Fission–fusion dynamics in wild giraffes may be driven by kinship, spatial overlap and individual social preferences

Social Preferences of Translocated Giraffes (Giraffa Camelopardalis Giraffa) in Senegal: Evidence for Friendship Among Females?

“…Recent studies reported that female giraffes showed significant preference for, or avoidance of, other giraffes (Bercovitch and Berry, 2012). In the wild, female giraffes form a stable population of individuals that is divided into geographically distinct subgroups, despite the absence of physical barriers (Carter et al, 2013b;van der Jeugd and Prins, 2000). Giraffe males are aggregated to bachelor groups or remain solitary.…”

“…According to recent studies the giraffe herds represent a fission-fusion social system that is embedded in a larger community with changing size and composition of herds (Bercovitch et al, 2006;Bercovitch and Berry, 2010;Carter et al, 2013b). This system evolved in response to the exploitation of food availability that animals can most effectively use by broadcasting long-distance information to their kin.…”

“…This is combined with short-distance bonding mechanisms (Bercovitch and Berry, 2012). Social ties in giraffe society could be influenced by kinship and social attraction or may only associate because they have similar habitat preferences (Carter et al, 2013a;Carter et al, 2013b).…”

The consequences of unidentifiable individuals for the analysis of an animal social network

“…Recent studies have linked social position to home range (see Pinter-Wollman et al, 2013 for a review), social status (Sueur & Petit, 2008), age (Patriquin, Leonard, Broders, & Garroway, 2010), sex (Carter Seddon, Fr ere, Carter, & Goldizen 2013;Gilby & Wrangham, 2008), genetic relatedness (Archie, Moss, & Alberts, 2006;Carter, Seddon, Fr ere, Carter, & Goldizen, 2013;Schülke, Wenzel, & Ostner, 2013), the acquisition of social information (Aplin, Farine, Morand-Ferron, & Sheldon, 2012;Aplin et al, 2014;Claidiere, Messer, Hoppitt, & Whiten, 2013), disease status (Weber et al, 2013) and reproductive success (Wey et al, 2013). Additionally, there has been increasing recent interest in social network position as a personality trait or part of a wider behavioural syndrome (Krause, James, & Croft, 2010;Wilson, Krause, Dingemanse, & Krause, 2013).…”

Giraffe Helmholtz resonance

“…Giraffes are large ruminant browsers that live in sub-Saharan Africa. Giraffe females and young are usually sighted in small groups whose composition can change from day to day, while adult males live alone briefly joining groups of females to breed 1 . Giraffes recognize each other "personally" 2 , maintain contact with one another over long distances 3,4 , and hide their calves during the day and relocate them at night 5 .…”