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Behavioral ecology of the Jeju pony ( Equus caballus ): Effects of maternal age, maternal dominance hierarchy and foal age on mare aggression
Author(s) -
RHO Jeong Rae,
SRYGLEY Robert Boxter,
CHOE Jae Chun
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
ecological research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.628
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1440-1703
pISSN - 0912-3814
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1703.2003.00608.x
Subject(s) - foal , equus , aggression , dominance (genetics) , pony , herd , biology , dominance hierarchy , demography , ecology , zoology , psychology , developmental psychology , biochemistry , genetics , sociology , gene
On Jeju Island, Korea, dominance hierarchy and maternal care according to maternal age were studied in a herd of Jeju ponies ( Equus caballus ), consisting of 73 mares, their foals and one stallion. Dominance ranks were nearly linear and increased significantly with the age of mares. Most aggressive encounters involved mares under 5 years old. Mares under the age of 5 years have apparently not established their rank. The mean frequency of aggressive actions of mares per hour increased significantly as the day of parturition approached. Aggressive actions of mares with foals decreased significantly as their foals aged. The overall frequency of aggression of mares with foals also decreased significantly with the age of the mares. Our results suggest that the cost of maternal care is lower for older, more dominant mares than for subordinate ones.