Exploring African lion (Panthera leo) behavioural phenotypes: individual differences and correlations between sociality, boldness and behaviour

Dunston, Emma J.; Abell, Jackie; Doyle, Rebecca; Evershed, Megan; Freire, Rafael

doi:10.1007/s10164-016-0473-9

Cited by 12 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 75 publications

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“…Although the lion pride is a fission–fusion society with individuals dispersing and returning to the group ( VanderWaal et al, 2009 ), it is socially cohesive. Social network analysis of both captive origin and wild prides indicate that female lions are central to the social network with adult male lions most likely to receive and least likely to initiate social interactions ( Dunston et al, 2016a , b ). Male lions are not only less social than female lions, but are also larger and more aggressive than female lions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Big Cat Coalitions: A Comparative Analysis of Regional Brain Volumes in Felidae

et al. 2016

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Broad-based species comparisons across mammalian orders suggest a number of factors that might influence the evolution of large brains. However, the relationship between these factors and total and regional brain size remains unclear. This study investigated the relationship between relative brain size and regional brain volumes and sociality in 13 felid species in hopes of revealing relationships that are not detected in more inclusive comparative studies. In addition, a more detailed analysis was conducted of four focal species: lions (Panthera leo), leopards (Panthera pardus), cougars (Puma concolor), and cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus). These species differ markedly in sociality and behavioral flexibility, factors hypothesized to contribute to increased relative brain size and/or frontal cortex size. Lions are the only truly social species, living in prides. Although cheetahs are largely solitary, males often form small groups. Both leopards and cougars are solitary. Of the four species, leopards exhibit the most behavioral flexibility, readily adapting to changing circumstances. Regional brain volumes were analyzed using computed tomography. Skulls (n = 75) were scanned to create three-dimensional virtual endocasts, and regional brain volumes were measured using either sulcal or bony landmarks obtained from the endocasts or skulls. Phylogenetic least squares regression analyses found that sociality does not correspond with larger relative brain size in these species. However, the sociality/solitary variable significantly predicted anterior cerebrum (AC) volume, a region that includes frontal cortex. This latter finding is despite the fact that the two social species in our sample, lions and cheetahs, possess the largest and smallest relative AC volumes, respectively. Additionally, an ANOVA comparing regional brain volumes in four focal species revealed that lions and leopards, while not significantly different from one another, have relatively larger AC volumes than are found in cheetahs or cougars. Further, female lions possess a significantly larger AC volume than conspecific males; female lion values were also larger than those of the other three species (regardless of sex). These results may reflect greater complexity in a female lion’s social world, but additional studies are necessary. These data suggest that within family comparisons may reveal variations not easily detected by broad comparative analyses.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Big Cat Coalitions: A Comparative Analysis of Regional Brain Volumes in Felidae

et al. 2016

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“…Individual animals can often differ in their response to novel stimuli [12], and it is recommended that zoo animal welfare should be measured on an individual basis [20]. Indeed, both Asiatic and African lions have been found to exhibit different personality traits in captivity [21][22][23]. In this study, we found that the lions differed in their response to construction work, with the male lion increasing time spent pacing during the construction period, whilst the females exhibited no change in pacing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Nearby Construction Work on the Behavior of Asiatic Lions (Panthera leo persica)

Williams

Finch

Agnew

et al. 2021

JZBG

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In order to be successful and have high standards of animal welfare, modern zoos strive to regularly modify, improve, and build animal enclosures and visitor areas. However, these periods of development could result in temporary durations of sub-optimal welfare for animals housed nearby. In this study, we monitored the behavior of three Asiatic lions (Panthera leo persica) prior to, during, and following a period of construction on a nearby building. Our results provide evidence that welfare may have been temporarily reduced during the construction period. Compared to the pre-construction period, the male exhibited an increase in pacing behavior and all three lions reduced the time they spent resting. We infer that the most significant negative stimulus related to the construction was sound and/or ground vibrations, as a physical barrier ruled out stress from visual stimuli. The behavioral response to the construction work was relatively short-lived and no long-term changes were observed one year on. This research highlights the importance of measuring animal behavior around events outside routine husbandry, and considering animal welfare on an individual basis. Finally, this work adds to the body of literature surrounding the impacts of construction on animal wellbeing and outlines some suggestions for potential mitigation.

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“…Dominance loaded positively and strongly for behavioural traits -bold, bullying, dominant, aggressive to people, inventive, jealous and tense, while the behavioural traits affectionate, gentle, stable, submissive and trusting loaded negatively. Previous studies rated reintroduced African lions for their boldness [18] and Asiatic lions on a bold-shy axis between individuals raised in captivity and others that were wildrescued [15]. Personality traits in African lions that correlate with subjective wellbeing indicate that their social structure is important for wellbeing, especially in terms of the Dominance structure found in this species.…”

Section: Personality Of Lions At Zambi Wildlife Retreat and Sydney Zoomentioning

confidence: 90%

“…In captivity, the welfare of these lions is a considerable concern, as it is difficult to mimic their wide-ranging natural habitat [13]. A variety of behavioural tests and checklists have been developed in the past decade to help identify traits of wellbeing and the personalities among big cats (Vaz et al, in press); these tests and checklists have been used for lions [14][15][16][17][18], tigers [19][20][21], jaguars [22], cheetahs [23][24][25][26], snow leopards [27,28], and in particular the Asiatic lion personality [15,17] and African lion personality [14,16,18]. Similarly, studies have tried to understand the stress physiology and variation in GCs for lions [29][30][31].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Personality Matters: Exploring the Relationship between Personality and Stress Physiology in Captive African Lions

Vaz

Bartley

Hunt

2021

Preprint

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Background: Considering animals as individuals and not as species is becoming increasingly essential to animal welfare management. Recent studies on big cat personalities and coping strategies suggest personality can help big cats cope in their surroundings. Yet, a large portion of the published literature focuses on understanding either the personality or stress physiology of big cats in isolation. Our research shows how integrating an improved understanding of the personality of big cats with stress physiology may enhance welfare, especially endangered species like African lions. By using a wild cat personality checklist, this study compared African lion personality with its faecal stress glucocorticoids non-invasively. Results: We identified three personality types for individual African lions (Dominance, Agreeableness and Neuroticism) and examined whether these dimensions varied with stress cortisol levels. When controlling for differences in age across lions, we found a strong negative correlation between Agreeableness in lions and their glucocorticoid levels. This suggests that the personality of a lion may help it cope with its surroundings. Conclusions: Our findings can assist with the better management of big cats and it is proposed that ex-situ managers of zoos and rescue centres incorporate the personality data of their animals into the Zoological Information Management Software (ZIMS). This data can be accessed globally and can be useful for caretakers managing their animals according to their needs while undergoing veterinary procedures or in reintroduction programs. Thus, by improving individual welfare, we can improve overall welfare of big cats.

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Exploring African lion (Panthera leo) behavioural phenotypes: individual differences and correlations between sociality, boldness and behaviour

Cited by 12 publications

References 75 publications

Big Cat Coalitions: A Comparative Analysis of Regional Brain Volumes in Felidae

Big Cat Coalitions: A Comparative Analysis of Regional Brain Volumes in Felidae

Effects of Nearby Construction Work on the Behavior of Asiatic Lions (Panthera leo persica)

Personality Matters: Exploring the Relationship between Personality and Stress Physiology in Captive African Lions

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