5a02c77b-7c44-4374-81fe-7033ad870d79 eng Ev-K2-CNR +39 035 3230511 +39 035 3230551 Via San Bernardino 145 Bergamo BG 24126 Italy metadata@evk2cnr.org http://www.evk2cnr.org/ 2012-01-11T10:08:59 ISO 19115:2003/19139 1.0 WGS 1984 Mating dominance amongst male Himalayan tahr: blonds do better 2008-12-14T00:00:00 Behavioural Processes 2009, 81:20-25. In ungulates, rank order is determined by differences in weight, body size, weapon size and age. In the Caprini tribe (Bovidae: Caprinae), adult male Himalayan tahr are unique to show different coat colours, but no sexual dimorphism in weapons. A highly significant correlation between hair colour and rank order was found during the rut: males with a lighter coloured ruff dominated over darker ruffed ones, in both aggressive interactions and access to oestrus females. We studied colour-based dominance in relation to weight, age and testosterone levels, which establish the social rank in most ungulates. No differences in weight and testosterone concentrations were found between adult male colour classes, but males with paler ruffs were significantly younger than darker adult males. The distribution of physical traumas from fights confirmed that younger, lighter-coloured males had a higher rank than older, darker males, a pattern which is unusual amongst ungulates. Coat colour seems to work as a signal of rank in male-male aggressive interactions and it changes according to age, whereas the relevant physiological determinants deserve further research. Intrasexual male competition has not changed weapon size or shape in the Himalayan tahr, but ruff colours are apparently used to signal rank and dominance. Colour patterns of adult males may then be homologous to ritualised weapons, apparently being a unique feature of male tahr amongst mammals. Sandro Lovari University of Siena - Department of Environmental Science Professor +39 0577233501 +39 0577233515 Via T. Pendola, 62 Siena SI 53100 Italy lovari@unisi.it Bernardo Pellizzi University of Siena - Department of Environmental Science Via T. Pendola, 62 Siena Si 53100 Italy Roberto Boesi University of Siena - Department of Environmental Science Via T. Pendola, 62 Siena SI 53100 Italy L. Fusani https://geoportal.mountaingenius.org/geonetwork/srv/eng/resources.get?uuid=5a02c77b-7c44-4374-81fe-7033ad870d79&fname=mountain_witness__s.png thumbnail png SHARE Coat colour Age Hormones Rank order Pangboche Namche Bazaar Sagarmatha National Park eng environment 80.0522 88.1946 26.3684 30.4247 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19133319 WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link Abstract:"Mating dominance amongst male Himalayan tahr: blonds do better." https://geoportal.mountaingenius.org/webapp/srv/en/resources.get?id=37358&fname=science.pdf&access=private WWW:DOWNLOAD-1.0-http--download science.pdf Full Text(pdf):""Mating dominance amongst male Himalayan tahr: blonds do better." OGC:WMS-1.1.1-http-get-map http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037663570800288X WWW:LINK-1.0-http--related Full text:" “Mating dominance amongst male Himalayan tahr: blonds do better.” “Mating dominance amongst male Himalayan tahr: blonds do better.” Authors:Lovari S, Pellizzi B, Boesi R, Fusani L. Department of Environmental Sciences, Research Unit of Behavioural Ecology, Ethology and Wildlife Management, University of Siena, Siena, Italy. lovari@unisi.it Source: Behav Processes. 2009 May;81(1):20-5. Epub 2008 Dec 14.