scholarly journals Learning to Be an Orangutan—Implications of Life History for Orangutan Rehabilitation

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 767
Author(s):  
Signe Preuschoft ◽  
Ishak Yassir ◽  
Asti Iryanti Putri ◽  
Nur Aoliya ◽  
Erma Yuliani ◽  
...  

Orangutans depend on social learning for the acquisition of survival skills. The development of skills is not usually assessed in rescued orphans’ pre-release. We collected data of seven orphans over an 18-months-period to monitor the progress of ontogenetic changes. The orphans, 1.5–9 years old, were immersed in a natural forest environment with human surrogate mothers and other orphans. Social interactions deviated significantly from those of wild mother-reared immatures. Infants spent more time playing socially with peers, at the expense of resting and solitary play. Infants were also more often and at an earlier age distant from their human surrogate mothers than wild immatures are from their biological mothers. We found important changes towards an orangutan-typical lifestyle in 4- to 7-year-old orphans, corresponding to the weaning age in maternally reared immatures. The older orphans spent less time interacting with human surrogate mothers or peers, started to use the canopy more than lower forest strata and began to sleep in nests in the forest. Their time budgets resembled those of wild adults. In conclusion, juvenile orphans can develop capacities that qualify them as candidates for release back into natural habitat when protected from humanising influences and immersed in a species-typical environment.

Behaviour ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Derek P. Harvey ◽  
Jeffrey M. Black

Abstract Animals that exploit resources from human-modified environments may encounter unique problems when searching for food. Pulling a string tied to a food reward (string-pulling task) is one of the most widespread methods of testing a species’ problem-solving performance in non-human animals. Performance in problem-solving tasks may be influenced by an individual’s characteristics and social interactions, especially in its natural habitat. We examined problem solving by free-ranging Steller’s jays (Cyanocitta stelleri) when extracting food from a string-pulling task presented in their natural habitat. During the study, seven of 50 jays successfully solved the task on their first to eighteenth experimental opportunity; solvers differed from nonsolvers by showing higher levels of persistence by pulling the string in more trials. Of the successful jays, five birds solved without observing others, while two birds were present during successful trials and subsequently completed the task. All seven jays demonstrated improvement in the task by using less string pulls over additional successful trials. Nineteen other jays in the population interacted with the apparatus and pulled the string, but not enough to acquire the food. These 19 jays were significantly bolder (shorter latencies to approach), more explorative (contacted more parts of the apparatus), and had observed solvers more than the 24 individuals that did not pull the string. These results indicate a broad spectrum of individual differences in propensity for solving novel tasks in our population of Steller’s jays.


2020 ◽  
Vol 87 (S1) ◽  
pp. 144-147
Author(s):  
Susanne Waiblinger ◽  
Kathrin Wagner ◽  
Edna Hillmann ◽  
Kerstin Barth

AbstractThe aim of the study reported in this Research Communication was to compare play behaviour and social interactions of dairy calves either separated from their mother and reared in a calf group (Artificial) or with access to their mother and the cow herd (cow-calf contact: Contact). Contact calves had access to a calf area and also to the cow barn where they could suckle their dam. Artificial calves were fed whole milk up to 16 kg per day via an automatic milk feeder and were only kept in the calf area. We observed the animals on 3 d during the first three months of life. Contact calves showed solitary play, consisting predominantly of locomotor play, for longer than Artificial calves and mainly in the cow barn. This indicates higher welfare in Contact calves. In addition, Artificial calves hardly experienced any agonistic interaction, while Contact calves both initiated and received agonistic interactions, which might contribute to the development of higher social competence.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elodie Ey ◽  
Fabrice de Chaumont ◽  
Thomas Bourgeron

SummaryIn their natural habitat, mice interact and communicate to regulate major functions, such as reproduction, group coordination, and protection. Nevertheless, little is currently known about their spontaneous emission of ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), despite their broad use as a phenotypic marker in mouse models of neuropsychiatric disorders. Here, we investigated mouse spontaneous communication by coupling automatic recording, segmentation, and analysis of USVs to the tracking of complex behaviors. We continuously recorded undisturbed same-sex pairs of C57BL/6J males and females at 5 weeks and 3 and 7 months of age over three days. Males emitted only a few short USVs, mainly when isolated from their conspecific, whereas females emitted a high number of USVs, especially when engaged in intense dynamic social interactions. The context-specific use of call types and acoustic variations emerged with increasing age. The emission of USVs also reflected a high level of excitement in social interactions. Finally, mice lacking Shank3, a synaptic protein associated with autism, displayed atypical USV usage and acoustic structure, which did not appear in classical protocols, highlighting the importance of studying spontaneous communication. The methods are freely available for the research community (https://usv.pasteur.cloud).


1981 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Hertz-Lazarowitz ◽  
Dina Feitelson ◽  
Shoshana Zahavi ◽  
Willard W. Hartup

Four hundred and eight children kindergartners and first-graders from three experimental infant schools in Israel were observed in outdoor free play, forty minutes each day, for three continuous weeks. Social interactions and social organization were recorded using a modified version of Parten's (1932) system of categorization. Findings showed that the children engaged mainly in positive-active behaviors (over fifty-four percent). Solitary play and onlooker behavior accounted for thirty percent of children's social behavior. Parallel play occurred less frequently than reported earlier for younger children, although no age differences were observed between kindergartners and first graders. Boys were significantly more active than girls, and exhibited negative social interaction more frequently. Social organization was balanced. Children were observed fifty-seven percent in dyads, twenty-seven percent in groups of three and four children, and fourteen percent in groups with more than five children. Kindergartners participated in significantly smaller groups than first graders.


Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 2751
Author(s):  
Josue Alejandro ◽  
Yumi Yamanashi ◽  
Kei Nemoto ◽  
Fred B. Bercovitch ◽  
Michael A. Huffman

Pygmy slow lorises (Nycticebus pygmaeus) are threatened with extinction in the wild. Their nocturnal lifestyle and small size make them difficult to study in their natural habitat, but increasing evidence suggests that they are more social than previously thought. Our study was designed to assess the sociability of pygmy slow lorises by transferring six adult females from solo cages into environmentally enriched group home cages at the Japan Monkey Centre’s Slow Loris Conservation Centre. Two females were paired to create one group, while the other four were placed together in a second group. We compared their social interactions, activity budgets, and postural behaviors before and after social housing was initiated. We found that all-female slow loris groups had a high degree of sociality, preferred to stay close to each other, nested together every night, and spent less time in locomotion and more time grooming than when living alone. These results suggest that female pygmy slow lorises actively seek companions when available. The captive housing of all-female groups of lorises could lead to better husbandry practices and improved animal welfare by allowing them to have conspecific companions. We conclude that isosexual groups of pygmy slow lorises should be preferred over single housing when possible.


Author(s):  
L. P. Hardie ◽  
D. L. Balkwill ◽  
S. E. Stevens

Agmenellum quadruplicatum is a unicellular, non-nitrogen-fixing, marine cyanobacterium (blue-green alga). The ultrastructure of this organism, when grown in the laboratory with all necessary nutrients, has been characterized thoroughly. In contrast, little is known of its ultrastructure in the specific nutrient-limiting conditions typical of its natural habitat. Iron is one of the nutrients likely to limit this organism in such natural environments. It is also of great importance metabolically, being required for both photosynthesis and assimilation of nitrate. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects (if any) of iron limitation on the ultrastructure of A. quadruplicatum. It was part of a broader endeavor to elucidate the ultrastructure of cyanobacteria in natural systemsActively growing cells were placed in a growth medium containing 1% of its usual iron. The cultures were then sampled periodically for 10 days and prepared for thin sectioning TEM to assess the effects of iron limitation.


Author(s):  
Connie K. Porcaro ◽  
Clare Singer ◽  
Boris Djokic ◽  
Ali A. Danesh ◽  
Ruth Tappen ◽  
...  

Purpose Many aging individuals, even those who are healthy, report voice changes that can impact their ability to communicate as they once did. While this is commonly reported, most do not seek evaluation or management for this issue. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and differences in voice disorders in older adults, along with the effect of fatigue on their social interactions. Method This is a cross-sectional investigation of a community-dwelling sample of individuals aged 60 years or older. Participants completed the Questionnaire on Vocal Performance, the Social Engagement Index subset “Engagement in Social or Leisure Activities,” and the Fatigue Severity Scale. Results Results indicated 32.5% of the 332 participants reported symptoms of voice problems with no difference found between male and female respondents. A slight increase in report of voice problems was noted with each year of age. Participants who self-reported voice problems indicated less interaction in social activities involving communication than those who did not. Finally, as severity of self-reported voice problems increased, an increase was reported by the same individuals for signs of fatigue. Conclusions Voice problems and resulting decreased social interaction are commonly experienced by older individuals. Voice symptoms in older adults have been found to benefit from evidence-based treatment strategies. It is critical to provide education to encourage older individuals to seek appropriate evaluation and management for voice issues through a speech-language pathologist or medical professional.


2010 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 108-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa M. Mellman ◽  
Laura S. DeThorne ◽  
Julie A. Hengst

Abstract The present qualitative study was designed to examine augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) practices, particularly surrounding speech-generating devices (SGDs), in the classroom setting. We focused on three key child participants, their classroom teachers, and associated speech-language pathologists across three different schools. In addition to semi-structured interviews of all participants, six classroom observations per child were completed. Data were coded according to both pre-established and emergent themes. Four broad themes emerged: message-focused AAC use, social interactions within the classroom community, barriers to successful AAC-SGD use, and missed opportunities. Findings revealed a lack of SGD use in the classroom for two children as well as limited social interaction across all cases. We conclude by highlighting the pervasive sense of missed opportunities across these classroom observations and yet, at the same time, the striking resiliency of communicative effort in these cases.


2006 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 108-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana-Maria Vranceanu ◽  
Linda C. Gallo ◽  
Laura M. Bogart

The present study investigated whether a social information processing bias contributes to the inverse association between trait hostility and perceived social support. A sample of 104 undergraduates (50 men) completed a measure of hostility and rated videotaped interactions in which a speaker disclosed a problem while a listener reacted ambiguously. Results showed that hostile persons rated listeners as less friendly and socially supportive across six conversations, although the nature of the hostility effect varied by sex, target rated, and manner in which support was assessed. Hostility and target interactively impacted ratings of support and affiliation only for men. At least in part, a social information processing bias could contribute to hostile persons' perceptions of their social networks.


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