behavioral categorie, behavior

Definition

I) Affiliations

*1. social grooming

Scanning the fur of another individual with hand/fingers or lips.

#2. solicitation for grooming

Individual approaches another and presents a part of its body (e.g. back).

*3. social play

Positive interaction of two or more individuals in different movement stages, typical accompanied by play face (mouth wide opened, lower tooth rows well visible, upper usually covered). sometimes combined with typical vocalization (chuckle). Einzelbouts: more than 60 seconds interruption.

#4. play offer

An individual animates another individual through directed views with simultaneous behavior as chest beats, running with checking over the shoulder, self-play or by direct contact to the social play. 

*5. huddle

Two individuals are sitting or lying for more than 10 seconds in direct body contact, whereby the arms of one or both individuals are bolted around the body of the other one.

*6. resting contact

Two individuals touch each other with a part of their body and/or distance is below 20 cm.

#7. friendly touch

Direct, mostly short contact by hand or arm, often combined with a short belch/grumble of the acting individual or the recipient with mutually relaxed facial expression.

*8. muzzle-muzzle

One individual approaches with face/nose/mouth up to 15 cm to the face of the other individual..

*9. tandem walk

An individual has clung one or both arms around the hips or back of another individual and walks bipedally after the other.

II) Sexual behavior

#10. genital inspektion

a) touch

An individual touches the ano-genital region of another individual and sniffs or licks the touching finger afterwards.

b) sniff

An indidivual approaches the ano-genital region of another individual with ist nose.

*11. copulation imitation

a) Ventro-ventral or

b) ventro-dorsal

Body attitude of two individuals, whereby the upper individual implements hips rhythm impacts without intromission and often without direct contact of the ano-genital region.

#12. mating solicitation

Female intensely stares at the male with direct eye contact or repeated head yerk. The body attitude of the female is strained motionless with usually stiff arms and legs, body axis oriented towards the male, lips pursed, grumble vocalization.

#13. presenting

Female approaches male, offers him her ano-genital region towards his ventrum, hindquaters slightly elevated.  Body weight is resting on arms and knees.

*14. mating

Contact of males and females (ventro-dorsal or ventro-ventral) with intromission and rhythmic hip impacts of the male. Often accompanied by vocalization byone or both individuals. Usually the female looks at the male over its shoulder. Sometimes at the end of a mating a negative push from the male towards the female follows.

III) Submissive behavior

#15. avoid

An individual goes out of the way of another individual or makes a detour.

#16. turn away

An individual orientates its body away from another individual, but does not leave ist place

#17. retreat

An individual leaves ist place following the approach of another one or after ist has been pushed away by the other.

*18. crouch

An individual bends low, being attacked by another individual and remains motionless with the shoulders pulled to the head.

*19. flight

An individual runs away from a following aggressor.

IV) Agonistic behavior

#20. supplant

context:

• food
• place
• neighbor

An individual approaches another and sometimes pushes the second  individual directly with the hand. The second individual thereupon leaves its place (retreat). The first individual takes this place.

#21. object steal

• food
• other

One individual takes the object of desire away from a second individual.

*22. directed imposing behavior

Sequence or simultaneous occurrence of several behavioral elements against another individual without direct physical contact, arranged according to intensity level.

a) tensed lip face

Upper and lower mouth region are tensely pressed.

b) stiff stand

Individual stands with rigidly held legs and arms, body stiff and erected, raised head. Elbows are outward arranged and weight of the front body lies on the knuckels. Legs are laterally far apart, tensed lips face, head yerk.

c) chest beat

Individual strikes repeated with cupped palms on its thorax, standing, going or running, usually also with vocal component (roar). Often a leg kick follows.

d) strut walk

Individual moves with short, stiff steps, accompanied by tensed lips.

f) object beat

Individual kicks or beats an object, which creates a loud sound. Mostly in combination with a locomotory component

g) object throw

Individual throws object either direted or non-directed..

h) bluff charge

Individual runss diagonal acorss a second individual without contact. Often combined with chest-beat, object beat/throw or vocalization (roar).

i) rush charge

Individual runs frontally towards a second one, but shortly stops before reaching it.

*23. harrassment

An individual quickly moves towards a second, body and head oriented straight forward and directly staring at the other. Combined with piggrunt-series.

*24. chase

An individual runs, following a fleeing second individual.

V) Physical agression

#25. negative touch

Slapping, pushing, boxing a second individual.

#26. beat

Hit/beat another individual with flat hand, mostly combined with locomotion towards the beaten individual and afterwards quickly leaving it.

#27. mock bite

Aggressor demonstrates a bite onto another individual, which is mostly crowching, without deeper penetration of the teeth. 

#28. bite

Penetration of the teeth of aggressor into the flesh of the receiver. wounding visible afterwards.

*29. fight

Intense wrestling of two or more individuals with open mouth and attemps to bite. Mostly accompanied by piggrunt vocalizations and screams.

#30. kidnapping

An infant is carried away from its mother against the mother’s aggreement.

VI) Behavior in multi-context

*31. goes to

An individual moves towards an other individual.

*32. goes away

Individual leaves another individual..

*33. follow

One individual follows a second one, mostly in relaxed manner.

*34. child carry

Infant is carried by another individual than the mother, but with her aggreement.

#35. child giving

An individual gives infant to a second individual.

#36. intervention

a) undirected

• directed, only vocally
• directed, physically

An individual takes position in an agonistisch interaction between two other individuals.

*37. out of sight

Individual not visible to observer.

VII) Vocalization

(Definitions see Fossey 1972)

#38. belch/grumble

#39. scream

#40. cough

#41. piggrunt

positive

negative fear vocalization

negative upset vocalization

negative aggression vocalization

VIII) Solitary behavior

*42. undirected imposing behavior

Here defined as direct follow-up or simultaneous expression of one or more behavioral elements, which are interpreted as intimidation displays, however, not directed towards a certain individual.

*43. solitary play

Self-manipulation or manipulation of an object.

*44. eating

Food intake without locomotion.

*45. foraging

Collecting and sometimes admission of food while locomoting.

*46. locomotion

Individual changes place.

*47. resting

Individual stays at one place longer than two minutes in a relaxed manner (sit, lie, sleep)

*48. observing

An individual observes a second one relaxed longer than 10 seconds.

*49. staring

Individual stares at another for more than 5 seconds, with attentive facial expression.

IX) Inter-individual distances

resting contact

see nr. 6

*50. close distance

Individuals are in arms reach (<1-1.5m).

*51. short distance

Distance between individuals is 1.5-3m.

*52. middle distancez

Distance between individuals is 3-7m.

*53. far distant

Distance between individuals is 7-15m.

*54. external

An individual roams outside the group circle or is out of view to the group. However, it might have shorter distances to other individuals, who are also out of sight.