Transcript MAMMALOGY AS A SCIENCE

Mammalogy
(Spring 2015 Althoff - reference FDVM Chapters 21-23)
Behavior
LEC
12
Behavior
• Animal’s ________________ &
__________________ equipment
forms basis for behavior
• Interest because of flexibility & variability
(compared to other vertebrates and
vertebrates)
• __________ & __________ behaviors
Behavior
• Well developed ________ organs
• Brain capable of rapid evaluation of
sensory information
• Therefore: facilitated ___________ of
communication and social behavior
Compared to other Vertebrates:
• Not completely unique from other
vertebrates for innate behavior
• Difference: _____________________
_____________________________
Non-Social Behavior
• Feeding Behavior
• Hoarding Behavior
• Shelter Building Behavior
a) nests (squirrels)
b) burrows (gophers/moles)
c) houses (woodrats, beavers,
muskrats)
Communication
• Most highly developed in “________” way
• Key categories:
a) visual
b) olfactory
c) auditory
d) tactile
• Unknown to large degree: ____________
thought to help some predators
detect prey. For example, _________
_____________ picks up electric field
produced by earthworms
General Properties of Major Sensory
Channels of Communication for Mammals
SIGNAL PROPERTY Olfactory Auditory Visual Tactile
Range
Long
Long
Medium
Short
Transmission rate
Slow
Fast
Fast
Fast
Travel around objects
_____
Yes
No
No
Night use
Yes
Yes
Little
Yes
Fade-out time
_____
Fast
Fast
Fast
Locate sender
Difficult
Varies
Easy
Easy
Cost to send signal
_____
High
Medium
Low
Table 2.1, p408 FDVMK
Mule deer—sources of scent
FEMALE
MALE
Fig. 21.2, p409 FDVMK
1. Tarsal gland
2. Metatarsal
gland
3. Forehead
(1rubbed
with urinary
pheromones)
4. Tail
5. Urine
6. Interdigital
gland
Functions of Communication
• Group spacing and coordination
(consider canid-based wind hypothesis)
• Recognition
• Reproduction (see Reproduction lecture & Senses
lecture notes)
•
•
•
•
•
Aggression and social status
Alarm
Hunting for food (see canid vs. felid comparisons)
Giving and soliciting care
Soliciting play
Group Spacing & Coordination
• Documented in some
primates…Cebus monkeys (aka
white-faced monkeys) of South
American rain forest
• When individuals spread out
over 100 m diameter area,
there are constant “________
_______”. Isolated member
will even utter a “__________”.
Recognition
• Besides species recognition (for
closely-related species), there is
evidence that there is recognition of
___—even if no interactions early in
the life of one or the other
• Value: behave “____________” &
_____ possible costs of
___________ with close relatives.
Belding’s ground squirrels shown to
recognize littermates later in life—
even when separated as neonates
Aggression and Social Status
• When in “close quarters” competing for food
and space, being aggressive can be
beneficial. For the inferior one,
communicating that they will not “challenge”
can ___________________—and that saves
both energy and reduced stress
Hunting for Food
• Reviewed by Kleiman and Eisenberg (1973)
for canids vs. felids
• Overall, structured communication would be
favored in group living both for locating prey
and cooperation in securing it
• African wild dog provides an example of an
highly developed communication system:
a) _______________________ (“rally”) that
includes nosing, lip-licking, tail-wagging,
and circling
b) rallying ensures alertness & readiness
Soliciting Play
• Function of “play” remains under
debate…especially amount mature/adult
individuals
• For developing young, it likely serves the
immediate function of __________________
development and coordination
• Observed in canids…among adults. Example
is the “play bow” by dogs
FOCUS: Prey vs. Predatory
• Common: Reproduction/
Parenting/Spacing
• Prey: oriented toward detection vs.
reaction
• Predator: oriented toward detection &
cooperative hunting
Spatial Relations
• ____________ = area which is used by an
animal in its day-to-day activities and in
which it spends most of its time. “Sallies”
or “wanderings” outside the area are
exceptions…depends on one’s definition.
__________ represents area of
heaviest use within the home range.
Home ranges and core areas
of baboons in Nairobi Park,
Kenya
FDVMK Fig. 21.12 p415
Spatial Relations
• Territory = area is occupied by individual or
group exclusively…and is _______________
___________________________…or both.
• By patrolling boundaries of space, vocalizing,
visiting scent posts, and making other displays
results in significantly __________ expenditure
• Key to establishment: __________________
= _____ (energy expenditure, risk of injury, etc.)
________(aka access to resources)
CASE STUDY:
Felids
vs. Canids
• Kleiman & Eisenberg (1973)
Kleiman, D.G. and J.F. Eisenberg. 1973.
Comparisons of canid and felid social systems
from an evoluntionary perspective. Animal
Behaviour 21:637-659.
• Focused on evolutionary history,
distribution, habitat preferences,
morphology, and behavior
Background
• Long _________ evolutionary
history--diverged in Eocene
...specialized predators for a
longtime.
• Evolutionary trends paralleled
diversity and adaptation to
______________of prey species.
Felids
• Tigers: cool, moist biomes
• Leopards: dry, tropical
• Lions: ___________________
(______ group dwelling felid)
Canids
•
Wolf: prairie ecosystem
(buffalo, deer, elk...as well
as caribou and moose)
• African cape hunting dog:
savanna
• Coyote: prairie ecosystem
Generally,
“_______”
habitat
Felids - cat skeletons
• Most adapted to making leaps
and striking prey with forepaws
Exception: _______________
• Large, retractile claws on fore-paw
enable them to climb
Felids - cat skeletons...continued
•
Skull: truncated and rostrum
shortened when compared to
canids....__________________
________________
• Face dominated by ________...
excellent “form” vision,
sense mood of conspecifics
Felids ...continued
•
________ is dominant sensory system
used for hunting
• Overall, big “cats” _______ than
________ canids
Canids - dog skeletons
• Long-legged, _____ well-adapted to
leaping
• _________ runners
• _________ is long
• _________ vision not good but
discriminates movement well
Canids...continued
• __________ sense of smell
• __________ sense of hearing
• …and sense of sight not too bad,
either!
Method of Attack on HERBIVORES
•
Felids: ______ attack large prey
vs.
• Canids: ______ attack of large
herbivores
Behavioral Specializations:
Felid Hunting & Feeding
• Can kill prey equal to or greater than body
size
• Kill is swift once contact is made
• Extra “leverage” allows bite to braincase
or neck
• Kill by suffocation
Felid Hunting & Feeding...con’t
• Initial stages of hunt: stealthy
approach, usually solo
• Chase, except for cheetah, is
usually ______
• Also, some ________
• Almost all __________ carnivorous
(thus, more _________________ than
____________)
Reproductive Behavior
• Domestic cats—induced ovulators,
extended estrus
• Courtship is brief (1-5 days)
• Repeated copulations
• Male finds female by odor cues but
females do call
Reproductive Behavior
• Litter sizes 1-5 (mode = 3)
• Smaller litter sizes than most all
carnivores
• Born in ______________ precoccial state
than canids
• Litter size, precoccial-ness may be due to
female only rearing
Visual Displays
•
Domestic cat: 9 distinct facial
expressions, 16 distinct
body/tail postures
• Face-to-face encounters: eyes
important...change in pupil
size
• “_________________” communication
“visual behind”
SIBERIAN LYNX
BOBCAT
TIGER
Felids: Social Systems
• Nearly all are solitary hunters, and
solitary most of their lifetime.
exception is ___________
• Thus, main social grouping in felids is
______________________.
Felid: Social Systems
...continued
• Exception: Lions
Females have group that rears young
Males usually have their own group
Behavioral Specializations:
Canid Hunting & Feeding
• Primarily ____________ existence
(i.e., don’t climb trees)
• No _________________ characteristics to
takedown large prey
• Small prey: killed w/ head shake
• Large prey: ___________ bites to weaken
prey
Canid Hunting & Feeding...con’t
• Prey mainly located by _________
& ___________ cues
• Many nocturnal, wolves diurnal
• ____ strictly carnivores...especially
smaller canids. They seasonally
consume fruit/vegetable matter
• ____________ on prey of larger predators
Canid Hunting & Feeding ...con’t
• “Peaceful” communal feeding
result of scavenging & group hunt
• Cooperative hunts much more
effective
• _______ stomach capacity:
consume large qty. at once
Canid Hunting & Feeding ...con’t
•
Large “consumption” ability may reflect
inability to defend a kill...also canids
often cache food. Felids also carry
off large carcasses
Reproductive Behavior
• Typically, only 1 estrus per year
• During breeding season, male-female
interactions prolonged
(weeks, months)
• Higher litter sizes (range 2-13)
(mode is 5)
Care of Young
• Usually involves care of female & her
litter
a) wolves & African hunting
dog--_____ structure
b) foxes, coyotes,etc--____
bond (male & female)
• _____________ of food
Care of Young...con’t
• Burrow construction (not done among
felids)
a) _____________ for young
b) reduces _________ from
predation
Communication
• Olfactory: urine & feces
• Vocalizations: 9-16 distinct
vocalizations (wolves-foxes),
including howling--long
distance calling
• Visual: variety of ear, tail,
& body postures
Communication--visual...con’t
• During close contact, generally an
_____________ of direct eye contact
with dominants....plus tail wagging
signals submission
Social Organization
• Tolerance of the sexes…results in
permanent or at a minimum a
seasonal pair bond
• _______ structure: wolves & hunting
dogs (usually related):
differences--wolves M & F
hierarchy, not same structure for
hunting dogs
Summary: Address these issues
• Social structures derived from different
sources for felids & canids...what are
they?
• What influences grouping tendencies?
• What are the major methods of
information exchange?