Mongooses give bullies the cold shoulder

Date:
November 2, 2021
Source:
University of Bristol
Summary:
Dwarf mongooses remember which groupmates have picked fights
with others during the day and later shun the aggressors during
pre-bedtime socializing sessions, according to new research.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Management of within-group conflict is a key feature of human lives and
those of many social animals, with contestants known to adopt various strategies in the immediate aftermath to minimise costs. The study,
published today in the journal eLife by a team at University of Bristol,
shows that individuals not involved in the altercations can both track
the aggressive behaviour of others and act on that information at a
later time.


==========================================================================
Lead author Dr Amy Morris-Drake, from Bristol's School of Biological
Sciences, said: "Conflict management strategies have evolved to keep the
peace in species as varied as chimpanzees, ravens and domestic dogs. Our
work demonstrates that dwarf mongooses have sufficient cognitive ability
to monitor vocal cues about aggressive interactions and to remember
who the bullies are, refusing to groom with them later." By working
with wild groups of mongooses habituated to their close presence, the
research team could collect detailed observations and test their ideas experimentally in natural conditions.

Co-author Dr Julie Kern, now based at the University of New England,
Australia said: "The crucial experiment entailed simulating the occurrence
of food contests between two group members during the afternoon, through playback of the vocalisations given by aggressors and victims. The
rest of the group therefore heard what sounded like repeated squabbles involving these individuals." Senior author Prof. Andy Radford, also from Bristol, added: "On experimental days, we recorded all the grooming that individuals engaged in with their groupmates back at the sleeping burrow
that evening. Being groomed helps with hygiene and reduces anxiety, and grooming underpins social relationships, so is core to social life."
On evenings that followed the simulation of increased within-group
conflict, subordinate mongoose group members groomed with one another more
than on control evenings. Most strikingly, the subordinates also ignored
the perceived aggressors, who received substantially less grooming than
on other occasions.

Dr Morris-Drake said: "This shows that dwarf mongooses keep tabs
on conflict occurring between their groupmates. They can identify
bullies just from the vocalisations given during disputes, store this information and implement a delayed conflict-management strategy, in this
case giving the bully the cold shoulder before bedtime." The findings
are important because it is often suggested that it is difficult for
animals to remember past altercations between groupmates, only to act
on them later, particularly when the individual was not involved in the interaction and with everyday life continuing in the interim.

Dwarf mongooses are Africa's smallest carnivore, living in cooperatively breeding groups of 5-30 individuals. The work was conducted as part
of the Dwarf Mongoose Research Project which has studied habituated
wild groups continuously since 2011. The study animals are individually
marked with blonde hair dye, are trained to climb onto a balance scale
to weigh themselves, and can be watched from a few feet away as they go
about their natural behaviour in ecologically valid conditions.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Bristol. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Amy Morris-Drake, Julie M Kern, Andrew N Radford. Experimental
evidence
for delayed post-conflict management behaviour in wild dwarf
mongooses.

eLife, 2021; 10 DOI: 10.7554/eLife.69196 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/11/211102093547.htm

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