Lecture 4 Flashcards
What does wild mean?
have not been previously domesticated
What does feral mean?
were domesticated and returned to the wild
What are the only true wild horses?
Przewalski Horses
True or False wild horses in Alberta are wild?
False they are feral
Define the following: Stallion, Mare, Foal, Colt, and Filly
Stallion - Sexually mature male
Mare - Sexually mature female
Foal - Immature young – either gender
Colt - Immature young male
Filly - Immature young female
What are Przewalski’s Horses?
Subspecies of wild horse Equus ferus (or Equus przewalski?)
Central Asia - originate from Mongolia
Near extinction, then bred in captivity and reintroduced to a park in Mongolia
Never been domesticated
How do Przewalski’s Horses live?
Live in family groupings
One stallion, 1-3 mares, & their offspring
Maintain long term relationships
have one or two preferred social partners (friends)
Domesticated horses live on their own or with a couple other horses
Do Przewalski mares form dominance hierarchies inside the herd?
Yes, because this way they know who the leader is and it helps reduce aggression
Domestic horses also do this
How long do Przewalski offspring stay with the herd?
Usually 2-3 years
domestic horses leave a lot younger
Why do Przewalski family groups sometimes band together?
1) food
2) predators
3) bug bites ( larger groups have reduced bug bites)
What circumstances would a Przewalski horse be alone?
only older male stallions are alone
old or wounded stallions (kicked out by a younger stallion)
Males not in family groups form Bachelor groups
In Przewalski horses what do stallions do in family groups?
Stallions are the boss and actively protect all members of their band
stallions will actively circle the mare with their new foals
stallions poop to make their territory
stallions are involved in grooming their young
At what age do foals start playing and why do they play?
2 weeks of age
they play to learn, social interaction, learn how to fight, strengthen bones/muscle
domestic horses don’t get these interactions because they usually are alone
Do Przewalski mares adopt other foals?
No they will reject any foal that is not theirs they know their young by smell, pheromones, sound and sight.
Why do 2-3 year old mares leave their family?
Leaves on her own/ picked up my another stallion
Stallion kicks out mare to reduce incest
Why do 2-3 year old stallions leave their family?
Leaves on own
Stallion kicks out the young stallion
these stallions usually end up travelling in a bachelor group
How many play patterns do Przewalski horses have and what category do they fall in?
26 identified play patterns
Solitary
◼ Manipulative play (1 pattern) - pick up stuff with mouth to learn about their environment
◼ Locomotor play (5 patterns) - Running, kicking, bucking for strength, coordination and increase bone density
Social
◼ Non-contact play (10 patterns) - Running together to learn body language and burn off energy
◼ Contact play (10 patterns) - run into each other to learn how to get along with others and push boundaries
Colts play more than fillies because they have more aggression
Play reduced in adverse weather because when it is cold they are trying to stay cold
Is the Przewalski horse favorable or unfavorable on Hale’s list?
they are more favorable because
Group structure: live in family groupings, have a hierarchy, males and females live together
Sexual behaviour: promiscuous mating, males are dominant, posturing
Parent-young interaction: Precocial
Response to Humans: Have a long flight distance but very adaptable for humans
Others: No specialized diet, adaptable to the environment, in the middle for agility
Define the following: Hens, Rooster, Chicks, Roosting
Hens - Sexually mature female
Rooster - Sexually mature male
Chicks - Sexually immature young chicken
Roosting - Sitting up in trees
What is the current housing system for chickens?
Broiler chickens/ turkeys live in barns with thousands of birds, this prevents them from forming a hierarchy
Why are commercial birds white?
Because of consumers
What do jungle fowl chickens look like?
Genders are very diverse in sexual dimorphism – males are very colorful, females quite drab
How do jungle fowl chickens live?
Harem polygynous species
❑ Flocks of males and females (4-30 birds)
◼ Hierarchy in females
❑ Small male groups
❑ Harem formation - male is dominant, most groups are made of 1 male with females, sometimes there are groups with just males and groups with just females
❑ Interact during mating season
❑ Males court females (ritual) - not in commercial birds thus causing more aggression
❑ Females remain close to dominant males
How far does the jungle fowl home range go?
Depending on availability of resources, cover, and roosting sites - can travel 30-50km for food
❑ Red Jungle fowl in San Diego Zoo has home range within 50 m of their roosting site
◼ Feral hens overlap home ranges with males
How is the male jungle fowl social interactions?
❑ Dominance hierarchy - usually 1 male per group but may allow a young male live with them, the young male may be able to mate a little bit during times the dominant male is busy
❑ Dominant male
◼ Mating frequency of dominant male?
❑ Unstable dominancy - changes a lot due to fighting
How is the female jungle fowl social interactions?
❑ Stable dominant hierarchy
❑ Hierarchy formed by aggression, submission
How is the mother and offspring jungle fowl social interactions and sibling interactions?
Interact before the chicks are hatched
Imprinting early after hatch
Recognize each other’s calls
Siblings
❑ Interact during hatching
❑ Hatching synchrony by embryo’s calls
◼ Low-frequency call – slows growth of embryos
◼ Clicking call – accelerates growth of embryos
❑ Recognize own siblings
◼ Mating? will not mate with sibling
❑ Show aggressive pecks at 2wks of age - Play
❑ Dominance hierarchy formed at 6-10 wks of age (males are 1 wk earlier than females)
Is the jungle fowl favorable or unfavorable on Hale’s list?
They are more favorable
Group structure: Small social groups, form hierarchy, sometimes males and females live together but can live apart
Sexual behaviour: Promiscuous, males are dominant, posturing, sexual morphology
Parent-young interaction: Precocial
Response to humans: Short flight distance
Others: Omnivorous, adaptable, limited agility
