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Author (down) VanDierendonck, M.C. url  openurl
  Title Summary Type Manuscript
  Year 2006 Publication The Importance of Social Relationships in Horses Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Chapter 8 Issue Pages  
  Keywords horses, social relationships, dominance, allogrooming, play, kinship, familiarity, self-rewarding, interventions, ethological need  
  Abstract Feral horses are social animals, which have to rely on survival strategies centered on the formation of cohesive social bonds within their bands. Many problems in the husbandry of social animals such as horses, are due to the fact that the limits of their adaptive abilities are exceeded. Evidence suggests that the fundamental social characteristics of domestic horses have remained relatively unchanged. The social structure, social strategies and social interactions were investigated (3 non-consecutive years, 24 hr per day for several weeks) in long term established groups of domestic horses (mares and geldings of all ages) and a few small introduced groups, kept in (semi)natural environments. The general aim was to investigate the social needs of domestic horses. The social life of domestic horses was characterised by long lasting bonds with preferred partners which were established and maintained by allogrooming, play, proximity and dominance behaviours. Bonding partners were mainly found within the same sex-age group, but adult geldings also bonded with sub-adult mares and geldings. Adult mares were clustered in a group, while the other animals formed a second group. Among the adult mares, subgroups according to reproductive state were formed. Individuals regulated their social network by interfering with interactions between other members of the herd, which in itself is complex. An intervention is a behavioural action of one animal that actively interferes with an ongoing interaction between a dyad with the apparent aim of altering that interaction. This was verified by post-hoc analyses of disturbed and undisturbed interactions. Interventions in allogrooming or play were performed significantly more often when at least one member of the initial dyad was a preferred partner of, or familiar to (within the small introduced bands) the intervener. The stronger the preferred association in allogrooming between the intervener and member(s) of the initial dyad, the higher the probability the intervener would displace one initial member and continue allogrooming with the other. Just five behaviours were extracted which reliably reflected the dominance relations among horses. Aggression with the hind quarters was used both offensively and defensively and therefore not suitable as a reliable parameter. Individual dominance relationships were related to social experience. The implications of these findings for horse husbandry were assessed. It is argued that the execution of affiliative behaviours may be rewarding in itself, and therefore always will be a highly motivated behaviour. It is shown that social positive physical interactions (allogrooming, play) with other horses is an ethological need and therefore indispensable in modern husbandry systems. Ethological needs are so important for the animal that husbandry systems that lack the possibilities to execute such behaviours will cause chronic stress. It is concluded that all horses need physical social contact, and that horses, which lack appropriate social learning experiences during ontogeny, may be hampered in their social functioning later in life. Solutions for problems, including dominance problems, in individual social housing and group housing are presented.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis Ph.D. thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Universiteit Utrecht Editor  
  Language Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 2373  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author (down) VanDierendonck, M.C. url  openurl
  Title General Introduction Type Manuscript
  Year 2006 Publication The Importance of Social Relationships in Horses - Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Chapter 1 Issue Pages  
  Keywords horses, social relationships, dominance, allogrooming, play, kinship, familiarity, self-rewarding, interventions, ethological need  
  Abstract Feral horses are social animals, which have to rely on survival strategies centered on the formation of cohesive social bonds within their bands. Many problems in the husbandry of social animals such as horses, are due to the fact that the limits of their adaptive abilities are exceeded. Evidence suggests that the fundamental social characteristics of domestic horses have remained relatively unchanged. The social structure, social strategies and social interactions were investigated (3 non-consecutive years, 24 hr per day for several weeks) in long term established groups of domestic horses (mares and geldings of all ages) and a few small introduced groups, kept in (semi)natural environments. The general aim was to investigate the social needs of domestic horses. The social life of domestic horses was characterised by long lasting bonds with preferred partners which were established and maintained by allogrooming, play, proximity and dominance behaviours. Bonding partners were mainly found within the same sex-age group, but adult geldings also bonded with sub-adult mares and geldings. Adult mares were clustered in a group, while the other animals formed a second group. Among the adult mares, subgroups according to reproductive state were formed. Individuals regulated their social network by interfering with interactions between other members of the herd, which in itself is complex. An intervention is a behavioural action of one animal that actively interferes with an ongoing interaction between a dyad with the apparent aim of altering that interaction. This was verified by post-hoc analyses of disturbed and undisturbed interactions. Interventions in allogrooming or play were performed significantly more often when at least one member of the initial dyad was a preferred partner of, or familiar to (within the small introduced bands) the intervener. The stronger the preferred association in allogrooming between the intervener and member(s) of the initial dyad, the higher the probability the intervener would displace one initial member and continue allogrooming with the other. Just five behaviours were extracted which reliably reflected the dominance relations among horses. Aggression with the hind quarters was used both offensively and defensively and therefore not suitable as a reliable parameter. Individual dominance relationships were related to social experience. The implications of these findings for horse husbandry were assessed. It is argued that the execution of affiliative behaviours may be rewarding in itself, and therefore always will be a highly motivated behaviour. It is shown that social positive physical interactions (allogrooming, play) with other horses is an ethological need and therefore indispensable in modern husbandry systems. Ethological needs are so important for the animal that husbandry systems that lack the possibilities to execute such behaviours will cause chronic stress. It is concluded that all horses need physical social contact, and that horses, which lack appropriate social learning experiences during ontogeny, may be hampered in their social functioning later in life. Solutions for problems, including dominance problems, in individual social housing and group housing are presented.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis Ph.D. thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 2366  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author (down) Van Schaik, C. openurl 
  Title Why are some animals so smart? Type Journal Article
  Year 2006 Publication Scientific American Abbreviated Journal Sci Am  
  Volume 294 Issue 4 Pages 64-71  
  Keywords Animals; *Behavior, Animal; Cognition; Conditioning (Psychology); Culture; Environment; Equipment and Supplies; Evolution; Indonesia; *Intelligence; Learning; Pongo pygmaeus/*physiology; Social Behavior  
  Abstract  
  Address Anthropological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, Switzerland  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language English Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0036-8733 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes PMID:16596881 Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 2830  
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Author (down) van Dierendonck, M.C.; Bandi, N.; Batdorj, D.; Dugerlham, S.; Munkhtsog, B. url  openurl
  Title Behavioural observations of reintroduced Takhi or Przewalski horses (Equus ferus przewalskii) in Mongolia Type Journal Article
  Year 1996 Publication Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.  
  Volume 50 Issue 2 Pages 95-114  
  Keywords Horse; Przewalski's horse; Reintroduction; Time budget; Social organisation; Basic reference dataset  
  Abstract During 1992 and 1993, 14 reintroduced Przewalski Horses or Takhi (Equus ferus przewalskii) were studied in the Hustain Nuruu Mountain Steppe reserve in Mongolia. Most of the individuals did not know each other before reintroduction. These Takhi were the first of five groups due to be released in the reserve after an acclimatisation period of at least 1 year. During acclimatisation the Takhi, lived visually and acoustically separately, in fenced enclosures of approximately 45 ha each. The observations, mostly scan-sampling, were carried out in each season. The observation bouts were divided over six periods and over two harem herds. Two of the periods were in the same consecutive seasons, so comparison over the years was possible. Social integration within the Takhi herds was very high from the beginning, as described by the spatial relation and synchronisation data. Between 50 and 89% of the observation time, the behaviour of all herd members was synchronised. The amount of time spent grazing by the Takhi (30-68% of the daylight period) was similar to that of feral horses and Takhi in captivity and semi-reserves. The Takhi tended to rest in the morning and have a bimodal period of grazing at dawn and in the afternoon. The Takhi displayed clear habitat preferences for certain activities. They had a strong preference to rest at the highest point in their enclosure. They fed preferably on two or three different vegetation types (with five types available in each enclosure). The amount of time spent grazing during the non-growing seasons (49 +/- 15%) indicates that the feeding value and availability of food were sufficient. Health changes were detected adequately using condition scoring sheets. No supplementary food or water was supplied during the harsh winters. Moreover, low mortality rates and high reproductive success show that the mountain steppe is a habitat which is potentially suitable for establishing a healthy Takhi population. Takhi is the first species to return to its native habitat after living only in zoos for so many generations.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number refbase @ user @ Serial 762  
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Author (down) Valone; Thomas J.; Templeton, Jennifer J. url  openurl
  Title Public information for the assessment of quality: a widespread social phenomenon Type Journal Article
  Year 2002 Publication Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences Abbreviated Journal Phil. Trans. Biol. Sci.  
  Volume 357 Issue 1427 Pages 1549-1557  
  Keywords Breeding Patch Assessment Eavesdropping Fighting Mate Choice Copying Sociality Vicarious Sampling  
  Abstract We propose that the use of public information about the quality of environmental resources, obtained by monitoring the sampling behaviour of others, may be a widespread social phenomenon allowing individuals to make faster, more accurate assessments of their environment. To demonstrate this (i) we define public information and distinguish it from other kinds of social information; (ii) we review empirical work demonstrating the benefits and costs of using public information to estimate food patch quality; (iii) we examine recent work showing that individuals may also be using public information to improve their estimates of the quality of such disparate environmental parameters as breeding patches, opponents and mates; and finally (iv) we suggest avenues of future work to better understand the nature of public information use and when it might be used or ignored. Such work should lead to a more complete understanding of the behaviour of individuals in social aggregations.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4273  
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Author (down) Valone, T.J. openurl 
  Title Group foraging, public information, and patch estimation Type Journal Article
  Year 1989 Publication Oikos Abbreviated Journal Oikos  
  Volume 56 Issue 3 Pages 357-363  
  Keywords Techniques; Mathematical techniques; Nutrition; Feeding behaviour; Behaviour; Social behaviour^, Comprehensive Zoology; Mathematical model; Resource patch estimation by group members; use of public information; Foraging; Group behaviour  
  Abstract Public information is information about the quality of a patch that can be obtained by observing the foraging success of other individuals in that patch. I examine the influence of the use of public information on patch departure and foraging efficiency of group members. When groups depart a patch with the first individual to leave, the use of public information can prevent the underutilization of resource patches.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4274  
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Author (down) Val-Laillet, D.; Passille, A.M. de; Rushen, J.; von Keyserlingk, M.A.G. url  doi
openurl 
  Title The concept of social dominance and the social distribution of feeding-related displacements between cows Type Journal Article
  Year 2008 Publication Applied Animal Behaviour Science Abbreviated Journal Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.  
  Volume 111 Issue 1-2 Pages 158-172  
  Keywords Cattle; Social dominance; Competitive success; Hierarchy; Feeding competition  
  Abstract The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which the classical properties of social dominance describe the pattern of feeder-related displacements with groups of cattle. We also compared the advantages and disadvantages of three dominance indices for describing the competitive success at the feeder. We observed displacements at the feeder within six groups of 12 lactating dairy cows over 72 h per group. We demonstrated that the cattle in our experiment established a quasi-linear hierarchy at the feeder where many dominance relationships were bi-directional (52.0 +/- 5.9%); namely, dominance relationships were significantly linear (P < 0.05 in five of the six groups) but contained many circular triads (45.0 +/- 5.6%). Dominance rank influenced the milk production (r = 0.36, P = 0.002) and the time budget of the animals: high-ranking cows were found spending more time at the feeder during the 120 min following provision of fresh food than low-ranking cows (P = 0.022), but dominance indices based on the occurrence of displacements at the feeder did not correlate with actual time spent at the feeder. The presence of numerous circular triads and bi-directional relationships suggests that the classical properties of social dominance do not correspond to the pattern of displacements that occur at feeders within small groups of cattle. Instead, the competitive success may also be affected by motivation or persistence by the animal to gain access to the food resource.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4213  
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Author (down) Udell, M.A.R.; Dorey, N.R.; Wynne, C.D.L. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Wolves outperform dogs in following human social cues Type Journal Article
  Year 2008 Publication Animal Behaviour. Abbreviated Journal Anim. Behav.  
  Volume 76 Issue 6 Pages 1767-1773  
  Keywords Canis familiaris; Canis lupus; dog; dog shelter; domestication; momentary distal point; object choice; social cognition; wolf  
  Abstract Domestic dogs, Canis familiaris, have been shown capable of finding hidden food by following pointing gestures made with different parts of the human body. However, previous studies have reported that hand-reared wolves, C. lupus, fail to locate hidden food in response to similar points in the absence of extensive training. The failure of wolves to perform this task has led to the proposal that the ability to understand others' intentions is a derived character in dogs, not present in the ancestral population (wolves). Here we show that wolves, given the right rearing environment and daily interaction with humans, can use momentary distal human pointing cues to find food without training, whereas dogs tested outdoors and dogs at an animal shelter do not follow the same human points. In line with past studies, pet dogs tested indoors were successful in following these points. We also show that the reported failure of wolves in some past studies may be due to differences in the testing environment. Our findings indicate that domestication is not a prerequisite for human-like social cognition in canids, and show the need for additional research on the role of rearing conditions and environmental factors in the development of higher-level cognitive abilities.  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0003-3472 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4964  
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Author (down) Tomasello, M.; Call, J. doi  openurl
  Title The role of humans in the cognitive development of apes revisited Type Journal Article
  Year 2004 Publication Animal Cognition Abbreviated Journal Anim. Cogn.  
  Volume 7 Issue 4 Pages 213-215  
  Keywords Animals; *Behavior, Animal; *Cognition; Culture; Hominidae/*psychology; Humans; *Imitative Behavior; Imprinting (Psychology); *Intention; Social Behavior; *Social Environment; Species Specificity  
  Abstract  
  Address Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany. tomas@eva.mpg.de  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language English Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1435-9448 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes PMID:15278733 Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 2517  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author (down) Thor, D.H.; Holloway, W.R. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Social memory of the male laboratory rat Type Journal Article
  Year 1982 Publication Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology Abbreviated Journal J. Comp. Physiol. Psychol.  
  Volume 96 Issue 6 Pages 1000-1006  
  Keywords duration of social-investigatory behavior, measure of conspecific recognition &; social memory, male rats  
  Abstract Used duration of social-investigatory behavior by 36 mature male Long-Evans rats as a measure of individual recognition in 5 experiments to assess social memory. In Exp I, the duration of social investigation during a 2nd exposure to the same juvenile (n[en space]=[en space]12) was directly related to the length of the interexposure interval. In Exp II, Ss were exposed to the same or different juvenile 10 min after an initial 5-min exposure to a novel juvenile; reexposure to the same juvenile elicited significantly less social investigation than an exposure to a different juvenile. Exps III and IV demonstrated that following a 5-min introductory exposure, social memory of the juvenile was relatively brief in comparison with that of mature Ss. Exp V revealed a retroactive interference effect on recently acquired memory for an individual: 12 mature Ss exposed to interpolated social experience engaged in significantly longer investigation of a juvenile than those with no interpolated social experience. The combined results suggest that (1) the rat normally engages in spontaneous learning of individual identity and (2) social memory may be a significant aspect of complex social interactions. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)  
  Address  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 0021-9940 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5133  
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