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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
Linking Social Behavior And Stress Physiology In Feral Mares (Equus Caballus): Group Transfers Elevate Fecal Cortisol Levels, Cassandra M.V. Nuñez, James S. Adelman, Jessica Smith, Laurence Gesquiere, Daniel I. Rubenstein
Linking Social Behavior And Stress Physiology In Feral Mares (Equus Caballus): Group Transfers Elevate Fecal Cortisol Levels, Cassandra M.V. Nuñez, James S. Adelman, Jessica Smith, Laurence Gesquiere, Daniel I. Rubenstein
Cassandra M.V. Nuñez
Feral horses (Equus caballus) have a complex social structure, the stability of which is important to their overall health. Behavioral and demographic research has shown that decreases in group (or band) stability reduce female fitness, but the potential effects on the physiological stress response have not been demonstrated. To fully understand how band stability affects group-member fitness, we need to understand not only behavioral and demographic, but also physiological consequences of decreases to that stability. We studied group changes in feral mares (an activity that induces instability, including both male and female aggression) on Shackleford Banks, NC. We found that …
A Free-Ranging, Feral Mare Equus Caballus Affords Similar Maternal Care To Her Genetic And Adopted Offspring, Cassandra M.V. Nuñez, James S. Adelman, Daniel I. Rubenstein
A Free-Ranging, Feral Mare Equus Caballus Affords Similar Maternal Care To Her Genetic And Adopted Offspring, Cassandra M.V. Nuñez, James S. Adelman, Daniel I. Rubenstein
Cassandra M.V. Nuñez
Adoption of nongenetic offspring occurs in a variety of species but is rare in equids. We report a case of adoption by a free-ranging, feral mare Equus caballus and compare the maternal care received by her genetic offspring (born 1995) to that of her adopted offspring (born 1996) for the first 30 weeks of development. We compare five measures of care: (1) total time spent suckling, (2) mare aggression during suckling, (3) number of mare-terminated suckling bouts, (4) contact maintenance, and (5) mare-foal distance. For most behaviors, we detected no difference in the mare’s treatment of the two foals; however, …