Barry, K. J., & Crowell-Davis, S. L. (1999). Gender differences in the social behavior of the neutered indoor-only domestic cat. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci., 64(3), 193–211.
Abstract: The domestic cat exhibits a wide variety of social behavior. The aim of this experiment was to investigate factors which influence the affiliative and aggressive behavior of the indoor-only neutered domestic cat. Some 60 households comprised of either two males, two females or a male and female cat were observed. The cats were between 6 months and 8 years old, and were always restricted to the indoors. Each pair of housemates was observed for 10 h. There were no significant differences in affiliative or aggressive behavior based on cat gender. However, females were never observed to allorub other females. The male/male households did spend more time in close proximity. The amount of time the cats had lived together was negatively correlated with the amount of aggression observed during the study. Factors such as size of the house and weight difference between the cats did not correlate with the aggression rate. Large standard deviations and the correlations of social behavior between housemates indicated the importance of individual differences in behavior.
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Barber, J. A., & Crowell-Davis, S. L. (1994). Maternal behavior of Belgian (Equus caballus) mares. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci., 41(3-4), 161–189.
Abstract: The relationship between ten Belgian mares and their offspring was studied from the first day of foal life to 17 weeks of age. Mares and foals spent more time at greater distances from each other as foals matured. Mares exhibited the recumbency response, being in closer proximity to their foals when foals were recumbent than when they were upright. Foals initiated the majority of nursing bouts. Frequency and duration of nursing bouts and percentage of time resting recumbently declined as foals matured. Foals also terminated the their foals, and they were most likely to do so in the first month of foal life. Maternal initiation of nursing. There was usually no discernible foal response to maternal aggression. Little difference between maternal behavior directed towards colts and fillies was found for all aspects of the study. Maternal behavior in the Belgian draft horse was similar to that reported for other equid breeds.
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Crowell-Davis, S. L. (1994). Daytime rest behavior of the Welsh pony (Equus caballus) mare and foal. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci., 40(3-4), 197–210.
Abstract: Upright and recumbent rest of 15 Welsh pony foals and their mothers was studied over a 2 year period. During their first week of life, the foals spent 32% of the time in recumbent rest. Subsequently, the percentage of time spent in recumbent rest decreased, but was still greater than for the foal's mother by Week 21, when the foals spent 6.5% of their time in recumbent rest. Adults spent little time in recumbent rest. Foals rested upright only 3.5% of the time during their first week of life. Mares rested upright more than foals did to Week 13, at which time peak values for time spent in upright rest occurred for both mares (32.5%) and foals (23%). Subsequently, mares and foals spent equal, but decreasing, amounts of time resting upright. The total time spent resting by the foals decreased gradually, and was characterized by a transition from recumbent rest to upright rest. Foals were more likely to be resting, either recumbent or upright, if their mother was resting upright. During the late spring, summer, and early autumn, mares and foals were most likely to be resting upright between 09:00 and 17:00 h.
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Pickerel, T. M., Crowell-Davis, S. L., Caudle, A. B., & Estep, D. Q. (1993). Sexual preference of mares (Equus caballus) for individual stallions. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci., 38(1), 1–13.
Abstract: Eight mares were tested to determine if they remained near one of two stallions longer than would be expected if association was random. Six stallions were paired in 30 combinations and each mare was tested 30 times. The mares (Equus caballus) demonstrated a definite preference for individual stallions throughout the breeding season. This preference was influenced by the estrous state of the mare. During estrus, mares' preferences for stallions were positively correlated with the rate at which a given stallion vocalized. During diestrus, mares spent significantly less time in the proximity of stallions and did not exhibit any preference for individual stallions.
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Hall, C., Crowell-Davis, S. L., & Warren, R. J. (1993). Maternal and developmental behavior of the feral horses of Cumberland Island, Georgia. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci., 37(1), 85.
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Smith-Funk, E. D., & Crowell-Davis, S. L. (1992). Maternal behavior of draft mares (Equus caballus) with mule foals (Equus asinus x Equus caballus). Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci., 33(2-3), 93–119.
Abstract: Draft mares and their mule foals were observed from the day of birth to Week 17 of each foal's life. The rate of nursing was recorded and the duration of nursing activity to the nearest second. The rate at which foals engaged in nursing activity varied at each age. The duration of nursing bouts varied slightly as the foals matured. Aggression was recorded during both nursing and non-nursing activity for both the mares and foals. Maternal aggression was highest during nursing activity, especially during the pre-nurse nuzzling period. Maternal aggression increased as the foals matured. Mother-directed foal aggression was primarily in response to maternal aggression. Spatial relationships between each focal dyad were recorded when the foals were upright, not nursing and when they were recumbent. Spatial relationships differed based on the foal's state. The activity in which the mare engaged while her foal was recumbent was recorded. The movements of the mares were also recorded during foal recumbency. Mares approached or maintained their distance from their recumbent foal more than they left their recumbent foal in all weeks of the study, except Week 2.
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Crowell-Davis, S. L., & Caudle, A. B. (1989). Coprophagy by foals: recognition of maternal feces. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci., 24(3), 267–272.
Abstract: Six foals were each observed for 4 h per week during the first 6 weeks of life in an experimental situation in which they had access to feces taken from their mother and from another mare which was not pregnant or lactating. The foals sniffed at the feces equally. Two foals engaged in a total of seven bouts of coprophagy. All bouts of coprophagy involved maternal feces (χ2; P<0.01).
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Crowell-Davis, S. L., Houpt, K. A., & Kane, L. (1987). Play development in Welsh pony (Equus caballus) foals. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci., 18(2), 119–131.
Abstract: The structure of the play of colts and fillies living on pasture was studied from birth (n = 15) for up to 24 weeks. Foal play was categorized as running and bucking alone, running and bucking in a group, interactive (contact or combat) play, play with an object, and play at an adult. The rate of play decreased with increasing age and ambient temperature. Fillies and colts played with equal frequency, but engaged in some different types of play at different rates. There was no difference between colts and fillies in the proportion of play bouts of running and bucking in a group or playing with an object. Fillies engaged in running and bucking alone more than colts. Colts engaged in interactive play and play at an adult more than fillies. While there was no significant difference between colts and fillies in the duration of either type of running and bucking play, the interactive play bouts of colts were significantly longer than those of fillies. Both mares and stallions were tolerant of foal play which involved use of their body as a play object, including mounting play. Both fillies and colts engaged in mounting play. Foals used various natural objects found in the pasture for repeated bouts of play with inanimate objects, a behaviour which may explain, from a developmental perspective, the occasional use of “tools” in adult equids. The sex differences in type of play were consistent with the social structure of unmanaged adults in which males must compete with each other in order to associate with females.
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Crowell-Davis, S. L. (1987). Self-grooming by mares and foals of the Welsh pony (Equus caballus). Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci., 17(3-4), 197–208.
Abstract: Self-grooming behaviour of 15 mare-foal pairs was studied weekly for the first 24 weeks of the foal's life. Mares self-groomed at mean rates of 1.2-2.2 times h-1 depending on the 4-week period. Foals self-groomed more often, with a peak rate of 12.3 times h-1 occurring during Week 5-8 and a subsequent decline to 6.0 times h-1 by Weeks 21-24. Self-grooming bouts of mares and foals also differed in the proportion devoted to each type of self-grooming. During a greater proportion of their total self-grooming bouts, foals scratched their head and neck with a hind limb or bit and scratched the trunk or hind limbs with the teeth. The mares spent a greater proportion of their self-grooming bouts rubbing their head or neck on an inanimate object, another pony, or their fore limb, or rolling on the ground. Particular types of individual self-grooming bouts were engaged in for different lengths of time. Foals had longer bouts of scratching the head and neck with a hind limb, scratching or biting the fore limb or hind limb with the teeth, and rubbing the head and neck on an inanimate object, while mares had longer bouts of rolling. Some of the differences in preference for particular types of self-grooming may be the result of differences in relative size of various body parts and, consequently, relative ease of a given type of self-grooming.
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Crowell-Davis, S. L., Houpt, K. A., & Carini, C. M. (1986). Mutual grooming and nearest-neighbor relationships among foals of Equus caballus. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci., 15(2), 113–123.
Abstract: A 3-year study was carried out on the developmental behavior of foals from birth to 24 weeks of age and the behavior of mares living with foals. Mutual-grooming partners of foals were primarily other foals. The peak frequency of mutual grooming occurred during Weeks 9-12, when fillies mutual-groomed 1.6 times h-1 and colts mutual-groomed 0.9 times h-1. Fillies mutual-groomed more frequently than colts (P < 0.025). Fillies mutual-groomed randomly with colts and other fillies (P < 0.05), whereas colts mutual-groomed almost exclusively with fillies (P = 0.03). At all ages studied, if a foal's nearest neighbor was not its mother, it was more likely to be another foal than would be expected if the foal was associating randomly with non-mother ponies. Fillies were more likely than expected to have a filly rather than a colt as their nearest neighbor (P = 0.01). Thus, during their first few months of life, the foals studied exhibited patterns of behavior which were consistent with the development of the usual social milieu of unmanaged adults, in which several mares form a cohesive herd with one or more stallions associating with them.
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