Abstract: Processed feed for stabled horses is usually presented in buckets or mangers, and is easily and rapidly consumed. Foraging devices based on the Edinburgh foodball can be used to provide part of the ration. Current designs are all placed on the floor, raising concerns regarding ingestion of foreign materials along with the dispensed food. Alternative devices were evaluated, when presented within suitable, clean containers to prolong food-handling times but avoid such issues. In four Latin square designed replicated trials we investigated behaviour of 12 stabled horses with three foraging devices. These were separately presented for 5 min, varied in sensory complexity (round, square, polyhedral) and contained 500 g high fibre pellets. In Trials 1 and 2 six geldings were presented with devices in buckets then mangers. All individuals foraged successfully from at least one device and behaviour was compared. However, all individuals exhibited some frustration while using the devices (either pawing or biting them). Horses frequently removed the devices from the buckets in Trial 1 terminating these sessions. In Trial 2 mean device foraging duration was ranked polyhedral > round > square. Mean pawing rate in Trial 2 was calculated for horses (frequency of pawing per individual/summed duration manipulation and foraging) and was highest with square (0.11, npawers = 6). In Trial 3 six stabled mares were presented with the same foraging devices in mangers. Mean foraging duration with devices again ranked polyhedral > round > square. Mean pawing rate was highest with round device (0.08, npawers = 4). Trial 4 investigated behaviour of six horses when devices initially containing five high fibre pellets became empty. Mean foraging duration with devices ranked round > polyhedral > square. Mean pawing rate was highest with square device (0.11, npawers = 4). All horses foraged successfully from at least one foraging device in buckets and mangers. Devices met initial objectives but the unpredictability of reward suggests a source of frustration and warrants further investigation.

Abstract: Two contrasting results emerge from comparisons of the social systems of several odontocetes with terrestrial mammals. Researchers have identified remarkable convergence in prominent features of the social systems of odontocetes such as the sperm whale and bottlenose dolphin with a few well-known terrestrial mammals such as the elephant and chimpanzee. In contrast, studies on killer whales and Baird's beaked whale reveal novel social solutions to aquatic living. The combination of convergent and novel features in odontocete social systems promise a more general understanding of the ecological determinants of social systems in both terrestrial and aquatic habitats, as well as the relationship between relative brain size and social evolution.

Abstract: The role of dominant individuals in leading groups of animals is not yet well understood. We investigated whether dominant beef cows, Bos taurus, have more influence on herd movement on pasture than more subordinate cows. A herd of 15 Gasconne cows was observed for a 3-week period between dawn and dusk. The positions of all adult cows were recorded with GPS collars at 1 min intervals and the behaviour of each cow was recorded in 5 min scans. The dominance hierarchy was recorded by ad libitum sampling. Through cluster analysis of the recorded data, we distinguished three herd behaviour patterns: resting, foraging and travelling. Dominant cows were closer to the front of the herd during both travelling and foraging. During travelling, more dominant cows also had more direct trajectories and were more aligned both with their nearest neighbours and with the whole herd. During foraging, the trajectories of dominant cows were shorter than those of subordinate cows. The results indicate that foraging and short-distance travelling movements by female beef cattle are not led by any particular individual but rather are influenced by a graded type of leadership; that is, the more dominant a cow is, the stronger the influence it may have on the movements of the herd.

Abstract: There are numerous reports of novel learned behaviour patterns in animal populations, yet the factors influencing the invention and spread of these innovations remain poorly understood. Here we investigated to what extent the pattern of spread of innovations in captive groups of starlings, Sturnus vulgaris, could be predicted by knowledge of individual and social group variables, including association patterns, social rank orders, measures of neophobia and asocial learning performance. We presented small groups of starlings with a series of novel extractive foraging tasks and recorded the latency for each bird to contact and solve each task, as well as the orders of contacting and solving. We then explored which variables best predicted the observed diffusion patterns. Object neophobia and social rank measures characterized who was the first of the group to contact the novel foraging tasks, and the subsequent spread of contacting tasks was associated with latency to feed in a novel environment. Asocial learning performance, measured in isolation, predicted who was the first solver of the novel foraging tasks in each group. Association patterns did not predict the spread of solving. Contact latency and solving duration were negatively correlated, consistent with social learning underlying the spread of solving. Our findings indicate that we can improve our understanding of the diffusion dynamics of innovations in animal groups by investigating group-dependent and individual variables in combination. We introduce novel methods for exploring predictors of the origin and spread of behavioural innovations that could be widely applied.