated their necessity. Four grazing Japanese Black cows were used. Experimental pastures with restricted (RST) and released (RLS) grooming with trees were established. Examination was carried out for 24 h in each RST and RLS. The respective frequencies and duration of self-grooming, […]
Assessment of positive emotions in animals to improve their welfare
It is now widely accepted that good welfare is not simply the absence of negative experiences, but rather is primarily the presence of positive experiences such as pleasure. However scientific investigation of positive emotions has long been neglected. This paper addresses two main issues: first, it reviews the current state of scientific knowledge that supports […]
Female social dominance in two Eulemur species with different social organizations
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.20135.abs Female social dominance is rare in mammals, but common in lemurs. We investigated social dominance in two Eulemur species; the polygynous crowned lemur (E. coronatus) and the monogamous red-bellied lemur (E. rubriventer), using four and two social groups, respectively. We collected data on agonistic interactions and two types of affiliative behavior (grooming and […]
Successful formation of a large chimpanzee group out of two preexisting subgroups
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.10003.abs Descriptions of the formation of relatively large groups of unfamiliar chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) in captivity are scarce in the literature. Nineteen chimpanzees from preexisting subgroups were introduced into a social group at the Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center. The group included two adult males, six adult females along with six dependent infants, and […]
Grooming reciprocity in wild male chimpanzees
Understanding cooperation between unrelated individuals remains a central problem in animal behaviour; evolutionary mechanisms are debated, and the importance of reciprocity has been questioned. Biological market theory makes specific predictions about the occurrence of reciprocity in social groups; applied to the social grooming of mammals, it predicts reciprocity in the absence of other benefits for […]
Infant access and handling in sooty mangabeys and vervet monkeys
Access to one’s newborn infant is a commodity that can be traded for other benefits such as grooming in nonhuman primates. According to the biological market paradigm, the price paid should fluctuate with the number of newborns in the group. We investigated the grooming sessions between mothers with infants less than 3 months old and […]
Feather damaging behaviour in parrots: A review with consideration of comparative aspects
Feather damaging behaviour (also referred to as feather picking or feather plucking) is a behavioural disorder that is frequently encountered in captive parrots. This disorder has many characteristics that are similar to trichotillomania, an impulse control disorder in humans. Unfortunately, to date much of the information regarding the aetiology and treatment in both syndromes is […]
Network measures for dyadic interactions: stability and reliability
Abstract Social network analysis (SNA) is a general heading for a collection of statistical tools that aim to describe social interactions and social structure by representing individuals and their interactions as graph objects. It was originally developed for the social sciences, but more recently it was also adopted by behavioral ecologists. However, although SNA offers […]