An ethogram of piglet vocalizations during suckling

There is obvious confusion in the literature on pig vocalizations. It is not clear whether pig calls are discrete or continuous in form and function, and whether they are specific signals. The aim with this study was to try to classify piglet vocalizations uttered during nursing, and the hypothesis was that the sounds are, in fact, structurally discrete. All vocalizations uttered during 33 nursings in 3 litters during 3 days after farrowing were recorded, and 106 sounds were processed in a spectrograph. The spectrograms were analysed by the following method. Firstly, they were classified in groups on the basis of a number of physical parameters which were quantified for each spectrogram. Secondly, the inter-class dissimilarity was tested with single-link cluster-analysis. Thirdly, the correlation of the physical parameters was tested within classes with correlation and regression calculations. The analysis supported the existence of 5 discrete classes of piglet vocalizations: croaking; deep grunt; high grunt; scream; and squeak. In croaking, scream and squeak there was a correlation between basic frequency and time, indicating a continuous variation of intensity within the discrete call classes. It was further concluded that any viewpoint on the function of the sounds must be based on studies of statistical links between specific signals and certain behaviour in the receiver.     

An eco-ethological comparison ofLemur fulvus andLemur macaco

Classification problems withLemur fulvu andL. macaco are at the origin of research on the eco-ethology of these two species. Interspecific differences were observed in dominance and in sniffing, marking and rubbingbehaviour. It is hypothesised thatL. macaco uses more visual cues in communication thanL. fulvus. The post-copulatory barrier appears however to be more important than the pre-copulatory one.     

An ethogram of the liontail macaque (Macaca silenus) in captivity

Seventy hours of observation were gathered on a well-composed group of captive liontail macaques (1 adult male, 3 adult females, 1 sub-adult male, 1 sub-adult female, 2 juvenile males, 1 infant male, and 2 infant females caged together for more than five years). Their behaviors are described, defined and categorized, and comparisons are made with other Macaca species. Most of the behaviors observed tended to be similar to those of other congeneric macaques, with the exception of several variations typical for the liontail which are detailed. The behaviors and interactions of infant liontail monkeys are also discussed.     

An ethogram for rhesus monkeys I. Antithetical contrasts in posture and movement

Antithetical postures and movements in social displays of rhesus monkeys distinguish five moods. Movement from a high to a low position in the midsagittal plane indicates threat. Emphasis on movement in the frontal plane indicates subordinance. Movement from a low to a high position in the midsagittal plane indicates non-hostile, non-fearful approach. Oblique movements indicate a querying mood. Playfulness is indicated by emphasis on rotatory movements in the transverse plane.     

中华鬣羚行为谱及PAE编码系统的建立

栖息地破碎化、人为干扰等因素影响着中华鬣羚(Capricornis sumatraensis)的生存.目前,中华鬣羚的行为研究还比较匮乏,因此有必要构建中华鬣羚的行为谱及PAE (posture-act-environment)编码系统,以期促进其基础行为资料的完善,为深入开展科学研究和保护工作奠定基础.本文旨在:(1...     

An ethogram of the common marmoset (Calithrix jacchus jacchus): General behavioural repertoire

The behavioural repertoire of four captive breeding pairs of Callithrix jacchus jacchus is described. Social communication took the form of postures, facial expressions, vocalizations and piloerection displays. Detailed analyses were made of piloerection displays, adult play, copulatory, aggressive, and prey-catching behaviour. Aggressive behaviour was uncommon in adult mated pairs. Play between adults showed a degree of temporal organization. Vocalizations were the main methods of intragroup communication whilst piloerection displays were directed towards members of other groups and also to unfamiliar objects. The behavioural repertoire of C. jacchus jacchus is compared with that of other Primates.     

Cellulase location in Cellvibrio fulvus.

The location of cellulase in C. fulvus depends on the carbon source for growth and the age of the culture. When cells were grown on glucose or cellobiose all CMC-hydrolyzing enzyme was cell-bound but only part of the activity was located on the cell surface. Treatment of cells with EDTA, lysozyme, and detergents and subsequent fractionation experiments showed that cellulase was also located in the periplasm and bound to a membrane fraction. Growth on cellulose gave cell-free cellulase active against CMC. The enzyme was repressed by glucose but formed at a constant differential rate on cellobiose and amylose. This rate was 8-10 times lower than on cellulose and possible reasons for this are discussed.     

Feeding behavior ofLemur catta andLemur fulvus

The feeding behavior of two sympatric species of lemurs, Lemur cattaand Lemur fulvus,was studied in an enclosure simulating a natural habitat at the Duke University Primate Center. L. fulvusspent less time feeding during the day than L. catta.But the former species ate more fruit and had longer feeding bouts on preferred food items than L. catta.They also had a shorter food passage time than L. cattaand their choice of resting places was more influenced by food distribution. Furthermore, the two lemur species ate parts of different plant species and showed different reactions to chemical plant components. According to these results, L. fulvusis a more conservative feeder than L. catta.These interspecific differences in feeding behavior may be one of a number of differences that allow the two species to coexist. In allopatry, however, L. fulvusmay also adopt feeding patterns similar to those of L. catta.But L. cattawas never found to change its feeding strategies in different areas. It may be this option of L. fulvusto adopt different feeding strategies in different situations that allows this species to have the widest range of all Malagasy lemurs. Duke University Primate Center Publication No. 259.     

矮岩羊(Pseudois schaeferi)行为谱及PAE编码系统

2007年3～12月,对四川竹巴笼自然保护区的矮岩羊（Pseudois schaeferi）进行了行为谱工作的研究,建立了矮岩羊行为谱及其PAE（posture,act and environment）编码系统。研究分辨和记录了矮岩羊的11种姿势,83种动作和118种行为,还区别了各种行为在雄性、雌性和幼体之间的相对发生频次以及发生季节。     

Aggressive and neutral interventions in conflicts in captive groups of brown lemurs (Eulemur fulvus fulvus)

Third-party interventions in conflicts have revealed complexity in primate social relationships. This type of intervention has seldom been analyzed in prosimians, although many of these species exhibit complex (multimale/multifemale) social organizations. The present study on captive brown lemurs (Eulemur fulvus fulvus) shows that dominant individuals were more likely to intervene in conflicts. Both males and females intervened aggressively in conflicts. Female aggressive interventions occurred mainly on behalf of close kin, whereas males mainly intervened on behalf of juveniles. This study also provides the first record of neutral or peaceful interventions in lemurs. Although females intervened neutrally, almost all neutral interventions were by dominant males. Dominant males intervened in conflicts neutrally more often than aggressively, principally in conflicts between adults and juveniles or between juveniles. Neutral interventions by males always ended the conflicts and were often followed by affiliative contacts between participants (intervenors and opponents). In lemurs, female interventions can be explained by kin selection, while the nature of dominant males' interventions suggests a control role. Interventions by males on behalf of juveniles may increase the formers' fitness.     

四川梅花鹿的行为谱及PAE编码系统

2007年3-11月每月定期5 d,每天06:00-18:00在四川省铁布自然保护区的冻列乡、崇尔乡、热尔乡观察记录四川梅花鹿行为发生过程、内容、结果及其周围生境.建立了四川梅花鹿的行为谱、警戒行为谱及其PAE编码系统,填补了有蹄类警戒行为PAE编码的空白.分辨并记录了四川梅花鹿的11种姿势、83种动作及136种行为,描述了各种行为的相对发生频次与性别、年龄、季节的关系.与其他有蹄类相比,梅花鹿的行为与鹿科其他动物有相似之处.     

An ethogram of body patterning behavior in the biomedically and commercially valuable squid Loligo pealei off Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Squids have a wide repertoire of body patterns; these patterns contain visual signals assembled from a highly diverse inventory of chromatic, postural, and locomotor components. The chromatic components reflect the activity of dermal chromatophore organs that, like the postural and locomotor muscles, are controlled directly from the central nervous system. Because a thorough knowledge of body patterns is fundamental to an understanding of squid behavior, we have compiled and described an ethogram (a catalog of body patterns and associated behaviors) for Loligo pealei. Observations of this species were made over a period of three years (> or = 440 h) and under a variety of behavioral circumstances. The natural behavior of the squid was filmed on spawning grounds off Cape Cod (northwestern Atlantic), and behavioral trials in the laboratory were run in large tanks. The body pattern components--34 chromatic (including 4 polarization components), 5 postural, and 12 locomotor--are each described in detail. Eleven of the most common body patterns are also described. Four of them are chronic, or long-lasting, patterns for crypsis; an example is Banded Bottom Sitting, which produces disruptive coloration against the substrate. The remaining seven patterns are acute; they are mostly used in intraspecific communication among spawning squids. Two of these acute patterns--Lateral Display and Mate Guarding Pattern--are used during agonistic bouts and mate guarding; they are visually bright and conspicuous, which may subject the squids to predation; but we hypothesize that schooling and diurnal activity may offset the disadvantage presented by increased visibility to predators. The rapid changeability and the diversity of body patterns used for crypsis and communication are discussed in the context of the behavioral ecology of this species.     

The influence of social organisation on leadership in brown lemurs (Eulemur fulvus fulvus) in a controlled environment

Studies on leadership during group movements in several lemur species showed that females were responsible for the travelling choices concerning time and direction. Interestingly, in these species females are dominant over males. We investigated the influence of social organisation upon leadership processes by studying a lemur species in which social organisation is characterized by the absence of female dominance: the brown lemur (Eulemur fulvus fulvus). The study was conducted on a semi-free ranging group of 11 individuals and the analysis performed on 69 group movements showed that all the individuals could initiate a group movement. In 34 cases, the whole group moved. There was no significant difference in the number of start attempts or in the number of group members involved from one initiator to another. Moreover, there was no effect of sex or age of the initiator on the number of individuals following it or on the speed of the joining process. Therefore, the leadership observed is widely distributed to all group members. These results support the hypothesis of an influence of social organisation upon the decision-making processes but still remain to be studied in a more relevant ecological context.     

Habitat shifting by the common brown lemur (Eulemur fulvus fulvus): a response to food scarcity

During periods of food scarcity, most primates display behavioral responses, such as dietary switching or adjustment of traveling and foraging efforts, within home ranges. In rare cases, several primate species leave their home ranges for other remote habitats to seek alternative resources; this migration-like behavior is termed “habitat shifting.” Reports of habitat shifting have concentrated on platyrrhines, but this behavior has rarely been observed among prosimians. During 1 year of observation of a troop of common brown lemurs (Eulemur fulvus fulvus) in Ankarafantsika National Park, northwestern Madagascar, habitat shifting occurred twice. To understand the causes of this behavior, I examined the seasonal availability of fruit resources in the range continuously used by the troop during the year (defined as the annual range) and compared feeding activities and vegetation types between the annual range and new areas. The troop usually stayed within a 38.7-ha annual range, defined by a 95 % fixed kernel analysis based on GPS location data collected at 5-min intervals. In April 2007, the lemurs suddenly moved to a habitat 1.0–1.5 km south of their annual range and concentrated on the consumption of Grewia triflora fruits for 2 weeks. In November 2007, they visited a habitat 0.8–1.7 km southeast of the annual range and exploited fruits of Landolphia myrtifolia. These new areas were open habitats with high densities of the respective fruit species. The density of fruiting trees was low in the annual range during these periods; thus, habitat shifting to areas with different phenological productivity appeared to be an effective response to fruit scarcity. Brown lemurs are generally categorized as a nonterritorial species, and the lemurs observed here showed no agonistic behavior in intergroup encounters during range shifting. Such nonterritoriality may allow brown lemurs to shift habitats, a behavior resulting in long-term absence from their annual range.     

Successful artificial insemination in Lemur fulvus mayottensis

A method is reported for collection of sperm by electrostimulation or prostatic massage in order to carry out artificial in utero insemination in Lemur fulvus mayottensis. Using fresh sperm, one success out of 7 attempts was obtained, although it was achieved with a vesiculectomized male.