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Author (down) Schloegl, C.; Kotrschal, K.; Bugnyar, T. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Modifying the object-choice task: Is the way you look important for ravens? Type Journal Article
  Year 2008 Publication Behavioural Processes Abbreviated Journal Behav. Process.  
  Volume 77 Issue 1 Pages 61-65  
  Keywords Gaze; Modification; Object-choice task; Raven  
  Abstract Most animals seem to have difficulties in using gaze cues to find hidden food in object-choice tasks. For instance, chimpanzees usually fail in these tests, even though they are capable of following other's gaze geometrically behind barriers. Similar to chimpanzees, common ravens are skilled in tracking other's gaze but fail in object-choice tasks. We here explored whether procedural modifications, which had been used successfully in chimpanzees, would also yield positive results in ravens. In our modifications (a) the experimenter approached the cup while gazing at it, (b) the gaze cue was accompanied by a sound and (c) the experimenter could actually see the food while giving the gaze cue. Two out of seven birds performed above chance level in some of these conditions. However, we ascribe this improvement to the individuals' learning ability rather than to an understanding of the communicative nature of the task. This interpretation is further supported by results of a follow-up experiment suggesting that ravens may not rely on conspecifics' gaze cues for finding food caches in a natural foraging context. In sum, our results suggest that ravens may not transfer their gaze follow abilities to foraging situations involving hidden food.  
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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4505  
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Author (down) Scheumann, M.; Zimmermann, E. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Sex-specific asymmetries in communication sound perception are not related to hand preference in an early primate Type Journal Article
  Year 2008 Publication BMC Biology Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 6 Issue 1 Pages 3  
  Keywords  
  Abstract BACKGROUND:Left hemispheric dominance of language processing and handedness, previously thought to be unique to humans, is currently under debate. To gain an insight into the origin of lateralization in primates, we have studied gray mouse lemurs, suggested to represent the most ancestral primate condition. We explored potential functional asymmetries on the behavioral level by applying a combined handedness and auditory perception task. For testing handedness, we used a forced food-grasping task. For testing auditory perception, we adapted the head turn paradigm, originally established for exploring hemispheric specializations in conspecific sound processing in Old World monkeys, and exposed 38 subjects to control sounds and conspecific communication sounds of positive and negative emotional valence.RESULTS:The tested mouse lemur population did not show an asymmetry in hand preference or in orientation towards conspecific communication sounds. However, males, but not females, exhibited a significant right ear-left hemisphere bias when exposed to conspecific communication sounds of negative emotional valence. Orientation asymmetries were not related to hand preference.CONCLUSION:Our results provide the first evidence for sex-specific asymmetries for conspecific communication sound perception in non-human primates. Furthermore, they suggest that hemispheric dominance for communication sound processing evolved before handedness and independently from each other.  
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  ISSN 1741-7007 ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5369  
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Author (down) Scheiber, I. B.R.; WeiB, B. M.; Hirschenhauser, K.; Wascher, C. A.F.; Nedelcu, J.T.; Kotrschal, K. doi  openurl
  Title Does 'Relationship Intelligence' Make Big Brains in Birds? Type Journal Article
  Year 2008 Publication The Open Biology Journal Abbreviated Journal Open Biol J  
  Volume 1 Issue Pages 6-8 (3)  
  Keywords  
  Abstract Lately, Emery et al. developed a bird-specific modification of the *social brain hypothesis*, termed *relationship intelligence hypothesis*. Although the idea may be valuable, we doubt that it is supported by sufficient evidence and critically discuss some of the arguments raised by the authors in favour of their new idea.  
  Address AKonrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle fur Ethologie, Fischerau 11, 4645 Gruenau im Almtal, Austria.  
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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4504  
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Author (down) Roth, L.S.V.; Balkenius, A.; Kelber, A. url  doi
openurl 
  Title The Absolute Threshold of Colour Vision in the Horse Type Journal Article
  Year 2008 Publication PLoS ONE Abbreviated Journal PLoS ONE  
  Volume 3 Issue 11 Pages e3711 EP -  
  Keywords  
  Abstract <p>Arrhythmic mammals are active both during day and night if they are allowed. The arrhythmic horses are in possession of one of the largest terrestrial animal eyes and the purpose of this study is to reveal whether their eye is sensitive enough to see colours at night. During the day horses are known to have dichromatic colour vision. To disclose whether they can discriminate colours in dim light a behavioural dual choice experiment was performed. We started the training and testing at daylight intensities and the horses continued to choose correctly at a high frequency down to light intensities corresponding to moonlight. One Shetland pony mare, was able to discriminate colours at 0.08 cd/m2, while a half blood gelding, still discriminated colours at 0.02 cd/m2. For comparison, the colour vision limit for several human subjects tested in the very same experiment was also 0.02 cd/m2. Hence, the threshold of colour vision for the horse that performed best was similar to that of the humans. The behavioural results are in line with calculations of the sensitivity of cone vision where the horse eye and human eye again are similar. The advantage of the large eye of the horse lies not in colour vision at night, but probably instead in achromatic tasks where presumably signal summation enhances sensitivity.</p>  
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  Publisher Public Library of Science Place of Publication Editor  
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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5625  
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Author (down) Roth II,T.C.; Cox, J.G.; Lima, S.L. doi  openurl
  Title The Use and Transfer of Information About Predation Risk in Flocks of Wintering Finches Type Journal Article
  Year 2008 Publication Ethology Abbreviated Journal Ethology  
  Volume 114 Issue 12 Pages 1218 - 1226  
  Keywords  
  Abstract ABSTRACT

Several studies in behavior have focused in some way on how groups of prey gather and use information about predation risk. Although asymmetries in information about risk exist among members of real groups, we know little about how such uneven information might affect individual or group antipredator decisions. Hence, we studied the use and transfer of information about the risk of predation in small flocks of wintering birds. House finches (Carpodacus mexicanus; 28 groups of three) were held in large enclosures divided into safe and risky patches. We controlled the information about risk available to each individual by conducting attacks with a model hawk that was visible to only a single (informed) bird. Repeated attacks on a single individual did not reduce the amount of feeding by other birds in that patch, although the time to resume feeding after observing a response to an attack event was somewhat longer than after a no attack event. These results suggest that informed individuals impart some information to naive (uninformed) birds, but this effect was not strong. In fact, the frequent return of informed individuals to feeders after observing uninformed individuals feed suggests that finches relied more on public information regarding safety than their own personal information in deciding when to feed. Group patch choice appeared to be based on a majority-rules decision, although an effect of dominance status was apparent. Our results suggest that subordinate flock members may exert a large influence over group decision-making by acting as spatial 'anchors'.
 
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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4704  
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Author (down) Romero, T.; Aureli, F. doi  openurl
  Title Reciprocity of support in coatis (Nasua nasua) Type Journal Article
  Year 2008 Publication Journal of Comparative Psychology Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 122 Issue 1 Pages 19-25  
  Keywords *Animal Aggressive Behavior; *Animal Social Behavior; *Mammals; Reciprocity  
  Abstract Primate sociality has received much attention and its complexity has been viewed as a driving force for the evolution of cognitive abilities. Improved analytic techniques have allowed primate researchers to reveal intricate social networks based on the exchange of cooperative acts and services. Although nonprimates are known to show similar behavior (e.g., cooperative hunting, food sharing, coalitions) there seems a consensus that social life is less complex than in primates. Here the authors present the first group-level analysis of reciprocity of social interactions in a social carnivore, the ring-tailed coati (<xh:i xmlns:search=“http://marklogic.com/appservices/search” xmlns=“http://apa.org/pimain” xmlns:xsi=“http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance” xmlns:xh=“http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml”>Nasua nasua</xh:i>). The authors found that support in aggressive conflicts is a common feature in coatis and that this behavior is reciprocally exchanged in a manner seemingly as complex as in primates. Given that reciprocity correlations persisted after controlling for the effect of spatial association and subunit membership, some level of scorekeeping may be involved. Further studies will be needed to confirm our findings and understand the mechanisms underlying such reciprocity, but our results contribute to the body of work that has begun to challenge primate supremacy in social complexity and cognition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)  
  Address Romero, Teresa: Living Links, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, 954 N. Gatewood Road, Atlanta, GA, US, 30329, mromer2@emory.edu  
  Corporate Author Thesis  
  Publisher American Psychological Association Place of Publication Us Editor  
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  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1939-2087(Electronic);0735-7036(Print) ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ 2008-01944-003 Serial 5812  
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Author (down) Richards, D.G.; Wiley, R.H. url  doi
openurl 
  Title Reverberations and Amplitude Fluctuations in the Propagation of Sound in a Forest: Implications for Animal Communication Type Journal Article
  Year 2008 Publication Am Nat Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 115 Issue Pages  
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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Richards2008 Serial 6485  
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Author (down) Ransom, J. I.; Cade, B. S. pdf  openurl
  Title Influences of immunocontraception on intraband social behavior in free-ranging feral horses, Equus caballus Type Conference Article
  Year 2008 Publication IESM 2008 Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages  
  Keywords contraception, immunocontraception, behavior, PZP, Equus caballus  
  Abstract Contraception is often considered for population control of wildlife that is otherwise protected from more traditional management strategies, though little is known about the behavioral consequences of contraception in wild populations of socially complex animals. Feral horses, Equus caballus, in the western United States are ideal candidates for contraceptive management due to broad scale federal protection, reported herd growth rates of 15-25% per year, and finite public land allocated for them. We investigated influences of the immunocontraceptive porcine zona pellucida (PZP) on social behavior within bands of feral horses in three discrete populations for 4 years. Each band consisted of a single stallion and a harem of adult females (>1 years old) and their foals, as well as associated yearling males and females. Four mutually exclusive behaviors (herding, reproductive, harem tending, and agonism) were analyzed to investigate the difference between behaviors initiated by band stallions toward control mares and contracepted mares within the bands. Additionally, spatial relationships between each stallion and each harem female were analyzed to assess possible passive interactions. A candidate set of 22 hierarchical mixed effects models, using the discrete populations as a random effect on various fixed effects, was analyzed by restricted maximum likelihood estimation. The most supported models were selected by corrected Akaike"s Information Criteria (AICc). Analyses were done on 3 female age cohorts based on distinct fecundity rates: 2 to 5 year olds, 6 to 14 year olds, and > 14 year olds. Stallions herded control mares in the 6 to 14 year cohort more than contracepted mares (n=128, P=0.037) with treatment being the most supported effect, but foal presence (dependent foal) also contributed significantly to the model. Contracepted mares received more reproductive behaviors than control mares in the 6 to 14 year cohort (n = 151, P=0.020). No differences were detected in herding or reproductive behaviors in

the least fecund groups, the 2 to 5 year olds and &#8805; 15 year olds. The only independent variable in the most supported model for reproductive behavior was treatment, and the covariates of foal presence, band residence (resident or transient female), band size, and body condition did not contribute. There were no differences in any age cohort for harem tending or agonism. Spatially, stallions maintained closer relationships with 2 to 5 year old contracepted females than with the same age control females (n=136, P < 0.001) while the group was feeding (at its most dispersed structure), but there were no differences while the band was resting or in locomotion. There were no spatial differences detected in the other age cohorts. Given the polyestrous nature and high fecundity of feral horses, the observed difference in reproductive behaviors between treatment groups was not surprising; however, the difference detected in herding rates was an unexpected behavioral modification. This change in herding behavior suggests that further investigation is needed to determine if PZP immunocontraception has an underlying influence on mare social rank, band structure, and band stability, as well as the scope and long-term importance of these behavioral dynamics.
 
  Address U.S. Geological Survey-Biological Resources Discipline, Fort Collins Science Center  
  Corporate Author Ransom, J. I. Thesis  
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  Area Expedition Conference IESM 2008  
  Notes Talk 15 min IESM 2008 Approved yes  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4471  
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Author (down) Rands, S.A.; Cowlishaw, G.; Pettifor, R.A.; Rowcliffe, J.M.; Johnstone, R.A. url  doi
openurl 
  Title The emergence of leaders and followers in foraging pairs when the qualities of individuals differ Type Journal Article
  Year 2008 Publication BMC Evolutionary Biology Abbreviated Journal BMC Evol Biol  
  Volume 8 Issue Pages 51  
  Keywords Animals; *Feeding Behavior; *Food Chain; *Models, Biological; *Social Dominance  
  Abstract BACKGROUND: Foraging in groups offers animals a number of advantages, such as increasing their likelihood of finding food or detecting and avoiding predators. In order for a group to remain together, there has to be some degree of coordination of behaviour and movement between its members (which may in some cases be initiated by a decision-making leader, and in other cases may emerge as an underlying property of the group). For example, behavioural synchronisation is a phenomenon where animals within a group initiate and then continue to conduct identical behaviours, and has been characterised for a wide range of species. We examine how a pair of animals should behave using a state-dependent approach, and ask what conditions are likely to lead to behavioural synchronisation occurring, and whether one of the individuals is more likely to act as a leader. RESULTS: The model we describe considers how the energetic gain, metabolic requirements and predation risks faced by the individuals affect measures of their energetic state and behaviour (such as the degree of behavioural synchronisation seen within the pair, and the value to an individual of knowing the energetic state of its colleague). We explore how predictable changes in these measures are in response to changes in physiological requirements and predation risk. We also consider how these measures should change when the members of the pair are not identical in their metabolic requirements or their susceptibility to predation. We find that many of the changes seen in these measures are complex, especially when asymmetries exist between the members of the pair. CONCLUSION: Analyses are presented that demonstrate that, although these general patterns are robust, care needs to be taken when considering the effects of individual differences, as the relationship between individual differences and the resulting qualitative changes in behaviour may be complex. We discuss how these results are related to experimental observations, and how the model and its predictions could be extended.  
  Address Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK. sean.rands@bristol.ac.uk  
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  Language English Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
  Series Volume Series Issue Edition  
  ISSN 1471-2148 ISBN Medium  
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  Notes PMID:18282297 Approved no  
  Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5126  
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Author (down) Puppe, B.; Langbein, J.; Bauer, J.; Hoy, S. url  doi
openurl 
  Title A comparative view on social hierarchy formation at different stages of pig production using sociometric measures Type Journal Article
  Year 2008 Publication Livestock Science Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 113 Issue 2-3 Pages 155-162  
  Keywords Pig; Dominance; Sociometric measures; Social hierarchy; Ontogeny  
  Abstract A standardised and comprehensive approach to describe dominance relationships in gregarious farm animals quantitatively was recently developed, incorporating a combination of appropriate sociometric measures. The present study applied this approach to a comparative analysis of the social hierarchies within 57 groups of domestic pigs at different age/production stages with a total of 496 animals. Unacquainted pigs were grouped to three age categories which correspond to the typical production stages: weaned pigs (PIG28, 12 groups), growing pigs (PIG80, 16 groups), and reproductive sows (SOW, 29 groups). Based on observed agonistic interactions, sociometric values were calculated both at the dyadic and at the group level and may be considered as preliminary reference values for further studies. As indicated by the respective values of the Kendall index (PIG28: 0.66, tested as significant in 69.0% of the observed groups; PIG80: 0.71, 87.5%; SOW: 0.61, 69.0%), and the improved Landau index (PIG28: 0.70, 75.0%; PIG80: 0.72, 93.7%; SOW: 0.71, 72.4%), a social organisation towards a quasi-linear social hierarchy was predominantly developed throughout all age/production categories. However, compared to weaned and growing pigs, sows were characterised by significant differences concerning establishment (fewer agonistic interactions) and kind (more unknown dyads, fewer two-way and significant dyads, higher directional consistency index) of their social hierarchy. It seems that sows have effectively adapted their agonistic behaviour towards pen-mates to regulate social dominance relationships, whereas younger pigs frequently display agonistic interactions also to gain additional experience on social cues (e.g. the fighting ability of an opponent). Hence, it is concluded that the effective experience of socialisation during sensitive periods may increase the social skills of pigs which in turn can improve their welfare and health, e.g. by adjusted aggressive behaviour. The consideration of comparable and standardised sociometric measures in livestock breeding may help to improve husbandry conditions.  
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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number Serial 2139  
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