INCEST AVOIDANCE AND ATTAINMENT OF DOMINANCE BY FEMALES IN A CAPE MOUNTAIN ZEBRA (EQUUS-ZEBRA ZEBRA) POPULATION

The mating strategies employed by Cape Mountain zebra and the routes b y which dominance are attained by females are described. Both sexes te nd to join non-breeding groups, males joining groups containing famili ar males, females joining groups with male strangers. The nuclei of ne w herds are formed by long-term attachments between colts and fillies within these groups, the first filly forming such an attachment becomi ng the subsequent dominant mare. Fillies not joining non-breeding grou ps become subordinates in established breeding herds. For established mares only herd change on loss of the stallion may lead to status impr ovement. The reproductive success of the three main strategies employe d by mares (attachment, herd change and direct annexation) did not dif fer and showed little deviation from expected reproductive success bas ed on population fecundity. Only the first two strategies led to domin ant status which is correlated with high fitness based on foal surviva l. Dominance for fillies was dependent on the presence of unattached c olts with which they could form new breeding herds and was age-related within a female cohort, the oldest female forming an attachment first . Two forms of familiarity resulting in a repulsion towards male relat ives followed in ontogeny by an attraction to male strangers are postu lated as regulating the social associations of fillies. Evidence is pu r forward that mate choice operates amongst females.