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Publication
Show me your best side: Lateralization of social and resting behaviors in feral horses
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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Growing evidence shows a variety of sensorial and motor asymmetries in social and non-social interactions in
various species, indicating a lateralized processing of information by the brain. Using digital video cameras on
tripods and drones, this study investigated lateralization in frequency and duration of social behavior patterns, in
affiliative, agonistic, and resting contexts, in a feral population of horses (Equus ferus caballus) in Northern
Portugal, consisting of 37 individuals organized in eight harem groups. Affiliative interactions (including
grooming) were more often performed, and lasted longer, when recipients were positioned to the right side. In
recumbent resting (animals lying down) episodes on the left side lasted longer. Our results of an affiliative
behavior having a right side tendency, provide partial support to the valence-specific hypothesis of Ahern and
Schwartz (1979) - left hemisphere dominance for positive affect, affiliative behaviors. Longer recumbent resting
episodes on the left side may be due to synchronization. However, in both instances it is discussed how lateralization may be context dependent. Investigating the position asymmetries of social behaviors in feral equids
will contribute to a better understanding of differential lateralization and hemispheric specialization from the
ecological and evolutionary perspectives.
Description
Keywords
Cerebral lateralization Drone technology Equus caballus Hemispheric specialization Horses Social interactions
Citation
da Cruz, A. B., Hirata, S., dos Santos, M. E., & Mendonça, R. S. (2023). Show me your best side: Lateralization of social and resting behaviors in feral horses. Behavioural Processes, 206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2023.104839
Publisher
Elsevier