Estrutura social e alo-amamentação de catetos (Tayassu tajacu) em cativeiro / Social structure and allonursing of collared peccaries (Tayassu tajacu) in captivity

AUTOR(ES)

Cibele Biondo

DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2006

RESUMO

The network of relationships established among individuals of a group is called social structure, and may be affected by factors as relatedness and nutritional conditions. Allonursing is an intriguing behavior characterized by the non-parental female nursing of infants. The goals of this study were determine the influence of relatedness and nutritional conditions in the social structure of collared peccaries (Tayassu tajacu) in captivity, and describe allonursing events to identify variables that may help the understanding of this behavior. Two groups of captive animals were studied, one with ten and another with seven individuals (B2 and B3 respectively). The B2 group diet contained 16% of crude protein, while the B3 group was fed with a 12% protein diet. Animals from both groups had blood samples collected for microsatellite analysis. Porcine primers were used to amplify microsatellites in collared peccary and this methodology was successfully applied to estimate genetic relationships among individuals. Agonistic and affiliative interactions as well as allonursing events were recorded using the all occurrences method, while spatial proximity among individuals was recorded using scan sampling. The B2 group presented a higher occurrence of agonistic and affiliative interactions than the B3 group, while the latter group was the most hierarchically organized. Genetic relationships did not directly influence the frequency of agonistic interactions, but influenced the frequency of affiliative interactions, as well as level of spatial proximity. Closely related individuals were generally more spatially close, and specially in the B3 group had more affiliative interactions. Allonursing events were rare and do not appear to cause much cost to the females. We raise the hypothesis of the latter behavior as an important factor to the formation of bonds among infants and non-parental females.

ASSUNTO(S)

amamentação estrutura de parentesco animal social behavior nutrition social structure breast feeding comportamento social (animal) kinship structure nutrição collared peccaries estrutura social catetos

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