Social Aspects of Fur-rubbing in Cebus capucinus and C. apella

Capuchins rub particular plant materials into their pelage, a behavior for which most authors have proposed a medicinal function (Baker in American Journal of Primatology 38:263–270, 1996, Baker, M. (1998). Fur Rubbing as Evidence for Medicinal Plant Use by Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus capucinus): Ecological, Social, and Cognitive Aspects of the Behavior. Dissertation thesis. University of […]

Reproductive biology and ecology of white-winged trumpeters (Psophia leucoptera) and recommendations for the breeding of captive trumpeters

Abstract 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2361(2000)19:13.3.CO;2-R The reproductive biology and ecology of a wild population of white-winged trumpeters (Psophia leucoptera) were studied in southeastern Peru from 1983 to 1987. Because little information is available about any of the trumpeter species and because trumpeters have proven difficult to breed in captivity, information relevant to breeding and management of captive trumpeters […]

Aggressive behavior and dominance hierarchies in female sable antelope, Hippotragus niger: Implications for captive management

Abstract 10.1002/zoo.1430120205.abs Social interactions of adult female sable antelope, Hippotragus niger, were observed at the National Zoological Park’s Conservation and Research Center. Aggressive behavior was quantified for two herds containing 8 and 11 females. Aggression was lowest at calving, and highest near the time of conception. Dominance hierarchies were strictly linear and stable over time. […]

Association networks reveal social organization in the sleepy lizard

We investigated the social organization of the Australian sleepy lizard, Tiliqua rugosa, by describing the social network of a local population. We attached activity meters and GPS recorders to 21 neighbouring lizards in a semiarid site in South Australia, and monitored their location every 10 min over 3 months (September-December 2007). From over 5000 sets of […]

Social behavior of Matschie’s tree kangaroos (Dendrolagus matschiei) and its implications for captive management

Abstract 10.1002/zoo.1430100207.abs Social behavior was studied in four (one male and three females) adult, captivebred Matschie’s tree kangaroos (Dendrolagus matschiei) over a 124 day span in a large, naturalistic exhibit at the Woodland Park Zoological Gardens, Seattle, WA. A relatively high rate of social interaction occurred (15.2 per hour), over half of which consisted of […]

Feral asses of volcano alcedo galapagos: behavioral ecology, spatial disribution and ocial organization

Feral asses were studied on Volcano Alcédo, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, during the wet season of 1980. On the volcano rim during March/April, two stable groups were observed to have a `female (harem) defense’ polygynous mating system [Emlen, S.T., Oring, S.W., 1977. Ecology, sexual selection, and the evolution of mating systems. Science 197 (4300), pp. 215–223] […]

The Importance of Age/Sex Class Relationships for Captive-Breeding – A Review of Macropodoidea (Kangaroos, Wallabies and Rat-Kangaroos) as a Case Study

In this paper social relationships (as defined by Hinde) between age/sex classes of kangaroos, wallabies and rat-kangaroos are reviewed and characterized by frequencies, direction and, where possible, intensity of behavioural interactions, by their patterning in sequences and by distance regulation. Male social organization in the wild for larger non-solitary species is organized in an age/size-related […]

Baboons, space, time, and energy

How are social organization and ecology related to each other? Yellow baboons, hamadryas baboons, and gelada monkeys are all large, terrestrial African primates, but they have three different patterns of social organization, and they live in three, markedly different habitats: savannah, steppe-desert, and alpine heather-meadowland, respectively. An attempt is made to provide testable hypotheses and […]

Of Iguanas and Dinosaurs- Social Behavior and Communication in Neonate Reptiles

Newborn and newly hatched reptiles show diverse types of social behavior. Aggregation behavior in snakes, dominance in turtles, vocalization in crocodilians, and synchronized nest emergence, migration, and foraging behavior in iguanas are documented. Such evidence casts doubt on inferences about a generalized reptilian level of social organization qualitatively inferior to that found in birds and […]

Staying put or leaving home: endocrine, neuroendocrine and behavioral consequences in male African striped mice

Social flexibility occurs when individuals of both sexes can change their social and reproductive tactics, which in turn can influence the social system of an entire population. However, little is known regarding the extent to which individuals of socially flexible species vary in their social behavior and in the underlying physiological mechanisms that support different […]