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Differences in Behavior and Social Organization of Female Guinea Pigs as a Function of the Presence of a Male
Author(s) -
Thyen Yvonne,
Hendrichs Hubert
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
ethology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.739
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1439-0310
pISSN - 0179-1613
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-0310.1990.tb00382.x
Subject(s) - agonistic behaviour , dominance (genetics) , adult male , courtship , social relationship , psychology , demography , social relation , developmental psychology , dominance hierarchy , biology , zoology , aggression , social psychology , endocrinology , biochemistry , sociology , gene
Object of the study was the variability of social behavior and organization in female guinea pigs as a function of the presence of a male. Four groups of 8 females were observed. Two of these groups were without a male, the other two had a sexually experienced, sterilized male. All females were about 20 d old at the beginning of the study. In the groups without a male the females formed clear and stable dominance relationships resulting in a linear rank order. The frequency of agonistic behavior was higher compared to the other groups. Some of these females displayed male‐like courtship behavior. Among the females in the groups with a male only the alpha and omega positions were stable, while the dominance relations between the other females remained unstable. These females directed about 40–50 % of their contact behavior towards the male. In relation to the presence or absence of a male the females differed in their social orientation: those who lived with a male were strongly orientated towards it, those living without a male were strongly oriented towards each other. The hypothesis is put forward, that the females in the two situations differed in their motivational states. For the females living with a male this animal was a stable point of social reference, while for the females living without a male their stable dominance structure — with more agonistic behavior — was the most important stabilizing factor.