The distribution of play behaviour among Australian marsupials

Abstract

The distribution of play behaviour among the Australian marsupial families was surveyed. The rate of play in each species observed was categorized on a three‐point scale: 1 – no play observed or reported; 2 – play rudimentary; 3 – play common. Common play occurred in the larger‐bodied Dasyuridae, in Myrmecobiius, in Vombatidae, and in all Macropodoidea. In all other marsupials, play was rudimentary or absent. Categorical rate of play was not correlated with body mass or with metabolic rate but was correlated with relative brain mass. The distribution of play in Australian marsupials supported the hypothesis that play acts to modify brain development.

Testing hypotheses of marsupial brain size variation using phylogenetic multiple imputations and a Bayesian comparative framework

“…Similar to previous studies [82,83], we did not find any clear-cut evidence that play behaviour and its complexity is related to marsupial brain size. However, our play data contained 68% imputed values, emphasizing the need for more rigorous data collection, which has been show to be related to brain size in primates [84].…”

A Cross-Species Comparative Approach to Positive Emotion Disturbance

“…The majority of work to date on positive emotion and potential sources of PED in nonhuman animals is based on ethological observations of naturally occurring behavior published by well-established field workers (e.g., Bekoff, 2013; Berger, 1979). Specifically, this includes the rigorous behavioral observation and field studies of social play and related behaviors such as laughing across a wide range of species including golden marmots (e.g., Blumstein, 1998), Australian marsupials (e.g., Byers, 1999), bighorn sheep (e.g., Berger, 1979), fur seals (e.g., Harcourt, 1991), rodents (e.g., Panksepp, 2007; Panksepp & Burgdorf, 2003; Pellis & Pellis, 2010), and canids including domestic dogs, coyotes, and wolves (e.g., Bekoff, 1995, 2013). Social play behavior is of particular importance given it is a common form of social interaction in young mammals, and thought to be highly rewarding (e.g., Vanderschuren, Niesink, & van Pee, 1997) and critical for adaptive social and cognitive development (e.g., Bekoff, 2013; Burghardt, 2005; Fagen, 1981; van Kerkhof et al, 2013).…”

Peace-Making in Marsupials: The First Study in the Red-Necked Wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus)

“…Feeding areas are frequently shared by matrilineal relatives: the more time two wallabies spend together the greater is their tendency to share resources and to socially interact [18] . Moreover, males often engage in play fighting with peers and younger partners [24] , [25] . There is some evidence suggesting a possible connection between the rates of play among males and the proportion of time they spend in close proximity and in engaging in affinitive interactions [25] , [26] .…”