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Affiliative and Aggressive Behavior in a Group of Female Somali Wild Ass ( Equus africanus somalicus )
Author(s) -
Asa Cheryl S.,
Marshall Fiona,
Fischer Martha
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
zoo biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.5
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1098-2361
pISSN - 0733-3188
DOI - 10.1002/zoo.20394
Subject(s) - agonistic behaviour , aggression , biology , ethogram , dominance hierarchy , harem , equus , somali , equidae , zoology , dominance (genetics) , developmental psychology , demography , ecology , psychology , linguistics , philosophy , biochemistry , sociology , gene
We observed a group of three young female Somali wild asses to develop an ethogram of social behavior in the first phase of a longer term study of social, sexual, and maternal/infant behavior. The most unexpected finding was the frequency and extent of aggressive interactions, which included Charge, Drive, Neck Wrestle, Head Butt, and Body Slam, behaviors previously reported only for males of other equid species. The overall frequency of aggressive behavior was higher than that of affiliative behavior (84±16.5 vs. 32±5.5, P =0.03), yet no injuries occurred. The dyadic directionality of aggressive behavior suggested a dominance hierarchy, a feature not previously reported for either wild ass or domestic donkeys. The aggression observed may be an accurate representation of the behavior of this species, or their relatively young ages, or their recent transfer from their natal group through quarantine and into a new enclosure may have heightened agonistic tendencies. Further studies will determine whether with time their aggressive behavior becomes more intense or dissipates with maturity. Zoo Biol 31:87;–97, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.