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 […]
Fecal androgens of bison bulls during the rut
The influence of sex hormones is a key proximate factor underlying male reproductive behavior in mammals. Effective conservation policies for the remaining purebred plains bison (Bison bison bison) herds require knowledge of the physiology underlying bison reproductive biology. We used fecal steroid analysis to characterize androgen levels in adult bison bulls before, during, and after […]
The Mix Matters- Behavioural Types and Group Dynamics in Water Striders
The effect of an individual’s behavioral type (e.g., its boldness or aggressiveness) on fitness likely depends on the environmental context. In many species, an important component of an individual’s environment is its social environment — the mix of individuals in its social group. Accordingly, much of game theory assumes that the mix of behavioral types […]
Stable heterosexual associations in a promiscuous primate
Close associations between adult males and females are rare among group-living, nonmonogamous mammals but may mark the transition from life in promiscuous bisexual groups to groups of pairs or pair living. Although heterosexual friendships have been described in baboons, these are short-term affairs serving as protection against infanticide and thus tightly linked to the presence […]
Personality and predictability in fallow deer fighting behaviour: the relationship with mating success
Individuals often differ from each other in how they respond to environmental events: a feature of behaviour often termed animal personality. Furthermore, animals often show unpredictability in how much they respond to these events over time leading to the suggestion that personality and intraindividual variability (IIV) might have important fitness consequences. We investigated this hypothesis […]
Dense, small and male-biased cages exacerbate male–male competition and reduce female choosiness in Bicyclus anynana
Sexual selection is increasingly recognized to depend upon, and to fluctuate with, major ecological factors in natural environments. The operational sex ratio (OSR) and population density can affect the opportunity for, and strength of, sexual selection but their effects are rarely taken into account in laboratory behavioural studies. In Bicyclus anynana, a model butterfly for […]
Dominance relationships among siamang males living in multimale groups
Intense intolerance among males is considered to be an important mechanism maintaining the uni-male organization traditionally attributed to socially monogamous gibbons. Long-term field work, however, has revealed the existence of stable, socially polyandrous groups in at least two populations, raising questions about the mechanism that allows two adult males to co-reside in the same group. […]