Study: Feral Horses Form Complex Multilevel Societies

A team of researchers from Kyoto University and the Université de Strasbourg has applied drone techniques for the observation of feral horses living in Serra D’Arga, a mountain located in the north of Portugal.

Maeda et al. took aerial photos of individual horses that appeared in pre-fixed areas and collected positional data. Image credit: Maeda et al., doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-79790-1.

Maeda et al. took aerial photos of individual horses that appeared in pre-fixed areas and collected positional data. Image credit: Maeda et al., doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-79790-1.

“A multilevel society is a social structure with nested levels of social organization,” said first author Dr. Tamao Maeda from the Wildlife Research Centre at Kyoto University and colleagues.

“Individuals are structured in stable unit groups that preferentially associate with other units to form a higher level of social organization.”

“Humans, for example, live in a multilevel society where families gather to form a local community, families further combine to form higher social organization levels such as suburbs, cities, states, and countries.”

“As a multilevel society is characterized by polyadic interactions among units, it is important to understand how such group-level relationships have evolved and been maintained.”

“Our study tested whether the horse society had a multilevel structure using positional data in three steps,” they explained.

“We examined them for the presence of unit groups. We tested whether units were aggregating to form a herd. And we determined whether units have stable positional patterns within the herd by using social network analysis.”

“We hypothesized that the distribution of inter-individual distances should be multi-modal if units exist, observed inter-unit distances should be smaller than randomized data, and association rates and centrality are significantly different among units.”

The scientists set up an observation area of a well-documented group of horses in Serra D’Arga, Portugal.

Their drone took aerial photos at 30-minute intervals, allowing them to precisely record the locations of each horse and the exact distances between each individual.

The use of drones enabled the team to identify 121 individuals within 23 specifically defined groups called units, and 5 solitary males.

Two categories were used to describe the groups: ‘harems’ (mixed with one or two adult males) and all male ‘bachelor groups.’

“We found three pieces of evidence: (i) small social organizations or ‘units’ exist and they will merge to form higher-level ‘herds;’ (ii) bachelor groups stay in the periphery of a herd; and (iii) large harems were more likely to occupy the center of the herd,” Dr. Maeda said.

“It is often seen in social animals that dominant individuals occupy the center of a group. Therefore, the data suggest that larger harems indicate their higher status within group relationships.”

“Additionally, keeping the bachelors away from the center may reduce the risk of their harassing individuals and potentially taking over harems.”

A paper on the findings was published in the journal Scientific Reports.

_____

T. Maeda et al. 2021. Aerial drone observations identified a multilevel society in feral horses. Sci Rep 11, 71; doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-79790-1

Note: This article have been indexed to our site. We do not claim legitimacy, ownership or copyright of any of the content above. To see the article at original source Click Here

Related Posts
Man-made 'UFO' Designed: Planned to Travel in Space Without Fuel thumbnail

Man-made 'UFO' Designed: Planned to Travel in Space Without Fuel

MIT'deki araştırmacılar, bilim kurgu filmlerinde gördüğüm UFO'lara benzer bir uzay aracı tasarladıklarını açıkladı. Uzay aracı, elektriksel alanı kullanarak uzayda hareket edebilecek. İnsanlığın yakın tarihindeki en gizemli olaylardan birisi olan UFO’lar (Tanımlanamayan Uçan Cisimler) yıllardır pek çok komplo teorisini de beraberinde getiriyor. Kimi insanlar UFO’ların gerçek olduğunu ve uzaylıların dünyamızı sık sık ziyaret ettiğini söylese de…
Read More
US bans swimming with Hawaii's nocturnal spinner dolphins thumbnail

US bans swimming with Hawaii’s nocturnal spinner dolphins

Sep. 28, 2021Updated: Sep. 28, 2021 8:11 p.m. 1of3FILE - In this undated file photo provided by NOAA Fisheries, spinner dolphins swim in Hawaii. Federal regulators on Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021, banned swimming with Hawaii's spinner dolphins to protect the nocturnal animals from people seeking close encounters with the playful species. Swimming with dolphins is a…
Read More
Should You Swab Your Throat for a Rapid COVID Test? thumbnail

Should You Swab Your Throat for a Rapid COVID Test?

Photo: Basilico Studio Stock (Shutterstock)At-home rapid tests for COVID-19 instruct you to stir a cotton swab inside each nostril before sliding the swab into its little testing tube or card. But some people have posted pictures on social media comparing a negative at-home nasal swab with a positive at-home throat swab, and even some experts…
Read More
India launches flood warning systems at Himalayan glacial lakes thumbnail

India launches flood warning systems at Himalayan glacial lakes

India launches flood warning systems at Himalayan glacial lakes By Parvaiz BUKHARI New Delhi (AFP) Sept 3, 2024 India is setting up high-tech warning systems at nearly 200 Himalayan glacial lakes at risk of bursting their banks, a deadly threat exacerbated by climate change, disaster officials said Tuesday. India's Himalayas contain at least 7,500 glacial
Read More
Index Of News
Total
0
Share