饲养条件下羚牛母幼行为的初步研究

1 999年 2～ 4月期间对上海动物园繁殖场的羚牛做了有关母幼行为的初步研究。本文着重描述了羚牛的哺乳行为和母幼接触 ,并探讨了母幼关系的变化趋势。幼羚在 3日龄内吮乳频繁 ,每次吮乳( 4 56± 0 97)分钟。 3日龄后 ,母羚的哺乳次数明显减少 ,但每次哺乳的持续时间延长至 5～ 7分钟。母幼间的主要接触方式是嗅和舔 ,母羚对幼仔的接触主要集中于肛区 ( 48 8% )和头部 ( 2 5 5% )。随着幼羚周龄的增长 ,母幼关系的亲密度逐渐下降 ,主要表现在幼羚的独立性增强和母性投资的减少。

Behavioral Observations on the Mother/offspring Relationship in Takins in Captivity

Observations on mother/offspring relationship of the golden takin (Budorcas taxicolor) were made at the Breeding Center of Shanghai Zoo, Shanghai between February and April, 1999. The cows suckled once an hour when the calves were less than three days in age, the mean suckling length was (4.56±0.97)min. Subsequently the suckling frequency declined to 2～3 times in the daytime. It was found that the cows also suckled at midnight. The contacts between the calves and the cows concentrated on the anus region (48.8%) and head region (25.5%) of the calf. The results suggested that the closeness of mother/offspring to be negatively correlated with the growth of the young, indicating a decline in maternal investment.