Search the Article Database:

Search our library of articles, papers and other published materials. You can use keywords or boolean-style search:

Tactile encounters in a herd of captive giraffe

The behavior of the members of the herd of 18 giraffes at Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia, was studied for 5 months. The individuals were tolerant of each other, seldom fighting, not even over a receptive female. Sexually active males were the most active in initiating encounters. Calves showed little interest in the adult members of the herd. The 24-year-old male Ml, formerly the dominant male, seldom interacted with the other animals. Nosing and licking were the most common types

View Details + Download

Flehmen

Introduction Flehmen is a behavioral pattern that has been observed in almost all species of ungulates and in some felids. An individual flehmens when it detects an interesting smell — urine, faeces, a female’s vulva or even a chemical substance such as ether or valerian (Schneider, 1930). McHugh (1958) for example reports that wild female bison, Bison bison, have flehmened while nosing a rotten skeleton, human urine, a newborn calf and the torn scrotum of a bull. Usually flehmen occurs

View Details + Download