Applied Animal Behaviour Science最新文献

{"title":"","authors":"Gemma Pearson","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106642","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106642","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"287 ","pages":"Article 106642"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143869755","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effectiveness of gyroscopes and triaxial accelerometers paired with deep learning algorithms in detecting dairy camel behavior","authors":"Chayma Chaouch Aoun ,&nbsp;Moufida Atigui ,&nbsp;Paolo Balasso ,&nbsp;Marwa Brahmi ,&nbsp;Houssem Benjemaa ,&nbsp;Giorgio Marchesini ,&nbsp;Mohamed Hammadi","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106643","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106643","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Nowadays, the behavior of dairy camels in intensive systems has received little attention. This study is the first to use wearable sensors to predict camel behavior, filling a knowledge gap by providing information into their activities. A novel system using triaxial accelerometer and gyroscope sensor was developed to monitor and predict the behavior of six female Maghrebi dairy camels. Using a 10-second time window for data collection, this research effectively distinguishes between key behaviors such as feeding, ruminating, resting, and walking. Various deep learning techniques, including convolutional neural networks combined with long short-term memory (ConvLSTM), dense layer convolutional neural networks, and standalone long short-term memory (LSTM) networks, were used to analyze the data. Results indicate that, under our conditions, camels spent most of the study time feeding, with 33134 occurrences (444 minutes), followed by ruminating 11611 times (156 minutes) and resting 10487 times (140 minutes). In contrast, walking and drinking were much less frequent, with 2627 and 368 occurrences, respectively. The dense-layer CNNs achieved the highest predictive performance with an overall accuracy of 84 %. This model predicted feeding with 89 % accuracy, resting with 67 %, ruminating with 92 %, and walking with 12 %. Following closely, the ConvLSTM model attained an accuracy of 83 %, predicting feeding at 85 %, resting at 76 %, ruminating at 87 %, and walking at 18 %. The LSTM model had a slightly lower overall accuracy of 78 %, predicting feeding at 81 %, resting at 66 %, ruminating at 87 %, and walking at 8 %. In the ConvLSTM model, resting was frequently confused with feeding and ruminating, while walking was often misclassified as feeding. Similarly, the Convolutional with Dense Layers model misclassified resting and walking as feeding, and ruminating as resting. The LSTM model showed similar issues, with resting and walking misclassified as feeding, and ruminating often confused with both feeding and resting. This study highlights the potential of accelerometer and gyroscope sensors as effective tools for assessing camel behavior in intensive systems. The dense layer CNN model showed the best predictive performance, with feeding and rumination behaviors being the most accurately classified. However, walking remained difficult to predict across all models. This is probably due to the limited locomotion of camels in intensive dairy systems. These findings provide a basis for improving automated behavioral monitoring in dairy camels, supporting improved welfare and optimized management in intensive farming systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"287 ","pages":"Article 106643"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143864620","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prediction of assistance dog training outcomes using machine learning and deep learning models","authors":"Mohammad Hossein Amirhosseini ,&nbsp;James A. Serpell ,&nbsp;Emily E. Bray ,&nbsp;Theadora A. Block ,&nbsp;Laura E.L.C. Douglas ,&nbsp;Brenda S. Kennedy ,&nbsp;Katy M. Evans ,&nbsp;Kathleen Freeberg ,&nbsp;Piya Pettigrew","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106632","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106632","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the predictive power of machine learning and deep learning models for forecasting training outcomes in assistance dogs, using behavioral survey data (C-BARQ) collected from volunteer puppy-raisers at two developmental stages: 6 months and 12 months. We used data from two assistance dog training organizations–Canine Companions and The Seeing Eye, Inc.– to assess model performance and generalizability across different training contexts. Six models, including traditional machine learning approaches (SVM, Random Forest, Decision Tree, and XGBoost) and deep learning architectures (MLP and CNN), were trained and evaluated on C-BARQ behavioral scores using metrics such as accuracy, F1 Score, precision, and recall. Results indicate that Support Vector Machine (SVM) and XGBoost consistently delivered the highest prediction accuracy, with SVM achieving up to 80 % accuracy in the Canine Companions dataset and 71 % in the Seeing Eye dataset. Although deep learning models like CNN showed moderate accuracy, traditional machine learning models excelled, particularly in structured, tabular data where feature separability is essential. Models trained on 12-month data generally yielded higher predictive accuracy than those trained on 6-month data, highlighting the value of extended behavioral observations. This research underscores the efficacy of traditional machine learning models for early-phase prediction and emphasizes the importance of aligning model selection with dataset characteristics and the stage of behavioral assessment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"287 ","pages":"Article 106632"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143869757","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The biological irrelevance of ‘Cattachment’ – It’s time to view cats from a different perspective","authors":"Péter Pongrácz ,&nbsp;Flavie Bensaali-Nemes ,&nbsp;Noémi Bánszky ,&nbsp;Petra Dobos","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106641","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106641","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cats’ interactions with humans were traditionally conceptualized as a less-than-perfect attempt to reach the complexity of the dog-human bond. However, to understand the evolutionary success of cats, we need an ecologically valid approach: why would a socio-cognitive trait be adaptive for the cat? We tested ‘therapy cats’ (<em>N</em> = 15) that were trained for Animal Assisted Services, in the modified version of the Ainsworth’s Strange Situation Test, suitable for the assessment of animals’ attachment bond with their owners. We also tested ‘regular’ companion cats (<em>N</em> = 13) with the same experimental protocol as control animals. The use of ‘therapy cats’ allowed us to avoid strong stress reaction of ordinary companion cats when tested in an unknown, laboratory environment. As expected, we found significant differences between the ‘therapy’ and regular companion cats in each of the main components of the attachment complex: ‘Attachment’ (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.001); ‘Anxiety’ (<em>P</em> = 0.005); ‘Acceptance of the Stranger’ (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.001). ‘Therapy’ cats received significantly higher ‘Attachment’ and ‘Acceptance’ scores than regular pet cats. The ‘Anxiety’ scores of ‘therapy’ cats were significantly lower than in the regular pet cats. However, we found no sign of attachment to the owner in any of the cat groups. Even therapy cats, whose behaviour was not thwarted by the strong stress at the unknown place, did not show exclusive Safe Haven and Secure Base-type reactions towards their owner. They behaved equally calm and friendly towards their owner and a stranger. Cats display symmetrical inter-specific amicability with humans, and we encourage their behavioural investigation to be based on evolutionary significance. We showed that domestic cats retained their functional independence from humans, and they do not show attachment towards their owners, which is a hallmark of the dependence-based, dog-human relationship. We argue that attachment would be ecologically unlikely in this species, as they preserved their independence from humans. Therefore, we believe it is time to change our research perspective on cats and find out more about what they can teach us about different ways of evolving mutually advantageous, but independence-based relationships with humans.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"287 ","pages":"Article 106641"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143860285","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Behaviour and welfare of pigeons (Columba livia) in two different localities of Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil","authors":"Eduardo Henrique Gonçalves ,&nbsp;Roberta de Farias ,&nbsp;Julia Doria de Oliveira Franco ,&nbsp;Cesar Augusto Taconeli ,&nbsp;Carla Forte Maiolino Molento","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106640","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106640","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pigeons are prolific animals in urban contexts, occupying locations with distinct characteristics within a city. Behavioural variations among groups inhabiting locations with different characteristics are not yet fully understood and may serve to investigate challenges related to the welfare of pigeons. The aim of this study is to investigate the behaviour and welfare of two pigeon groups inhabiting two locations in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil: the city centre and the campus of the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC). We hypothesized that pigeon groups differ in fundamental behavioural and welfare aspects depending on the locations they occupy. Observations were conducted during winter and spring across three sessions (06:00–10:00 h, 10:00–14:00 h, 14:00–18:00 h), using the group scanning sampling method at regular 15-minute intervals. Additionally, counts of pigeons exhibiting foot and toe injuries were conducted in the study locations. The pigeons in the city centre exhibited higher prevalence rates in seeking and exploration behaviours (p = 0.011) and alert and fear (p = 0.012), whereas the group living at UFSC showed higher prevalence rates in maintenance behaviours (p = 0.005), aggressiveness and dominance (p = 0.004), and reproductive and parental behaviours (p &lt; 0.001). In the city centre, a mean of 9.7 pigeons exhibiting foot problems was recorded (SD = +4.6; minimum = 4.0; maximum = 19.0). In contrast, at the UFSC campus, only two pigeons were identified with threads or strings entangled around their feet or toes, accompanied by injuries in these areas. The location is a predictor of the behavioural differences observed between the groups, confirming our initial hypotheses. The pigeons consistently displayed behaviours of seeking and exploration, alongside reduced maintenance behaviours, particularly in the city centre, and this may indicate a cause for concern regarding their welfare. Because there are significant differences, understanding how pigeons behave in specific urban locations contributes to incorporating knowledge on how these animals occupy and are spatially distributed across cities. Our results are relevant for the technical and ethical assessment of existing population management strategies, supporting decision-making processes that consider pigeon behaviour and welfare, and contribute to fostering a more harmonious coexistence between pigeons and humans in urban areas.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"287 ","pages":"Article 106640"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143869756","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Navigating challenges in applied animal behaviour and welfare research: A focus group study","authors":"Bianca Vandresen,&nbsp;Emeline Nogues ,&nbsp;Marina A.G. von Keyserlingk","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106637","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106637","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Academics in applied animal behaviour and welfare science may face challenges while working within the constraints imposed by institutional and regulatory frameworks. However, to our knowledge, no studies have attempted to describe these difficulties and whether there are differences among social-demographic groups. This study aimed to address this gap by exploring researchers’ perspectives on the challenges they face in applied animal behaviour and animal welfare across multiple countries and facilitating collaborative discussions to identify potential solutions. We recruited 47 delegates attending the 56th Congress of the International Society of Applied Ethology (ISAE) held in Tallinn, Estonia, in August 2023 to participate in focus group discussions. Participants represented 33 countries covering five continents. Of the 47 delegates, three participated twice, once as part of a pre-conference workshop and then again two days later in a workshop open to all attendees. The focus group held at the pre-conference workshop had 15 participants, and six focus groups were run during the latter workshop, each with 5–6 participants. Using a semi-structured discussion guide, participants were encouraged to discuss their challenges, proposed solutions to the identified challenges, and the role international societies could play in helping them overcome some of these challenges. All focus group discussions were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and subjected to reflexive thematic analyses to assess participants’ attitudes to the challenges they experience. Three themes were developed to represent the different levels regarding which participants experienced challenges: (1) the discipline of animal behaviour and welfare, (2) conducting and sharing research, and (3) researcher welfare and networking. Participants described numerous barriers hindering their research process, originating from within their academic institutions, local governments, and scientific journal publication processes but also arising from prejudice and other personal challenges. Many of the challenges identified were shared among all participants, regardless of region, although certain socio-demographic groups more frequently raised specific issues, such as the need for networking opportunities and travel barriers to attend conferences. Despite the difficulty in identifying solutions, some participants believed that collaboration among researchers from different regions could help overcome some of the regional barriers, and many participants showed willingness to collaborate as a first step to striving for solutions to the identified challenges.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"287 ","pages":"Article 106637"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143873938","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unwanted feline scratching in the home: A re-examination of its relationship with stress and marking","authors":"Jacqueline Braggs,&nbsp;Daniel Simon Mills","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106635","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106635","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Unwelcome environmental scratching in the home by pet cats (<em>Felis catus</em>) has been attributed to some form of stress-related marking. However, the relationship between scratching and potential stressors is not well-established. Emotional responses are key to understanding the nature of stress, as they have an organisational function that helps to prepare the animal for actions associated with a specific goal (e.g. frustration prepares an animal for dealing with limits to its autonomy). Thus the relationship between responses and emotionally competent stimuli can be used to help elucidate in what way a behaviour might (or might not) be related to stress. We therefore used a survey to explore the physical and social environmental contexts in which scratching occurs, to evaluate the relationship between scratching and potential stress in cats. An English-language, online survey of 1797 cat-owners explored scratching at 7 types of location in the home which may be of functional significance to the cat e.g. resting places, feeding places, and physical boundaries to the core territory. Binary logistic regression was used to model frequent versus infrequent scratching on feline biological factors (age, sex) and the presence of potential stressors e.g. other cats, dogs, children, and recent household changes. Cats scratched most frequently at resting places and in the living room and bedroom. The most frequently cited activities undertaken in the immediate vicinity of scratching were greeting people positively, sleeping, and entering or leaving a room. Known predictors of urine-marking were not significant predictors of scratching. The only potential stressors significantly associated with scratching were the absence of dogs in the home (which was contrary to the stress-association prediction), and the departure of a person from the household within the last 3 months (which is ambiguous in its relationship with stress). The association between scratching and locations associated with comfort, sleep, and positive interactions with caregivers, lead us to suggest that a major emotional association with scratching involves positive affect. We argue that this type of scratching might be predicted to be inhibited rather than exacerbated by stressors. We therefore suggest that the popular clinical behaviour assertion that increased scratching is a sign of stress in the home needs to be carefully considered and not assumed to be necessarily the case. Further research is required to explore whether specific forms of scratching might exist which are clearly related to some form of stress response.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"287 ","pages":"Article 106635"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143864622","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Jekyll and Hyde fish: Phenotype as a determinant of the invasion potential of Polypterus senegalus Cuvier, 1829","authors":"Tereza Valchářová ,&nbsp;Pavel Horký ,&nbsp;Surya Gentha Akmal ,&nbsp;Yonvitner ,&nbsp;Jiří Patoka ,&nbsp;Ondřej Slavík","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106634","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106634","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Biological invasions lead to considerable environmental and socioeconomic losses globally. For freshwater fish, the invasion potential of different phenotypes of the same species is influenced by various behavioural and physiological traits. In this study, we compared traits related to invasion potential between albino and pigmented grey bichir (<em>Polypterus senegalus</em>). This species, which is native to Africa, is widely traded as an ornamental animal worldwide. In Indonesia, established populations of both phenotypes have been found. The grey bichir poses a potential invasion risk due to its high adaptability and unique physiological traits, such as its ability to perform terrestrial locomotion, its well-developed lungs and its ability to breathe air. Four experiments were conducted to assess the behaviours of the albino and pigmented phenotypes in novel environments and their stress resistance, daily activity patterns, and feeding adaptability. The increased ventilatory rates and locomotor activity among the albino phenotype suggest higher stress levels compared with those of the pigmented phenotype, potentially making them less capable of dispersing to new localities. However, owing to their greater adaptability to food changes and superior ability to find shelter, the albino phenotype could still pose an invasion risk. On the basis of these findings, the cultivation and trade of albino bichir in aquaculture cannot be recommended because of the potential environmental risks, which may exceed those posed by their pigmented counterparts. These insights improve our understanding of fish invasion dynamics and support the development of regulatory measures in aquaculture.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"287 ","pages":"Article 106634"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143869758","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Do pairs exhibit similar behaviours? Evaluating inter-individual synchrony in activities of Magellanic penguins","authors":"Takashi Yamamoto ,&nbsp;Tomohiro Kakizaki ,&nbsp;Yukari Takashima ,&nbsp;Hiroe Tsunesumi ,&nbsp;Ken Yoda","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106633","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106633","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Animal welfare is a key priority in modern zoos and aquariums, with behavioural observations widely adapted as practical and effective methods for its assessment. Although increasing attention has been given to inter-individual interactions within a group, which can enhance animal welfare, such studies remain limited due to logistical constraints associated with conducting continuous behavioural observations alongside individual identification. Penguins, in particular, present significant challenges, as they are typically housed in groups and spend part of their time in aquatic environment. In this study, we employed animal-borne data loggers to record the on-water and on-land activities of captive Magellanic penguins <em>Spheniscus magellanicus</em>. The aim was to examine the behavioural synchrony of paired individuals, presumed to share close bonds, and consequently to explore which behavioural parameter could serve as a proxy for inter-individual affinity. On-water and on-land activities were monitored using immersion sensors attached to the flipper bands of 23 penguins, including three bonded pairs, at Sumida Aquarium, Tokyo, Japan, from 11 October 2022–9 October 2023. To assess inter-individual synchrony, kappa coefficient values were calculated for all unique pairwise combinations. Synchrony within pairs was relatively low during the breeding period but increased significantly during the non-breeding period, with on-water activity showing a marked tendency to be distinctly higher within pairs compared to non-paired individuals, serving as a proxy for inter-individual affinity in penguins. Additionally, simulated pseudo-observations suggested that approximately 250 intermittent observations of on-water instances are required to reliably detect substantial behavioural synchrony among individuals, which offers an alternative methodology that is both practical and suitable for daily observation settings by keepers. This study revealed significant synchrony in on-water activity during the non-breeding period within pairs; however, no data were available regarding inter-individual distances or other relevant interactions. Therefore, further research is needed to investigate spatial proximity and social interactions in greater detail to gain deeper insights.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"286 ","pages":"Article 106633"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143851563","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hand preferences in captive non-human primates are associated with generation and stress level","authors":"Lin Wang ,&nbsp;Yunchao Luo ,&nbsp;Haoyu Sun ,&nbsp;Yiru Gu ,&nbsp;Yu Wang ,&nbsp;Yali Bai ,&nbsp;Zhongqiu Li","doi":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106630","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.applanim.2025.106630","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Hand-use preferences of non-human primates are affected by various factors, such as posture and task difficulty. Additionally, the degree of lateralization may be a useful indicator for evaluating the welfare of non-human primates, but more empirical studies are needed to explore the relationship between lateralization and stress levels. In this study, we compared the handedness of four groups of Callitrichids at Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo during two tasks, simple reaching and reaching into a feeder, as well as the handedness of subjects that repeated the simple reaching task at a one-year interval. The subjects did not display different levels of hand preference (including direction and strength of hand preference) across four groups in the two different tasks, and 26 marmosets showed a stronger hand preference (absolute handedness index [<em>ABS-HI</em>]) in the repeated simple reaching task one year later. Individual factors such as sex and generation significantly impacted individual hand preference; in particular, the strength of hand preference in all three tests differed significantly across generations. The results revealed that individuals with high <em>ABS-HI</em> have higher levels of fecal cortisol in golden-handed tamarins (<em>Saguinus midas</em>), implying an association between handedness and physiological stress, which suggested the potential of using handedness as an indicator for assessing physiological stress in captive non-human primates in the future, thus contributing to enhancing animal welfare.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8222,"journal":{"name":"Applied Animal Behaviour Science","volume":"286 ","pages":"Article 106630"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143851564","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}