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Social Function of Allo-marking in badgers
Journal
Behaviour, Vol
140, Nos 8-9, 2003, pp965-980(16) -
Brill Academic Publishers
Authors
Buesching C.D.; Stopka P.; MacDonald D.W.
Abstract
The adaptive significance of sociality in
European badgers is often explained on the basis of
ecological factors, but little is known about their social interactions. Here,
we investigate how allo-marking of conspecifics with subcaudal gland secretions
might serve as a behavioural mechanism to create a shared group-odour, thus
functioning simultaneously to maintain group cohesion, and as an individual
advertisement signal. The odour of subcaudal secretions, which encodes
group-membership and individual-specific information, is partly generated by the
bacterial flora in the subcaudal pouch. Studying the interactions of 40
different adults from two social groups, we analysed 3021 instances of
allo-marking, which may be either mutual, i.e. two badgers pressing their
subcaudal pouches against each other simultaneously (155 events) or sequential,
i.e. one badger marking the body of another individual (2866 events).
Sequential marking is significantly more frequent than mutual marking, although
both occur significantly more often during the mating season and the cub-rearing
season than at other times. Whereas mutual marking appears to be independent of
individual-specific parameters, sequential allo-marking is strongly influenced
by sex, age, and reproductive status. We propose that mutual marking generates a
common group-smell by facilitating the exchange of pouch bacteria, thus aiding
in group-cohesion, while sequential marking serves two purposes, to distribute
the common group-smell, and to advertise individual-specific, fitness-related
information. Strong correlation of the frequencies of sequential and mutual
allo-marking as well as the allo-grooming behaviour between particular clusters
of group members suggests the existence of sub-groups within badger groups.
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