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Animal cognition2019; 23(1); 131-140; doi: 10.1007/s10071-019-01323-9

Effect of social organisation on interspecific differences in overmarking behaviour of foals in African equids.

Abstract: Overmarking remains an unstudied topic in juvenile mammals. We have previously documented a very high rate of overmarking by foals in four captive African equid species: mountain zebra (Equus zebra), plains zebra (Equus quagga), Grévy's zebra (Equus grevyi), and African wild ass (Equus africanus). African equids vary interspecifically in their social organisation. Since differences in social organisation affect many mammalian behaviours, in this study we investigated interspecific differences in overmarking behaviour of foals, analysing only cases where elimination of any other individual was explored by a foal. We hypothesised that the pattern of overmarking by foals should reflect either differences in social organisation of the species or phylogenetic relations among them. We found that in all species very young foals explored mostly maternal eliminations, and this preference declined with increasing age of the foal and reflected the social organisation of the species; the highest overmarking rate was in species with high intragroup aggression (mountain zebra) and lowest in species with low intragroup aggression and which form crèches (African wild ass). Similarly, the rate of overmarking of the mother, as opposed to other herdmates, was associated with social organisation of the respective species. Thus, we found interspecific differences in overmarking by foals, which were associated with variability in social organisation. Since we also revealed differences between African wild ass and zebra behaviour in early stages of ontogeny, we cannot refute the effect of phylogeny on overmarking behaviour. Additionally, our results supported the identity sharing hypothesis as an explanation of overmarking.
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Publication Date: 2019-11-14 PubMed ID: 31728806PubMed Central: 3577844DOI: 10.1007/s10071-019-01323-9Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research focuses on understanding how social organization among different species of African equids impacts overmarking behavior of their foals. Overmarking refers to the behavior where the animal marks over the markings, such as urine or feces, of another. In this study, it was observed that young foals primarily interact with territory marks from their mothers and the rate of this activity decreases as they grow older. This behavior was found to be influenced by the aggression level within the species and their social structure, suggesting that overmarking may be reflective of the species’ social dynamics and evolutionary traits.

Research Methodology

  • The researchers studied foals from four captive African equid species: mountain zebra, plains zebra, Grévy’s zebra, and African wild ass.
  • Only instances where a foal explored another individual’s elimination (urination or defecation) were analysed for this study, focusing on examining the behavior of overmarking.
  • The study involved closely observing and documenting the overmarking behavior among these foals, taking into account their age, species, and the relationship with the individual whose elimination they were exploring.

Findings and Interpretation

  • Foals, particularly at a young age, were found to mostly explore their mother’s eliminations, with this tendency decreasing as they grew older.
  • The rate of overmarking was highest in species known for high levels of intragroup aggression such as the mountain zebra and lowest in species with low intragroup aggression and which form crèches, like the African wild ass.
  • The behavior of overmarking in relation to the mother versus other herd members was associated with the social organization of that species, indicating that overmarking behavior can reflect species’ social dynamics.

Conclusions

  • The study identified interspecific differences in overmarking behavior among foals, associating it with the intrinsic variability in social organisation across different species.
  • Considering the observed behavioral differences between zebras and African wild ass, the study argues that it is hard to deny the influence of evolutionary traits on overmarking behavior.
  • These findings further validate the identity sharing hypothesis – the theory that overmarking communicates own identity by mixing individual smell with communal smell, providing an explanation of overmarking behavior among juvenile mammals.

Cite This Article

APA
Pluháček J, Tučková V, Šárová R, King SRB. (2019). Effect of social organisation on interspecific differences in overmarking behaviour of foals in African equids. Anim Cogn, 23(1), 131-140. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-019-01323-9

Publication

Animal cognition
ISSN: 1435-9456
NlmUniqueID: 9814573
Country: Germany
Language: English
Volume: 23
Issue: 1
Pages: 131-140

Researcher Affiliations

Pluháček, Jan
  • Department of Ethology, Institute of Animal Science, Přátelství 815, 104 00, Praha-Uhříněves, Czech Republic. janpluhacek@seznam.cz.
  • Ostrava Zoo, Michálkovická 2081/197, 710 00, Ostrava, Czech Republic. janpluhacek@seznam.cz.
  • Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Chittussiho 10, 710 00, Ostrava, Czech Republic. janpluhacek@seznam.cz.
Tučková, Vladimíra
  • Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 1760, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
Šárová, Radka
  • Department of Ethology, Institute of Animal Science, Přátelství 815, 104 00, Praha-Uhříněves, Czech Republic.
King, Sarah R B
  • Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Warner College of Natural Resources, Colorado State University, Campus Delivery 1499, Fort Collins, USA.

MeSH Terms

  • Aggression
  • Animals
  • Equidae
  • Female
  • Horses
  • Humans
  • Mothers
  • Phylogeny

Grant Funding

  • MZE-RO0719 / Ministerstvo Zemu011bdu011blstvu00ed
  • 2011/008 / Student Grant Agency of the University of South Bohemia

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Citations

This article has been cited 2 times.
  1. Pluháček J, Tučková V, Šárová R, King SRB. Why wait to mark? Possible reasons behind latency from olfactory exploration to overmarking in four African equid species. Anim Cogn 2022 Dec;25(6):1443-1452.
    doi: 10.1007/s10071-022-01625-5pubmed: 35554766google scholar: lookup
  2. Steklis NG, Peñaherrera-Aguirre M, Steklis HD, Herrera I. Why Were Zebras Not Domesticated? A Review of Domesticability Traits and Tests of Their Role in Ungulate Domestications with Macroevolutionary Models. Animals (Basel) 2024 Aug 14;14(16).
    doi: 10.3390/ani14162355pubmed: 39199888google scholar: lookup
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