Padrão de atividades e de interações sociais de animais juvenis em dois grupos selvagens de Callithrix jacchus

The juvenile period represents the developmental phase between weaning and sexual maturity. Weaning occurs when the youngster does not receive direct care from the caretakers anymore. Individuals in the species Callithrix jacchus live in groups composed by the reproductive pair and successive twin sets. Cooperative care is the rule. Infants are weaned early, and from then on, food is provided by the adults in the group. These animals present high levels of social interactions, through play, grooming and social contact. During infant age, the twin becomes the main partner. There are few studies about the juvenile period, especially on Callithrix gender. The objective of this study was describing the pattern of activities and social interactions of four sets (one single and three twin sets) during juvenile phase in two Callithrix jacchus groups. We used instantaneous and continuous focal sampling for juveniles and scan sampling for adults behavioral recordings. Juveniles presented the same behavioral pattern as the adults relating the activity budget, in particular, foraging along the months. The composition of the diet was the same as that of the adults. Food transfer ended along the juvenile period. Social play as much as grooming were important socializing activities for the juveniles. The young individuals in the group were the main partners in social play, specially the twin. Adults were the main partners in grooming interactions. Scent marking differed between twins in the male/female sets, the female presenting the highest levels of marking. The juveniles were independent from adults in foraging activity. Social interaction varied according to group composition, but in general, interacted more with the twin and with the youngsters (infants and subadults), except in grooming. Even presenting many similarities, juveniles showed some differences between genders, which indicates the differentiation in behavior towards reproductive strategies early in the juvenile period

Uso de habitat, orçamento temporal e influência da maré da geomorfologia do fundo sobre o comportamento do boto Sotalia guianensis Van Bénéden, 1864 (Cetacea: Delphinidae) no Porto de Maceió - Alagoas, Brasil

The physical and environmental factors presented by each habitat and the rhythm of behavior patterns strongly influence the ecology and behavior of the all living beings. At same time this factors may provide clues about the structure of a population and its ecological balance. The organizational structure, ecology and behavior of a species appraised in a region if we know be in balance when compared to the same type of appraisal made in a degraded area can provide a clear view of how the anthropogenic influences acted on these species and what steps can be taken in order to mitigate the effects and keep the population. The region where this study was conducted is, like most areas of port, subject to intense physical and environmental degradation. With the emerging interest of change in the quality of these environments also by the companies themselves that use the port services, the proposed study aimed to characterize the use of habitat, the distribution of behavioral activities carried out throughout the day and influence of geomorphology of the bed, depth and variation of tide on the expression of the behavior of Sotalia guianensis in the port of Maceio - Alagoas. From this information will be possible establish parameters for comparison with other populations of S. guianensis and establish conservation measures for the population occurring in the port of Maceio - AL, serving also as a basis for conservation actions future performed in other port regions

Estudo sobre orçamento de atividade do Boto Cinza (Sotalia guianensis) no litoral sul do Rio Grande do Norte

A fundamental analysis on Behavioral Ecology is the construction of Activities Budget, which can be defined as the quantification of the time that each animal uses in activities that are important for its survival and reproduction. Initially developed for theoretical studies about Optimal Foraging, the construction of Activities Budgets has recently being used for analyses in Conservation Biology. However, the measurement of behavior through an adequate methodology that allows the comparison between different samples is a challenge for researchers in the area of Ethology. This problem is even bigger for the students of cetaceans behavior due to the difficulty of visualization of these animals. The present work deals with two aspects of the specialized literature on cetaceans: i) it explores possible variations of results in quantification of behavioral states decurrent of the application of different methods of data collection, and ii) it describes the activity budget of a population of Sotalia guianensis that inhabits coastal waters, south Rio Grande do Norte. The results showed that the use different methods of data collection result in significant differences, but of small scale, in the quantification of the behavioral frequency. The activity budget of Sotalia in the area here analyzed was similar to that described for other populations of this species inhabiting typically estuarine habitats. Tide and day-hour did not influence the dolphin s behavior, however, significant differences were found related to the position of the animals within the area. These results are discussed considering the dietary and behavioral flexibility of the species, contributing to the scientific knowledge and offering information that will be useful in comparative studies and for analyses on the determination of areas for species conservation

Behavioural profiles of captive capuchin monkeys (Sapajus spp.): analyses at group and individual levels

The use of behavioural indicators of suffering and welfare in captive animals has produced ambiguous results. In comparisons between groups, those in worse condition tend to exhibit increased overall rate of Behaviours Potentially Indicative of Stress (BPIS), but when comparing within groups, individuals differ in their stress coping strategies. This dissertation presents analyses to unravel the Behavioural Profile of a sample of 26 captive capuchin monkeys, of three different species (Sapajus libidinosus, S. flavius and S. xanthosternos), kept in different enclosure types. In total, 147,17 hours of data were collected. We explored four type of analysis: Activity Budgets, Diversity indexes, Markov chains and Sequence analyses, and Social Network Analyses, resulting in nine indexes of behavioural occurrence and organization. In chapter One we explore group differences. Results support predictions of minor sex and species differences and major differences in behavioural profile due to enclosure type: i. individuals in less enriched enclosures exhibited a more diverse BPIS repertoire and a decreased probability of a sequence with six Genus Normative Behaviour; ii. number of most probable behavioural transitions including at least one BPIS was higher in less enriched enclosures; iii. proeminence indexes indicate that BPIS function as dead ends of behavioural sequences, and proeminence of three BPIS (pacing, self-direct, active I) were higher in less enriched enclosures. Overall, these data are not supportive of BPIS as a repetitive pattern, with a mantra-like calming effect. Rather, the picture that emerges is more supportive of BPIS as activities that disrupt organization of behaviours, introducing “noise” that compromises optimal activity budget. In chapter Two we explored individual differences in stress coping strategies. We classified individuals along six axes of exploratory behaviour. These were only weakly correlated indicating low correlation among behavioural indicators of syndromes. Nevertheless, the results are suggestive of two broad stress coping strategies, similar to the bold/proactive and shy/reactive pattern: more exploratory capuchin monkeys exhibited increased values of proeminence in Pacing, aberrant sexual display and Active 1 BPIS, while less active animals exhibited increased probability in significant sequences involving at least one BPIS, and increased prominence in own stereotypy. Capuchin monkeys are known for their cognitive capacities and behavioural flexibility, therefore, the search for a consistent set of behavioural indictors of welfare and individual differences requires further studies and larger data sets. With this work we aim contributing to design scientifically grounded and statistically correct protocols for collection of behavioural data that permits comparability of results and meta-analyses, from whatever theoretical perspective interpretation it may receive.