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, […]
Giraffe social preferences are context dependent
The dynamic nature of animal societies often hides multiple layers of complexity. The field of animal behaviour is rapidly advancing with the development of increasingly sophisticated analytical methods that allow scientists to identify complex and nuanced drivers of social patterns. The resurgent interest in giraffe sociality illustrates this by challenging the early view that individuals […]
Elephant sociality and complexity: The scientific evidence
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Individuals and populations: the role of long-term, individual-based studies of animals in ecology and evolutionary biology
Many important questions in ecology and evolutionary biology can only be answered with data that extend over several decades and answering a substantial proportion of questions requires records of the life histories of recognisable individuals. We identify six advantages that long-term, individual based studies afford in ecology and evolution: (i) analysis of age structure; (ii) […]
An experimental, comparative investigation of tool use in chimpanzees and gorillas
Studies of ape tool use have been conducted in captivity since the early 1900s and in the wild since the 1960s. Chimpanzees are the most prolific tool users among the apes, and are known to use more tools than any other nonhuman animal. In contrast, reports of gorilla tool use are rare both in wild […]
Population genetic structure of the common warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) in Uganda: evidence for a strong philopatry among warthogs and social structure breakdown in a disturbed population
Fine-scale genetic structure of large mammals is rarely analysed. Yet it is potentially important in estimating gene flow between the now fragmented wildlife habitats and in predicting re-colonization following local extinction events. In this study, we examined the extent to which warthog populations from five localities in Uganda are genetically structured using both mitochondrial control […]
Group size and structure in western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) at Mbeli Bai, Republic of Congo
This paper describes the size and structure of western lowland gorilla groups visiting Mbeli Bai, a swampy forest clearing in northern Congo. An observation platform at the edge of the clearing was used over a 3-yr period, with gorillas visible for 1,681 hr. Data are presented on 14 groups and seven solitary males. Mean group […]
Learning from nature: bottlenose dolphin care and husbandry
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.20252.abs The world’s longest-running study of a wild dolphin population, operated by the Chicago Zoological Society since 1989, has focused on the multi-generational resident community of about 160 bottlenose dolphins in Sarasota Bay, Florida, since 1970. Observational and capture-release research on the biology, behavior, life history, ecology, and health of individually identifiable bay residents […]
Breeding orangutans at Perth Zoo: Twenty years of appropriate husbandry
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.1430090212.abs The Perth Zoo orang-utan husbandry strategy, which has been the foundation of 20 years of success in breeding, health, and longevity, is based on respect for the solitary arboreal nature of the species. The orang-utans are housed singly at night and fed only in their night dens. Diets are based on the weight […]
Relationship between rank and plasma testosterone and cortisol in red deer males (Cervus elaphus)
The objective of this study was to assess the effect of a change in the social composition in a group of red deer males on the relationship between their rank and testosterone. A group of twelve adult red deer males (Cervus elaphus) was tested in two social settings. From April 15 to June 9 (Period […]