Work

Leadership amongst pigs when faced with a novel situation

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Leadership is a risky behaviour that can impact individuals and groups. Leaders, i.e. individuals who perform or initiate a task while other individuals in the group follow, have been studied in different contexts, but there is still a lack of understanding on the role of individual characteristics that may predispose them to become leaders, such as dominance and personality. In particular, the characteristics of leaders in domestic animal populations has been poorly examined. We studied leadership within 32 groups of young pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus, n = 366 individuals). Leadership was assessed during a group-based fear test (Human Approach Test) which was repeated three times. The first individual per group to touch the person was identified as leader. We assessed repeatability of leadership and characteristics of leaders as compared to followers. Leadership was marginally repeatable, with 6 out of 26 groups having a consistent single leader across all tests. Females had odds 4.13 times greater than males of being a leader, while there was no effect of body weight (a proxy of dominance) or coping style on leadership. The results indicate a similarity with wild populations, in which females lead the herd even though the males, which are superior in body weight, are often dominant.

Source: Behavioural Processes

DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105099

Authors: Sunil Khatiwada, Simon P. Turner, Marianne Farish, Irene Camerlink

Institutions: Institute of Genetics and Animal Biotechnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences, Scotland's Rural College

Language: English

Topic: Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies

Subfield: Small Animals

Field: Veterinary

Domain: Health Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,450

Funders: Narodowe Centrum Nauki, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council