BEHAVIORAL-PATTERNS AND PROXIMATE REASON OF YOUNG MALE SEPARATION IN MISAKI FERAL HORSES

The present investigation was undertaken to study the proximate reason s why and the behavioral patterns of young male Misaki feral horses wh en they left their natal band or mothers. We observed a total of ten y oung males twice a month from January 1988 to December 1995. Almost al l young males left their natal band or mothers at between 1 and 4 year s of age. We found that, during the separation process, all the young males from first parity dams returned several times after the initial separation, indicating a strong attachment between primiparous mares a nd their male offspring, The other five separated only once without re joining. Our observations showed five variable behavior patterns of yo ung males at separation time, depending on the consort relation betwee n their mothers and harem stallion and the reason for separation at th at time. Eight young males separated in the non-breeding season at ave rage 2.1 years and the other two separated in the breeding season at a verage 3 years and the average difference was not significant, These r esults revealed that 80% of the young males separated voluntarily when the natural resources become poor whereas 20% separated when their si blings were born. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.