Ontogeny of daily activity and circadian rhythm in the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus)

Abstract

34The aim of this paper is to describe the ontogeny of the circadian activity rhythms in captive-35 born Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) from birth to subadult age and to verify if they develop a 36 bimodal circadian pattern similar to the one they show in the wild. The amount of daily activity 37 and the circadian rhythmicity of 61 Iberian lynx (48 mother-raised and 13 hand-reared) cubs 38 were studied in two breeding centers. During the first month of life, the cubs were active 30% of 39 the day. Activity increased up to 50% during the following two weeks, and then it remained 40 constant until the end of the lynx physical development. The location of the breeding center 41 affected the amount of daily activity of the cubs probably as result of different climatic 42 conditions. Once the lynx cubs had completed their development, there was no difference in the 43 time spent active between wild and captive lynx. Newborns had a constant level of activity 44 throughout the day (24 hours) during the first month of life. During the second month, once they 45 had developed sufficiently to leave the den, a crepuscular bimodal circadian rhythm started to 46 emerge. This pattern was completely defined by the third month of life. The overlap in circadian 47 activity was over 0.88 when comparing the sexes, breeding centers and rearing methods. 48However, there was a significant difference between mother-raised and hand-reared cubs -the 49 latter being more active in the morning-, as well as between breeding centers -again due to 50 climate differences-. Finally, an overlap of 0.85 in circadian activity pattern was observed 51 between wild and captive lynx, although the wild animals were more active at night. 52 53 54

Inside out: heart rate monitoring to advance the welfare and conservation of maned wolves (Chrysocyon brachyurus)

“…In addition, daily changes in light and animal’s activity partially explained the variation in HR, with higher HR averages observed at dusk and night, when animals were more active. Rearing method affected the daily activity pattern in the present study, as described in other zoo animals ( Berger, 2011 ; Yerga et al , 2015 ), with hand-reared wolves being less ‘nocturnal’ than parent-reared wolves. Yet, this outcome should be confirmed with a larger sample size.…”

Effects of Hand-Rearing on Reproductive Success in Captive Large Cats Panthera tigris altaica, Uncia uncia, Acinonyx jubatus and Neofelis nebulosa

“…For captive cheetahs, imprinting on humans can cause behavioural problems [ 7 ]. Hand-reared Iberian lynx ( Lynx pardinus ) cubs were found to have more contact time with keepers, and this can increase occurrences of imprinting [ 57 ]. While keepers are also present around parent-reared individuals during daily husbandry routines, past research has found that parent-reared black rhinos ( Diceros bicornis ) and maned wolves ( Chrysocyon brachyurus ) had less affinity for their keepers than hand-reared counterparts [ 58 ].…”

Daily rhythmicity of behavior of nine species of South American feral felids in captivity

“…The daily distribution of locomotor activity has been studied in numerous mammalian species [10][11][12], but few studies have been conducted on felids. A few general studies of activity rhythms have been conducted on felids in the wild [13][14][15] and in captivity [16][17][18], but detailed studies on various species have yet to be accomplished. We describe here a detailed analysis of the daily activity rhythms of the domestic cat and of eight of the ten feral felid species that are indigenous to South America [19], which belong to three different genera (Panthera, Puma, and Leopardus) and have different life styles in terms of active times, social structure, maternal investment, etc.…”