Abstract: Reconciliation is defined as the first postconflict affinitive contact between former opponents. While reconciliation in anthropoid primates has been widely investigated, few studies have focused on postconflict mechanisms in prosimians, and only in captivity. Unlike anthropoids, Malagasy prosimians show female dominance, lack of sexual dimorphism and seasonal breeding. However, they share features with anthropoids such as cohesive societies, female philopatry and individual recognition. Comparing social prosimians with anthropoids is crucial for understanding the evolution of reconciliation dynamics. Here we present the first study on reconciliation in a wild prosimian. We focused on the Propithecus verreauxi (sifaka) of the Berenty forest (southern Madagascar). We examined postconflict behaviour in the light of theoretical expectations based on potential costs and benefits of the individuals involved. Our results indicate that P. verreauxi can evaluate possible risks and benefits of engaging in postconflict reunions. Victims were most likely to interact affinitively with the aggressor after low-intensity aggression. Moreover, only the conflicts occurring outside the feeding context were reconciled. Such results are consonant with the fact that, in P. verreauxi, social dominance is translated more into feeding priority than into a framework of despotic relationships. In agreement with the valuable relationship hypothesis, P. verreauxi were more likely to reconcile with valuable partners: reconciliation preferentially occurred between subordinates and top-ranking individuals, and between animals sharing good relationships (high levels of affinitive behaviours). Over the short term, reconciliation in P. verreauxi seems to have an important role in reducing the probability of further attacks by the aggressor.

Abstract: In the process of domestication, dogs (Canis familiaris) and cats (Felis catus) have undergone thousands of years of genetic changes that have adapted them to the human environment. Both species have acquired a global distribution and it has become quite common to find homes with the two living side by side. Nevertheless, there is widespread belief that interspecific communication between dogs and cats is problematic, stemming from their separate evolutionary development and different social structures. Consequently, many people considering possible adoption of both species are concerned about their ability to get along. Interrelationships of dogs and cats living together were studied here in an attempt to determine the main factors influencing the type of relationship likely to develop between the two species. Two approaches were used: (1) a questionnaire completed by owners of both dog(s) and cat(s), which provided a broad database of the animals' behaviors; and (2) observations carried out in participants' homes on their dog-cat interactions. Two separate ethograms for dogs and cats served for analyses of their body language. The findings revealed the following: Both species showed a similar ability to establish a relatively amicable relationship with the other species; the animals' gender had little influence on the nature of their interrelationship; and adoption of the cat prior to the dog appears to conduce to establishing an amicable relationship, as does their first encounter taking place at an early age (up to 6 months of age in cats and up to 1 year in dogs). The findings also suggest that the majority of these dogs and cats understood the particular body language displayed by one animal that has an opposite meaning for the other species; and that the earlier the age of first encounter between the two, the better this understanding. It can be concluded that exposure of both species at an early age to the presence of the other facilitates the learning of each other's body language, and the consequent establishment of an amicable relationship. A better understanding of the various factors that contribute to determining the two species' relationship should not only improve the quality of life of these pets, but also reassure and encourage more people to adopt both cat and dog.

Abstract: The influence of maternal rank and experience on patterns of maternal care and social relationships of foals were investigated in a managed herd of Sorraia horses, Equus caballus. Social interactions and spatial relationships of 13 foals (seven females and six males) born to seven mares were examined from birth to 10 months of life, within the three major periods of foal development. Conflict over suckling between dam and foal was not generally affected by rank and experience, but higher-ranking mothers allowed more suckling during late lactation than lower-ranking mothers. Foals of higher-ranking mares spent more time in proximity to the mother during socialization. Maternal rank and experience did not significantly affect maternal protectiveness, foal independence from the mother or the development of affiliative relationships between foals and group members. Foals of higher-ranking mares received lower frequencies of aggression from other horses only in the first month of life. Dominance relationships among foals depended mainly on aggressiveness and were not associated with maternal rank. The large variability in maternal behaviour, the absence of a significant association between maternal rank and body condition at parturition and the stable social environment within this herd may partly account for the reported results.

Abstract: In the paper we investigate how owner personality, attitude and gender influence dog behavior, dyadic practical functionality and the level of dog salivary cortisol. In three meetings, 12 female and 10 male owners of male dogs answered questionnaires including the Neo-FFI human personality inventory. Their dyadic behavior was video-taped in a number of test situations, and saliva samples were collected. Owners who scored highly in neuroticism (Neo-FFI dimension one) viewed their dogs as social supporters and spent much time with them. Their dogs had low baseline cortisol levels, but such dyads were less successful in the operational task. Owners who scored highly in extroversion (Neo-FFI dimension two) appreciated shared activities with their dogs which had relatively high baseline cortisol values. Dogs that had female owners were less sociable-active (dog personality axis 1) than dogs that had male owners. Therefore, it appears that owner gender and personality influences dyadic interaction style, dog behavior and dyadic practical functionality.

Abstract: Interventions occur when animals interfere in competitive interactions between two or more individuals. Interveners can alter the nature of the ongoing interaction by targeting one party (attacking, biting) and supporting the other. Three theories have been proposed to account for intervention behaviour: kin selection, reciprocity and direct benefits. The kin selection hypothesis predicts that interveners will selectively support relatives over nonrelatives; the reciprocity hypothesis predicts that when intervener [`]A' supports individual [`]B', later [`]B' will intervene and support [`]A'; and the direct benefits hypothesis predicts that target/support patterns should serve the immediate interests of the intervener. We tested the reciprocity and direct benefits hypotheses by exploring third-party interventions in play fighting among littermates of domestic dogs. Interveners in dyadic play did not preferentially target or support preferred playmates of the intervener. Interveners targeted the dog in the losing role at the time of the intervention, and they did not show reciprocity in support. Taken together, these last two findings suggest that littermates benefit directly and use interventions opportunistically to practise offence behaviours directed at littermates already behaving subordinately. Opportunities to practise targeting in a playful setting may help structure dominance relationships among littermates. Additionally, the tendency for puppies to do what the other is doing (target the dog in the losing role) may pave the way for synchronizing cooperative behaviours during group hunting and territorial defence. The types of behaviours used to intervene changed over development, but the outcome following an intervention remained stable.