Los cambios comportamentales y del uso del espacio asociados a la muerte del macho dominante de una manada de lobos ibéricos (Canis lupus signatus) en el Parque Zoológico de Barcelona

Abstract

Social dynamics is one of the most widely studied fields in the Canidae family in captivity. This study aims to determine how the death of the dominant male in a pack of wolves at Barcelona Zoo affects the pattern of daily activity and the use of space of the rest of the members. The individuals under study are two males and two females of the species Canis lupus signatus in naturalized surroundings. The observations were made using an instantaneous multifocal recording every 15 minutes. Each individual was observed for a total of 55.5 hours both prior to and after the death of the alpha male. The results for daily activity patterns show an increase in the behaviours of Vigilance, Maintenance and Lack of Visibility and a reduction in Inactivity. As regards the use of space, the use of the left central area increased, the use of the front central area decreased, while there were no differences in the use of the rear left area. The location of the animals was less homogeneous after the death of the alpha male.