Applied Animal Behaviour Science最新文献

{"title":"Gas bubble venting: A novel behavioral indicator of stress in juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)","authors":"Mikkel Gunnes,&nbsp;Evelina A.L. Green,&nbsp;Inger Lise Andersen,&nbsp;Øyvind Øverli","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106857","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106857","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Reliable, non-invasive behavioral indicators of stress are essential for improving real-time welfare monitoring in aquaculture, yet few validated markers are currently available for assessing the welfare of farmed fish. This study aimed to identify novel stress-related behaviors in Atlantic salmon (<em>Salmo salar</em>). To this end, dominant–subordinate relationships were induced through repeated dyadic interactions between size-matched pairs of territorial juvenile fish over four days, followed by an overnight interaction (n = 10 pairs), with 12 fish kept in isolation as controls. Behavioral observations were focused on traits with potential for automated detection and revealed a distinct multi-trait behavioral syndrome in socially subordinate individuals: reduced feed intake (p = 0.04), higher vertical positioning in the water column (p &lt; 0.001), and more frequent release of gas bubbles from the swim bladder (p = 0.02). Among these traits, bubble release emerged as a novel, conspicuous and sensitive indicator of acute stress. Frequency of bubble release correlated positively with the number of aggressive acts received from dominant fish (p = 0.018), though not with plasma cortisol levels (p = 0.10). Nonetheless, cortisol was significantly elevated in subordinate fish compared to controls (p = 0.003) but not compared to dominant fish (p = 0.14). This observation suggests that bubble release may serve as a more sensitive marker of acute social stress than physiological stress responses such as cortisol. Given the conspicuous nature and clear visual signature of bubble release, follow-up studies should explore the potential for automated detection using computer vision or bioacoustic methods. Such monitoring could enable earlier identification of stressed individuals in fish farming, supporting more proactive and individualized welfare assessments. Vertical positioning was also influenced by social status and may represent an additional visually accessible trait linked to stress, although further research is needed to assess its general applicability. In summary, this study suggests potential extensions to the current repertoire of non-invasive welfare indicators for farmed fish and provides a foundation for continued research into behavioral welfare monitoring in Atlantic salmon.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"293 ","pages":"Article 106857"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145425512","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Parental and epimeletic behaviour of Antillean manatees (Trichechus manatus manatus) in captivity in Brazil","authors":"Fernanda Löffler Niemeyer Attademo ,&nbsp;Fábia de Oliveira Luna ,&nbsp;Karen Lucchini ,&nbsp;Alexandra Fernandes Costa ,&nbsp;Salvatore Siciliano ,&nbsp;Paula Coutinho ,&nbsp;Radan Elvis Matias de Oliveira ,&nbsp;Lucas Inácio dos Santos Melo ,&nbsp;Bruna Bezerra","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106858","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106858","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Antillean manatee (<em>Trichechus manatus manatus</em>), classified as Endangered in Brazil and Vulnerable globally, faces significant conservation challenges due to habitat degradation, anthropogenic pressures, and low reproductive rates. This study investigates parental and epimeletic behaviours in captive Antillean manatees, spanning 25 years of observations (1996–2021) in rehabilitation and acclimatization enclosures across Brazil. Behavioural data were collected from seven females, documenting prenatal behaviours, reproductive outcomes, and calf survival, offering critical insights into the reproductive ecology of the species. Key findings reveal marked variability in prenatal behaviours, with inconsistent indicators of pregnancy among females. Parental care behaviours, including nursing, teaching calves to swim and breathe, and providing protection, were exhibited by most females. However, instances of maternal rejection and inadequate care necessitated human intervention to ensure calf survival. Notably, epimeletic behaviours were observed, with both females and one male demonstrating caregiving behaviours towards deceased calves. Cooperative and altruistic behaviours, such as the adoption of orphaned calves by unrelated females, further underscore the complex social dynamics within captive populations. This study also highlights the impact of captivity conditions on reproductive success and behaviour, with factors such as limited enclosure space and prolonged multi-generational cohabitation influencing outcomes. As the first comprehensive report on Antillean manatee births in Brazilian acclimatization enclosures, these findings provide essential behavioural data to inform conservation strategies. Integrating these insights into ex-situ management and release programmes is crucial for optimising rehabilitation efforts, improving calf survival, and advancing the recovery of wild populations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"293 ","pages":"Article 106858"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145414970","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Introducing new cats to multi-cat households: Results of a representative survey of Danish cat owners","authors":"Ayoe Hoff ,&nbsp;Irena Czycholl ,&nbsp;Thomas Bøker Lund ,&nbsp;Daniel Mills ,&nbsp;James Serpell ,&nbsp;Peter Sandøe","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106855","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106855","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Based on a quantitative questionnaire survey aimed at Danish cat owners representing the background population regarding a number of demographic parameters, we examined: 1) The use of different introduction techniques for new cats in multi-cat households; 2) the correlation between recommended practices for introducing new cats to resident cats in homes and the cats’ reactions to each other within the first month after introduction. Of 1507 cat-owning respondents, 308 had introduced new cat(s) to resident cat(s) among the cats living in their house at the time of the survey, and the study focused on these. Firstly, descriptive statistics served to map the prevalence of (i) 16 different introduction techniques and (ii) the new and resident cats’ reactions. Secondly, the study applied exploratory binary phi correlation tests (i) between new and resident cats’ reactions to each other and (ii) between applied introduction practices and reactions. Moreover, we also took the age of the cats into account, by disaggregating our analyses on age classes of the new and resident cats. We identified two main ways new cats are introduced: putting the cats together from the beginning (56 % of respondents); and following recommended introduction techniques, including separation, use of barriers and scent exchange, exploration of each other’s areas, and using calming scents / pheromones / supplements / food. In general, the statistically significant associations between introduction practices and cats' subsequent reactions were not strong. However, the findings suggest that when both the new and resident cats are juvenile and/or young adults (&lt; 4 years) applying separation, allowing the cats to explore the others’ areas, use of barriers, swapping scent and using calming scent pheromones are associated with agonistic reactions in the first month after introduction. On the other hand, if both the new and resident cats are mature (5 + years), use of barriers, engaging the cats in play in the same room and introducing additional resources are associated with affiliative relations. The reason for these results, especially in young cats, requires further investigation. Possible explanations for recommended introduction practices appearing counterproductive include that owners anticipate problems or apply the techniques after the cats have already displayed agonistic reactions to each other.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"293 ","pages":"Article 106855"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145475475","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Determining key protocol requirements for in-home cat food palatability testing","authors":"Evelien Bos ,&nbsp;Wouter H. Hendriks ,&nbsp;Bonne Beerda ,&nbsp;Guido Bosch","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106843","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106843","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In-home palatability testing of cat foods has the benefit of producing outcomes that are highly representative for the target pet population. Here, we determined the minimal in-home cat food palatability study duration and sample size. Privately-owned cats participated in either a one-bowl acceptance test (14 female,18 male; 6.2 ± 4.6 yr; 4.5 ± 1.3 kg) or two-bowl preference test (13 female, 17 male; 5.9 ± 3.3 yr; 4.3 ± 1.1 kg) where they were provided two complete extruded dry foods. The two foods provided were formulated to contain either a high (food H_HP and H_LP) or low contrast (food L_HP and L_LP) in palatability. The one-bowl test was done in a cross-over design. Feeding periods for both tests were 10 days and food leftovers were weighed daily to assess test food intake. Food intake percentages (one-bowl) and ratios (two-bowl) were analyzed across days using repeated measures ANOVA with post hoc Tukey tests. Bootstrap sampling was used to assess the impact of increasing the number of test days and sample size on the precision of the food intake estimates. There were no significant differences across days in one-bowl food intakes nor two-bowl intake ratios regardless of foods indicating that one test day suffices. More test days did reduce variation in the food intake measurements, thus increasing precision, but decreased test accuracy as cats with low food intake became missing values when dropping out of the study population. Increases in sample size increased precision, and the required number of cats for reliable outcomes varied between foods, food intake measurements and chosen margin of error. When implementing a margin of error of 10 %, sample sizes would range from 12 to 43 cats in one-bowl trials, depending on the food in the acceptance test, and 17–23 cats in two-bowl trials, depending on the contrast in palatability between the foods in the preference test. The development of protocols for in-home palatability testing of cat foods may progress further by identifying and controlling sources of variation in the cats’ food intakes as a means to increase the precision of measurements.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"293 ","pages":"Article 106843"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145425514","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development of ingestive and social behavior of buffalo calves in a cow-calf contact grazing system","authors":"Arthur Fernandes Bettencourt ,&nbsp;Francisco Freire Duarte ,&nbsp;Isabelle Damé Veber Angelo ,&nbsp;Daniel Mota-Rojas ,&nbsp;Adriana Domínguez-Oliva ,&nbsp;Vivian Fischer","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106841","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106841","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the development of the natural behavioral repertoire of dairy calves is essential to evaluate and improve health and welfare under intensive milk production systems. This study characterized the development of ingestive and social behavior of buffalo calves in a grazing system with cow-calf contact, from the fifth day after birth to the seventh month of age. Ten pairs of dairy buffalo calves (six females and four males) with their dams were evaluated from the fifth day to the seventh month of life, totaling 22 days of observation. Animals were kept together full-time, under continuous grazing. The animals' activities were observed from 9:30 am–3:30 pm and grouped into ingestive behavior (min.); other behaviors (min.); distance between buffalo and calf (≤ 5 m, &gt; 5 ≤ 10 m, and &gt; 10 m; %); and social behavior (number of events). Analysis of variance was performed considering age and/or period of life of the calf. In addition to age in months (M1, M2, …, M7), from the first to the third month of life, data were presented in nine periods of 10 days (P1, P2, …, P9). The calves began to nibble, ruminate, and graze around days 10.7 ± 4.2, 35.4 ± 9.5, and 41.1 ± 11.4, respectively. Calves began to nibble in the first days of life, with an average of 6.2 min in P1, increasing up to 73.7 min in P5, and decreasing from 19.0 min in P8, and ceased activity in P9. Calves decreased time spent idling from P1 (284.5 min) to P9 (166.7 min). Time spent ruminating and grazing was lower during the first three periods, while they were the highest at P9. Overall, the calves remained 82.7 % of the time at a distance ≤ 10 m from their dams without significant differences between periods. The time spent idling decreased from M1 to M7 (250.4 vs. 142.6 min), while the time spent ruminating (0.0 vs. 97.6 min) and grazing (0.6 vs. 101.5 min) was less in M1 compared to M7. The time spent in other activities decreased with the age of the calf, being greater in M1 compared to M7 (59.0 vs. 10.7 min). Playing was most frequent in M1, and calves suckled more often in M1, M2, and M3. Additionally, calves tended to scratch and/or sniff their mothers and/or other herd mates more at M1 compared to M7. Regarding performance, the average daily gain (ADG; kg/day) of calves increased as grazing time increased, from approximately 0.55 kg/day for M1 and M2–0.88 kg/day for M4 to M7. Nibbling precedes ruminating and grazing behaviors and disappears as the calf develops into a functional ruminant. Idling, other activities, and time and number of suckling events decreased with calf age, while ruminating and grazing increased. Our findings provide reference values for the considered diurnal period and may serve as a guide to ensure that dairy calves can develop an adequate behavioral repertoire in dairy systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"293 ","pages":"Article 106841"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145414969","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Help horses help themselves – A literature review on social relationships in the context of anti-predator behaviour","authors":"Sophia Voigtländer-Schnabel ,&nbsp;Aleksandra Górecka-Bruzda ,&nbsp;Uta König von Borstel","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106845","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106845","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Due to the reappearance of wolves in human-dominated landscapes, interactions between predators and livestock, including horses, have become a common occurrence, posing challenges for the protection of livestock. Little research exists on horse-wolf interactions and anti-predator responses by horses, and field studies under natural conditions on the reactions of horses towards wolves are lacking. Natural group dynamics and collective behaviour in horses are crucial, as these factors can influence the ability to avoid or alleviate attacks by wolves and thus help minimise horse-wolf conflict. This paper reviews the existing literature on interaction and collective behaviour in horse groups, focusing on social bond formation, group cohesion and synchronisation in explaining group dynamics. The paper also presents a literature overview on defensive behaviour and anti-predator responses by domesticated and feral horses. We discuss the findings on interaction and collective behaviour and its influence on anti-predator responses. The literature suggests grouping and gathering of foals, kicks and chasing as well as cohesion and synchronised fleeing and collision avoidance as effective defence behaviour in feral and domesticated horses. Risk factors for horses being attacked by wolves include body size, age, month of birth of the foals, group size, and stability of bands. Knowledge of the social organisation of horses with regard to defensive behaviour might help horse owners to adapt their management system of horses in the domesticated environment to reduce predation risk. In addition, by considering behaviours such as cohesion, synchronisation, and social bonding as collective interactive processes, we propose monitoring these behaviours and employing social network analysis to investigate how they influence anti-predator responses in horse groups, thereby providing insights into the role of group dynamics in enhancing defence strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"293 ","pages":"Article 106845"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145425513","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Personality traits of aged dogs according to their cognitive status","authors":"Audrey Besegher ,&nbsp;Sarah Jeannin ,&nbsp;Nancy Rebout ,&nbsp;Tiphaine Blanchard ,&nbsp;Samanta Świerk ,&nbsp;Yohan Stephan ,&nbsp;Caroline Gilbert ,&nbsp;Morgane Robles ,&nbsp;Thierry Bedossa ,&nbsp;Sara Hoummady","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106844","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106844","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Canine cognitive dysfunction (CCD) syndrome is a neurodegenerative condition that shares similarities with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in humans. In human studies, high neuroticism, low openness, and low extraversion have been significantly associated with AD diagnosis. Similarly, changes in dog behaviour, including alterations in personality, have been reported as common features in dogs with CCD, but no precise assessment of their changes has yet been realised. The aim of this study (based on the CaniAge cohort) was to compare characteristics of dogs with cognitive impairment (CI dogs) and non-CI dogs in a French senior dog population including owner-reported personality traits between dogs. Data were collected via an online survey, including the CADES scale (Canine Dementia Scale), the Monash Canine Personality Questionnaire, the Canine Owner-Reported Quality of Life (CORQ) assessment, and an environment questionnaire. Dogs aged of 6 years and older were included. Responses were obtained for 566 senior dogs of various breeds, with a median age of 9.86 years (Interquartile range: 8.08–11.98). Among them, 234 were classified as cognitively impaired, including 182 with mild impairment, 44 with moderate impairment, and 8 with severe impairment or dementia. Compared to non-CI dogs, CI dogs scored significantly lower on extraversion and amicability, and higher on neuroticism. After adjustment, CI dogs showed significantly lower amicability and higher neuroticism compared to non-CI dogs. This study is complementary of previous studies regarding CI-characteristics but is also the first to explore personality trait differences between CI and non-CI dogs, supporting observations previously reported in Alzheimer's disease research.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"292 ","pages":"Article 106844"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145358592","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"When dogs react: The role of caregiver factors and fear/anxiety in reactive and aggressive manifestations","authors":"Maria Toscano Batista ,&nbsp;Catarina Lavrador ,&nbsp;Gonçalo da Graça-Pereira","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106840","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106840","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Reactive/aggressive manifestations (R/AMs) are a problematic behavior that significantly affects the well-being of both dogs and their caregivers, reducing their quality of life and undermining the stability of the human–animal bond. This cross-sectional study (N = 730) focused primarily on caregiver-related characteristics associated with R/AMs in dogs, followed by an analysis of the contribution of fear/anxiety. Data were collected through an online questionnaire. Starting from a broad set of variables related to the dog (e.g., age), caregiver sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., gender), intrapersonal variables (e.g., mental health), interpersonal variables (e.g., attitudes), and caregiving and management practices (e.g., professional training), Pearson correlations were calculated between all variables and this problematic behavior. All variables that were significantly correlated with R/AMs were included in multiple linear regression models to identify the most relevant predictors from this broad set of factors. The results highlight the role of caregiver-dog interpersonal dynamics and the relevance of fear/anxiety in the R/AMs. Younger dogs, those cared for by male caregivers, dogs whose caregivers reported higher perceived caregiving costs and higher caregivers stress levels, more positive attitudes toward aversive training methods, and a lower ability to recognize chronic pain, were described as showing higher levels of R/AMs Together, these variables explained 15.8 % of the variance in R/AMs. When fear/anxiety was added to the model, the amount of explained variance increased substantially, with the final model accounting for 41 % of the variability in this problematic behavior. These findings emphasize the importance of the caregiver-dog relationship in understanding R/AMs and suggest that fear/anxiety is a core underlying component of this problematic behavior. Behavioral interventions for R/AMs should address not only the dog's behavior and emotional state, but also caregiver-related factors. Consideration should be given to the use of strategies that improve caregiver’s knowledge of indicators of pain and discomfort in dogs, encourage the use of reward-based training, and support reduced caregiving costs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"293 ","pages":"Article 106840"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145361110","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparing overimitation between assistance dogs and family dogs at home","authors":"Karoline Gerwisch,&nbsp;Louise Mackie,&nbsp;Remco Folkertsma,&nbsp;Ludwig Huber","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106839","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106839","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Over the past few years, the copying of irrelevant actions (overimitation) has been studied in domestic dogs, with evidence supporting the hypothesis that the dog-human relationship drives this behaviour. To further explore this influence, we compared two distinct groups of dogs with potentially differing relationship qualities to their caregivers in an overimitation (OI) task: assistance dogs and family dogs. Using the Monash Dog Owner Relationship Scale (MDORS), we assessed caregiver perceptions of the dog-human bond and found significant differences between these two groups. Unlike previous studies conducted in laboratory settings, we studied overimitation in a naturalistic home environment to better understand its occurrence in everyday life. Surprisingly, our findings revealed that assistance dogs did not copy their caregiver’s irrelevant actions significantly more than family dogs, but family dogs performed the irrelevant actions significantly more than a group without any action-demonstrator. Interestingly, only 34.7 % of all dogs in our sample overimitated, highlighting variability in this behaviour across individuals. However, our results suggest that overimitation also occurs within family dogs’ day-to-day environment, but assistance dogs with special training do not show higher OI rates in comparison.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"292 ","pages":"Article 106839"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145358591","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Temporal social network structures based on snout contact during group integration in pigs","authors":"Sunil Khatiwada ,&nbsp;Victoria E. Lee ,&nbsp;Simon P. Turner ,&nbsp;Irene Camerlink","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106838","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106838","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>During the formation of new social groups, temporal variations in behavioural associations between individuals can provide insight into the role of behaviours during group formation. While social behaviour during the establishment of new groups has been studied, there is a lack of knowledge on how non-agonistic social patterns change across time. The aim of this study was, therefore, to examine temporal variation in behavioural associations between individuals during the formation and maintenance of social relationships between conspecifics. This was studied in 15 mixed-sex groups of commercial pigs (n = 118 pigs; 8 pigs per group), which were regrouped at the start of the experiment (at weaning). They were studied between 4 and 11 weeks of age to capture variation in group stability. We focused exclusively on snout-directed behaviour given its role in conspecific recognition and affiliative interactions, whereby particularly snout-to-snout contact may contribute to the development of social relationships. Social network analysis (SNA) was used to investigate temporal associations. The results show that pigs made frequent snout contact (avg. 33 times / 15 min.) and that interactions were relatively more affiliative than aggressive (tenor range: 0.52 – 0.61), and were more affiliative in the high as compared to medium social stability phase (p = 0.02). As group integration progressed, the number of social partners involved in snout contact decreased, while the frequency of snout contact per individual increased. There was no evidence of non-random social preferences and no evidence of centralised associations (degree centralisation range: 0–0.3). Pigs showed more snout contact with non-littermates than littermates (i.e. a heterophilic association based on litter origin; assortativity range: −0.34 to −0.08) and between individuals with different early social experiences (assortativity range: −0.45 to −0.07) across all integration phases. Additionally, males initiated contact more frequently than females, whereas females occupied more central positions within the social network. These behavioural processes, which support the formation and maintenance of social relationships, show that non-agonistic behaviours such as snout contact have a prominent role in the social dynamics of pigs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"292 ","pages":"Article 106838"},"PeriodicalIF":2.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145332145","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}