Small Animal Maternal, Play & Social Behaviors Genetics & Behaviors

Very few species have the father involved in rearing young except...

-most primates

-most birds

-wolves and foxes

-some rodents

-some fish and frogs

-seahorses

Evolutionary advantages to paternal care (3):

1.) increases reproductive success

2.) increases mating opportunites

3.) decreases burden on the female (this making her ready to mate again more quickly)

Maternal behvaior before birth

prepare and find suitable locations for birth

Maternal behvavior after birth

Lick newborn vigorously to clean them, stimulate them to move and nurse, and assist with bonding

Factors that influence matenral behavior

1.) genetics

2.) experience

3.) hormones

4.) stimuli from neonate

First time mothers are more likely to...

reject/ignore/kill their neonate

Experience mothers may show mothering behaviors without hormonal influence. This is called...

concaveation

Hormonal priming for motherhood

progesterone maintains pregnancy and estrogen increases after birth

Examples of stimuli from neonate that influence maternal behavior

-scent of amniotic fluid

-facail characteristics

-erratic movements

-care-seeking behavior

Pheromone

chemical secreted by an animal that influences the beavior or developement of an animal of the same species

Types of neonates

1.) altricial

2.) precocial

altricial neonate

born relatively helpless; blind, deaf, unable to walk, low capacity for social behvaior and thermoregulation

Examples of altricial neonates

-dogs

-cats

-rabbits

-primates

-rats

precocial neonates

born able to move about and forage at an early age; have sigh and hearing abilities, can walk and socialize

Examples of precocial neonates

-horses

-cattle

-pigs

-domestic chicken

Hider neonates

neonates are kept in a nest for close to the birthing site for a period of time and the mother leaves to hunt/forage

Examples of hider neonates

-dogs

-cats

-rabbits

-goats

-pigs

-cattle

-some birds

Follower neonates

can walk or run with their mothers shortly after birth, leaving the birth site

Examples of follower neonates

-sheep

-horses

-ducks

-chickens

Mother-young bond

essential for the survival of young; influenced by maternal behaviors

If a mother rejects her offspring...

-try to get her to change her mind by housing them together and assisting with nursing

-if still rejects find a surrogate mother

-last resort is hand-rearing

Imprinting

the process by which certain animals form attachments during a critical period very early in life

Imprinting is based on __________ and _____________

vision and hearing

Differences between imprinting and bonding

imprinting: immediate, long lasting, and learned response to a visual cue in environment

bonding: relationship formed between mother and young using oral and tactile cues from both; non visual cues especially importnant for altricial species

Does imprinting occur in altricial or precocial species?

precocial, usually birds

Does bonding occur in altricial or precocial species?

both, but non-visual cues espcailly importnant for altricial species

Social faciliation

behavior that is initiated or increased by the presence of another animal enganging in that behavior

Examples of social facilitation

-daily movement of herds and flocks

-grazing and resting

-migration

-stampedes

-barking

Social faciliation in chicks

chicks more pilely ot peck if another chick is pecking

Social faciliation in cattle

cattle more likely to feed/lay down if others are doing that behavior

Social faciliation in pigs

eat more when other pigs are eating, even if they are full

Social faciliation in dogs

if one dog barks, others in the house will bark

Purpose of social faciliation

-related to competition (food)

-helps to synchronize group activity

-self-protection

-observational learning

Play behavior

social interactiosn that often imitate functional behaviors; measure of welfare in young animals

Four big reasons for play behavior

1.) practice mock fighting

2.) practice avoidance (flight and hiding)

3.) practice predation

4.) sexual behaviors (mounting)

Most felines are _________ animals

solitary; no social groupings and just get together for mating

Examples to solitary felines

-cheetahs: males live in gorups and females are solitary

-lions: females live in matriarchal groups with cooperative rearing of young; males come and go

The domestic cat's social strucutre varies based on...

environmental circumstances and density

Domestic cat during scarce resources

solitary when not mating or rearing offspring and since prey is scarce, no communal hunting

Domestic cat during abundant resources

groups form and share resources like food and shelter

-adult females and their offspring form "core groups"

-males disperse and intermingle for breeding

Low density and cat socialization

fewer interactions, males are more dispersed

High density and cat socialization

territories overlap which allows for large groups of both males and females; promiscuous mating; males are less aggresive to each other

Colonies of domestic cats

several "core groups" of females and their offspring in a resource rich site; strong ties between same-sex littermates which are maintained through maturity

House cats and socialization

unrelated, neutered cats living together can live in a group, in harmony and with bloodshed

-will form heirarchies

What type of house cats will show less aggression towards each other?

cats introduced as juvenilles, related cats, and cats who have lived toegher longer

How should you introduce a new cat?

-create a separate zone for the newcomer

-complete physical and visual separation at first

-do scent exchange first by swapping out blankets, towels toys, etc

-then gradual visual exposure

-then gradual space exposure

-set up an abundance of resources to avoid aggression

Wolf packs

-large faily of related animals

-typically one breeding pair that are the leaders

-defend territory from other packs

Why is the term "alpha" inaccurate for wild living wolves?

the breeding pair are the "leaders" of the group, there is not one singular dominant animal

Wolves in captivity

-grouping unrelated wolves will result in aggression

-will compete and form a linear hierarchy

-wolf at the top of the hierarchy is called the "alpha"

Free range/feral dogs social groups

-loose, if any pack strucuture

-rare to see cooperative rearing or hunting

Do household dogs have a hierarchy?

-Perhaps on some lvl & within some groups of K9, but don't form packs nor dominant/submissive relationships w/ ppl in house

-no competition for resources so no need for agonisitc behavior

-often fluid and changing based on the resource

Resource holding potential in dogs depends on...

motivation and how the dog places value on a resource; not necessarily always based on size

Is it or is it not normal for a well-socialized, non-anxious dog to show aggresion to familair people?

not normal; can be caused by:

-fear

-pain

-conflict

-medical causes

-resource guarding

Submission

deferring to another indivudal, giving up preferential access to resources; behavioral signaling that one is not a threat

Avoidance

disenganging from an interaction

Dominance

having preferential access to resources over another member of the social group (same species)

Dominance is not ___________ with aggression

synonymous

Behavior is a combination of ___________ and ___________

nature (genetics) and nature

Genetic influences on behavior

-herding, retrieving dogs

-shyness or fearfullness

-behavior problems such as owner directed aggression

For cats, what ist he biggest driver of friendliness in offspring?

the friendliness of the father (regardless of socialization period)

Epigenetics

the study of environmental influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA change

One of the biggest examples of epigenetics is...

prenatal stress

Prenatal stress

Stress experienced by a mother during pregnancy; can impact behavior of offspring, making them more emotionally reactive

When to consider genetic factors in relation to behavior

-if problem behavior beings earlier than normal developmental periods

-delayed onset of normal developnental milestoens

-congenital abnormalities