Group structure and individual relationships of sanctuary-living Grauer’s gorillas (Gorilla beringei graueri)
The study of individual social relationships and group structure provides insights into a species’ natural history and can inform management decisions for animals living in human care. The Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education (GRACE) center provides permanent sanctuary for a group of 14 Grauer’s gorillas (Gorilla beringei graueri), a critically endangered and poorly studied subspecies […]
Understanding Temporal Social Dynamics in Zoo Animal Management: An Elephant Case Study
Zoo animal management procedures which lead to changes to social groups can cause disruption in social hierarchies and the temporary breakdown of social relationships. Animals have different roles in social networks. Understanding individual positions in social networks is important for effective management and ensuring positive welfare for all animals. Using elephants as a case study, […]
Evaluating the behaviour of Andean Flamingos Phoenicoparrus andinus and James’s Flamingos P. jamesi in captivity: comparing species and flocks using multiple methods
Behavioural data can offer a useful basis for examining how animals respond to a managed environment. For species with restricted ecological niches and complex behaviour patterns in the wild, such data can ensure that husbandry enables birds in zoological collections to perform key behaviours. Andean Flamingos Phoenicoparrus andinus and James’s Flamingos P. jamesi, for example, […]
Necks and networks: a preliminary study of population structure in the reticulated giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata de Winston)
This paper describes a method of scoring the neck pattern of reticulated giraffes as a simple code that can be searched for in an Excel spreadsheet. This enables several hundred individual giraffe to be recognized and repeatedly found within a database. Possible sources of error are described and quantified. Data on group size, dispersal within […]
The application of social network theory to animal behaviour
Social network analysis (SNA) is a mathematical technique for analysing social relationships and the patterns and implications of these relationships (Wasserman S, Faust K (1994) Social Network Analysis: Methods and Applications. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press). It has only recently been discovered by behavioural biologists as a useful tool in the study of animal behaviour (Wey […]
Social capital and physiological stress levels in free-ranging adult female rhesus macaques
Social animals with greater access to social support, i.e. higher levels of social capital, may be able to cope better with the challenges they face in their day-to-day lives, and this may be reflected in lower physiological stress levels. Here, we examine the relationship between social capital and fecal glucocorticoid (GC) levels in pregnant free-ranging […]
Social network modeling: A powerful tool for the study of group scale phenomena in primates
Abstract Social Network Analysis is now a valuable tool to study social complexity in many animal species, including primates. However, this framework has rarely been used to implement quantitative data on the social structure of a group within computer models. Such approaches allow the investigation of how social organization constrains other traits and also how […]
Social relationships between adult females and the alpha male in wild tufted capuchin monkeys
Abstract Primates are notable for the widespread presence of long-term female–male associations which go beyond the mating context. However, little attention has been given to the factors that affect within-species variation in female–male relationships, especially among New World primates. Although detailed accounts of heterosexual relationships in Cebus species are scarce, a few studies have suggested […]
Animal social networks: an introduction
Network analysis has a long history in the mathematical and social sciences and the aim of this introduction is to provide a brief overview of the potential that it holds for the study of animal behaviour. One of the most attractive features of the network paradigm is that it provides a single conceptual framework with […]
Inter-annual patterns of aggression and pair bonding in captive American flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber)
Because zoos typically house animals for extended periods of time, longitudinal studies can play an important role in evaluating and optimizing animal care and management. For example, information on patterns of aggression and mating behavior across years can be used to monitor well-being, assess response to changes to group composition, and promote successful reproduction. Here, […]