The environment matters: season and female contact affect the behavior of captive Addax nasomaculatus male antelope

Abstract

The addax antelope (Addax nasomaculatus) is a species under serious threat of extinction, as it is more abundant in captivity than in the wild. However, little is known about its basic biology. The aims of this study were to determine how locomotor, feeding, aggressive, marking, and sexual behavior of male addax allocated in all-male groups vary with season and with female contact (i.e., biostimulation). The study was conducted in captive conditions, in two groups of adult males: one with no-physical contact with females, aside from visual and olfactory interactions (CF group, n = 4), and another group completely isolated from females (IF group, n = 4). The frequency of behaviors was recorded during the daytime, 4 days per season (total time of observation = 256 h). Lying, standing, walking, aggressive, marking, grazing, and ruminating behaviors as well as water and supplement consumptions varied with season (all p < 0.05). The lying, walking, marking, grazing, and ruminating behaviors were more frequently observed for CF than IF males (all p < 0.05). Also, all behaviors, except for marking, varied with the interaction between the group and seasons (all p < 0.05). Sexual behavior was extremely scarce, so it was not possible to analyze how it varied with seasons and the group. The present study suggests that management program and housing conditions, especially in ex situ breeding plans, should consider the influence of the season and the sociosexual context on the behavior of addax males.

Further Than Fur: Effects of Sex, Body Site, and Season on Hair Color and Hair Cortisol Concentration in Captive Addax nasomaculatus Antelopes

“…Therefore, the hair cortisol concentrations of hair collected in spring would reflect the conditions experienced in winter and early spring. According to Villagrán et al [36], a higher frequency of aggressive and marking behaviors occurs in winter in addax males in the same population. Therefore, the increase in cortisol observed in spring in males (but not in females) could be associated with increased intrasexual competition that occurred in the previous season.…”

“…As shown in Figure 2, in summer, both temperature and THI increased and reached maximum values. In the spring and summer, male addax are seen lying and consuming water more frequently and standing and ruminating less frequently than in other seasons [36]. At the same latitudes, dairy cattle [37,51,52], show similar locomotor and feeding patterns in response to thermal stress taking place in summer.…”

“…It seems that, despite the multiple differences between addax and dairy cattle (e.g., native habitat, human selection pressure), both bovidae species share basic behavioral strategies to cope with heat stress. Therefore, seasonal patterns of hair cortisol concentrations, together with the behavioral traits specifically described in males [36], suggest that summer is a critical season concerning animal welfare. This is an interesting observation considering that addax belongs to desertic African areas characterized by high temperatures and that the species has been raised in Uruguay for more than 30 years.…”

“…Parque Lecocq Zoo, Montevideo, Uruguay, has an addax population of approximately 36 individuals in captive conditions, and we recently reported that male behavior varies with seasons in this addax population [36]. In summer, males are more frequently seen lying and consuming water and less frequently engaged in ruminating than in other seasons.…”