Behavioral interactions and glucocorticoid production of Somali wild ass (Equus africanus somaliensis) mothers and foals
Somali wild ass (Equus africanus somaliensis) are the most endangered species of wild equid, and little is known about their reproductive biology. Here, we describe social interactions and glucocorticoid production of five pairs of Somali wild ass females and their foals, which were born within a two-month period at the Saint Louis Zoo. Behavioral data […]
Five or eight weeks of restricted suckling: influence on dairy calves’ feed intake, growth and suckling behaviour
Concern about welfare and behavioural needs of animals has increased the interest in keeping calf and cow together after parturition. In this experiment six calves suckled their dams twice a day for five weeks then once a day for three weeks (DAM8). Six calves (DAM5) suckled during five weeks in the same way as calves […]
Developmental milestones among African elephant calves on their first day of life
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.20179.abs A recurrent issue confronted by zoos is the extent to which animals living ex situ have life history profiles representative of those living in situ. The lengthy lifespan of African elephants hinders collecting proper comparative data, but enough information has been published to conduct preliminary analyses comparing the developmental profile of zoo and […]
Enhancing captive breeding in giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca): maintaining lactation when cubs are rejected, and understanding variation in milk collection and associated factors
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.20232.abs From 1997 to 2002, a female giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) was artificially stimulated and lactation was maintained, after her neonates were removed due to the female’s inability to provide maternal care. Milk samples were collected and the amount of milk collected was quantified. The lactation curve of this animal was estimated based on […]
Pup development and maternal behavior in captive Key Largo woodrats (Neotoma floridana smalli)
This study describes the first systematic observations of maternal behavior and pup development of captive Key Largo woodrats (Neotoma floridana smalli) during the first 30 days of life. Data were collected on six litters of pups born to four dams between December 2006 and July 2007. Gestations for the six litters averaged 38 days and […]
Milk intake and development in a newborn captive African elephant (Loxodonta africana)
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.20048.abs In August 2003 the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park (WAP) and the Lowry Park Zoo, under the auspices of the AZA’s Elephant SSP and a USFWS permit, imported 3.8 African elephants (Loxodonta africana) from the Kingdom of Swaziland. When they were captured, transrectal ultrasound examinations revealed that one nulliparous cow was approximately […]
Infant development in two aquarium bottlenose dolphins
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.1430140207.abs The behavioral development of two aquarium bottlenose dolphin calves, one male (born to a primiparous mother) and one female (born to a multiparous mother), was examined. From birth to 9 weeks of age, a total of 558.7 h of nursing and behavioral data were collected using focal sampling methods. Data from both calves […]
Feeding behaviour affects nursing behaviour in captive plains zebra (Equus burchellii)
Equids spend more than half of the day feeding. Lactation is a very demanding form of maternal investment. In an environment such as a zoo, where no grass but several feeding sites are present, conflict between suckling behaviour of the foal and feeding behaviour of the lactating mother should occur. We observed 20 foals of […]
Maternal behavior in cattle
We provide a critical summary of the literature on maternal behavior in cattle. The studies we review increase our basic understanding of this behavior and provide insights into practical problems in cattle production. When domesticated cattle are permitted to rear their young, the behaviors associated with maternal care are for the most part similar to […]
Nursing stimulation is more than tactile sensation: It is a multisensory experience
Novel sensory experiences, particularly those associated with epochal developmental events like nursing alter cortical representation, affecting memory, perception and behavior. Functional MRI was used here to test whether the sensoricortical map of the ventrum is modified during lactation. Three stimuli were used to drive cortical activation in primiparous rats: natural, artificial suckling stimulation and general […]