Early life experience and sex influence acoustic repertoire use in wild‐born, but hand‐reared, captive cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus)

Abstract

Early deprivation of adult influence is known to have long-lasting effects on social abilities, notably communication skills, as adults play a key role in guiding and regulating the behavior of youngsters, including acoustic repertoire use in species in which vocal production is not learned. Cheetahs grow up alongside their mother for 18 months, thus maternal influences on the development of social skills are likely to be crucial. Here, we investigated the impact of early maternal deprivation on vocal production and use in 12 wild-born cheetahs, rescued and subsequently hand-reared either at an early (less than 2 months) or a later stage of development. We could distinguish 16 sound types, produced mostly singly but sometimes in repeated or multitype sound sequences.The repertoire of these cheetahs did not differ fundamentally from that described in other studies on adult cheetahs, but statistical analyses revealed a concurrent effect of both early experience and sex on repertoire use. More specifically, early-reared males were characterized by a high proportion of Purr, Meow, and Stutter; early-reared females Mew, Growl, Hoot, Sneeze, and Hiss; late-reared males Meow, Mew, Growl, and Howl; and late-reared females mostly Meow. Our study demonstrates therefore the long-term effects of maternal deprivation on communication skills in a limited-vocal learner and its differential effect according to sex, in line with known social differences and potential differential maternal investment. More generally, it emphasizes the critical importance to consider the past history of the subjects (e.g., captive/wild-born, mother/hand-reared, early/late-mother-deprived, etc.) when studying social behavior, notably acoustic communication.

Advertising sex and individual identity by long‐distance chirps in wild‐living mature cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus)

“…This is the first study investigating acoustic variation in wild cheetahs. Previously, all studies of the acoustic structure of cheetah vocalizations were only made in captivity (Bouchet et al, 2022; Eklund et al, 2010, 2012a, 2012b; Eklund & Peters, 2013; Imon, 2019; Nagorzanski, 2018; Ruiz‐Miranda et al, 1998; Smirnova et al, 2016; Stoeger‐Horwath & Schwammer, 2003; Volodina, 1994a, 1997, 1998, 2000). This study expands the knowledge about acoustic variation of long‐distance vocalizations (chirps) of mature cheetahs.…”

“…At the same time, sexual differences in f0 of chirps lacked in 1-year cheetahs (Nagorzanski, 2018). Furthermore, hand-raised male and female cheetahs differ in their call type usage in the same contexts (Bouchet et al, 2022). Sex-related acoustic variation of the chirps may also be different in wild-living cheetahs.…”

Early parental deprivation during primate infancy has a lifelong impact on gene expression in the male marmoset brain

“…Given the existing evidence on the influence of early-life experiences, such as mother-infant separation, on infant physiology, cognition, and social behaviors across various species 9 , 10 , 19 – 27 , we chose the common marmoset, a New World monkey, as our model for investigating the impact of early parental deprivation. The common marmoset is a genetically manipulatable primate that has been used as a suitable model to understand the molecular basis of neurophysiological processes.…”