Kin recognition versus familiarity in a solitary mustelid, the European polecat Mustela putorius

Abstract

The aim of this experimental study was to investigate kin discrimination in the polecat and to analyse the ontogeny of interactions. Juvenile polecats (ten males and nine females) had been raised under four distinct experimental conditions: 1, kin, familiar; 2, kin, unfamiliar; 3, non-kin, familiar; 4, non-kin, unfamiliar. During dyadic encounters between polecats in neutral enclosures, the number of positive (tolerance), negative (aggression), intermediate (intimidation), and neutral interactions (no direct interactions) were recorded at two different ages of the animals (50 and 70 days old). Male-male encounters were characterised by more aggressive behaviour than female-female ones. The proportion of these negative interactions increased with age, while the proportion of positive interactions decreased. Although aggressive behaviours varied among groups, the reaction did never differ with the kinship. Kin selection theory provides successful explanations for a wide range of phenomena, but our results suggest that multiple mechanisms running simultaneously might be involved in social behaviours. Familiarity clearly influenced the social behaviour of polecats and might be involved in a kin facilitation effect favouring interactions. Animals raised together demonstrated more positive and less negative interactions, so that, despite the individualistic way of life of the polecat, familiarisation may result in more tolerance, emphasising that solitary species may provide significant information on social life. Anyway, familiarisation in polecat may be regarded as a cognitive form of recognition.

Behavioural Profiles of Brown and Sloth Bears in Captivity

“…However, a certain social aspect is present in all vertebrates, including solitary animals, given that each individual has adequate space for solidarity [34]. In this case, the sloth bears are siblings, which causes them to associate more than they would if they were not related [52]. Two of the brown bears are siblings, while the third one is not related to them.…”

“…The bears have been living together all their life, since they were all born and raised together. This means that the unrelated brown bear is extremely familiar with the others, so this probably makes them feel comfortable being in close proximity [52]. However, the siblings spent significantly more time together than they did with Wendy, who is the unrelated bear.…”

Man’s Underground Best Friend: Domestic Ferrets, Unlike the Wild Forms, Show Evidence of Dog-Like Social-Cognitive Skills

“…Although their early history in service of man is obscure, ferrets have probably been domesticated for more than two thousand years [24] by selective breeding from the European polecat (Mustela putorius) [25]. Similarly to dogs, ferrets have been bred originally for practical functions (hunting) [26], but nowadays many of them are merely kept as pets (for more details about the history and domestication of Mustela see [27]).…”

Inbred and furious: negative association between aggression and genetic diversity in highly inbred fish

“…). Yet, exceptions to this rule also abound, and a lack of association between aggression and relatedness has also been documented, both in solitary (Lode ) and in social species (Tóth et al . ).…”

“…). In fact, reduced aggression has been observed between familiar individuals (Utne‐Palm & Hart ), often irrespective of their relatedness (Stookey & Gonyou ; Lode ).…”