Social play in African savannah elephants may inform selection against aggression  

作　　者：Ivan Norscia Martin Hecker Marta Caselli Edoardo Collarini Beatriz Gallego Aldama Santiago Borragán Santos Giada Cordoni 

机构地区：[1]Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology,University of Torino,Italy [2]Cantur,S.A.Parque de la Naturaleza de Cabárceno 39690 Obregón,Cantabria,Spain

出　　处：《Current Zoology》2024年第6期765-779,共15页动物学报（英文版）

基　　金：Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology(DBIOS),University of Torino,Italy(Grant No.NORI_RILO_22_01).

摘　　要：In social groups,competition for individual advantage is balanced with cooperation,for the collective benefit.Selection against aggression has favored cooperation and non-aggressive competitive strategies.Because social play is a behavioral system that fluctuates between cooperation and competition,selection against aggression might have especially influenced this behavior.African savannah elephants(Loxodonta africana)are a low aggressive species,therefore suitable to investigate this aspect.We collected all occurrences observational audio-video data on social play,aggression/threats,and affiliation on an African elephant colony housed in a 25-ha open space at Parque de la Naturaleza de Cabarceno(Cantabria,Spain)and composed of 4 family groups(3 immature males,3 immature females,and 7 adult females)and 2 adult males.Anticipating the influence of reduced aggression,we found that social play decreased with age,persisting in adults,and that it was highest in males.Social play was associated with affiliation(informing cooperation).Indeed,individuals that were central in the social play network were also central in the affiliation network.For immature subjects,we found a correlation between social play and affiliation sociomatrices.However,such correlation was absent in adults and social play mostly occurred between families.Despite the limitations related to dealing with a small captive group,this study largely supports the idea that the features of social play in African savannah elephants may be related to low aggression.This investigation hints toward a non-purely cooperative use of play,possibly as a non-aggressive interaction that accommodates different levels of cooperation and competition.

关 键 词：captive elephants domestication syndrome self-domestication social behaviors social play 

分 类 号：Q95[生物学—动物学]