Not just for males: Flehmen as a tool for detection of reproductive status and individual recognition across sexes in four African equid species

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00027014%3A_____%2F22%3AN0000213" target="_blank" >RIV/00027014:_____/22:N0000213 - isvavai.cz</a>

Alternative codes found

RIV/60076658:12310/22:43905094 RIV/61988987:17310/22:A2302HPS

Result on the web

<a href="https://vuzv.cz/_privat/22215.pdf" target="_blank" >https://vuzv.cz/_privat/22215.pdf</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2022.104773" target="_blank" >10.1016/j.beproc.2022.104773</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Not just for males: Flehmen as a tool for detection of reproductive status and individual recognition across sexes in four African equid species

Original language description

Flehmen is frequently explained as part of male sexual behaviour, but it can also be associated with overmarking behaviour and thus individual recognition. We tested three explanatory hypotheses of flehmen behaviour: to detect sexual status of a female, to decide whether to overmark an individual, and to improve individual recognition. Additionally, we examined interspecific flehmen differences in the African equids. We observed 130 individuals of all 4 species among 15 groups in 5 zoos. We recorded 4445 eliminations: 142 were accompanied by flehmen and 1648 were inspected by another animal and followed by flehmen (n = 147 cases). As males of all age categories flehmened more often than females we conclude that flehmen serves to detect reproductive status of a female. However, this is not an exclusive explanation as animals of all sex and age categories flehmened when inspecting an elimination. Flehmen was not the predictor of overmarking. Nevertheless, we suggest that foals could use it for individual recognition. We found large interspecific differences with the highest rate of flehmen in African wild ass and least in mountain zebra. Thus, while the main function of flehmen is to detect female reproductive status, inter-individual and inter-species differences also play a role.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

10613 - Zoology

Project

—

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2022

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Behavioural Processes

ISSN

0376-6357

e-ISSN

—

Volume of the periodical

203

Issue of the periodical within the volume

November

Country of publishing house

NL - THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS

Number of pages

9

Pages from-to

Article number: 104773

UT code for WoS article

000886698600001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85141503594