Various parallels have been drawn between wolves and humans from the perspective of their social organisation. Therefore, studying wolves may well shed light on the evolutionary origins of complex human cognition and, in particular, on the role that cooperation played in its development. Humans closely share their lives with millions of dogs – the domesticated form of wolves. Biologically, wolves and dogs can be considered to be the same species; yet only dogs are suitable living companions in human homes, highlighting the importance of cognitive and emotional differences between the two forms. The behaviour of wolves and dogs largely depends on the environment the animals grew up and live in. This book reviews more than 50 years of research on the differences and similarities of wolves and dogs. Beyond the socio-ecology, the work explores different theories about when and how the domestication of wolves might have started and which behaviours and cognitive abilities might have changed during this process. Readers will discover how these fascinating animals live with their conspecifics in their social groups, how they approach and solve problems in their daily lives and how they see and interact with their human partners.
Author(s): Friederike Range, Sarah Marshall-Pescini
Series: Fascinating Life Sciences
Publisher: Springer
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 392
City: Cham
Foreword
Foreword
Acknowledgements
Contents
1: Introduction
1.1 Why Study the Cognitive Abilities of Wolves?
1.2 How Wolves Became Dogs Maybe
1.2.1 The `Human-Selection´ Scenario
Box 1.1 The Tame Foxes and the Pioneering Ideas of Belyaev
1.2.2 The Self-Domestication Scenario
1.3 Wolves and Dogs Today
1.4 Book Overview
References
2: Comparing the Behaviour and Cognition of Wolves and Dogs
2.1 Wolf Park Indiana, Battle Ground, IN (1972-Present)
2.2 Kiel
2.3 Erik Zimen
2.4 University of Michigan Canine Information-Processing Project (1979-1984)
2.5 Family Dog Project of the Department of Ethology, Budapest (2002-2004, Partially Ongoing)
2.6 The Dog Cognition Programme at Max Planck Institute in Leipzig
2.7 Tovetorp Zoological Research Station of Stockholm University (2014-2016)
2.8 Wolf Science Center (2008-Present)
Box 2.1 The Beginning
2.8.1 Decisions Taken for the Set-up of the Wolf Science Center
2.8.2 The Reality
2.8.3 Socialization of Our Animals
2.8.4 Other Research Projects Connected to the Wolf Science Center
Box 2.2 The First Year and the Present
References
3: The Socio-Ecology of Wolves
3.1 A Few General Facts
3.2 Environment and Diet: The Wolf as the Epitome of the Hunter?
3.2.1 Factors Influencing Hunting Success
3.2.2 The Diet of Wolves
3.3 Social Organization
3.3.1 Pack Composition and Pack Size
3.3.2 Mating and Reproduction
3.3.2.1 Mating
3.3.2.2 Reproduction
3.3.3 Parental Care: Cooperative Breeding
3.3.4 Pup Mortality and Dispersal
3.3.4.1 Factors Influencing Pup Mortality
3.3.4.2 Dispersal
3.3.5 Social Dynamics
3.3.6 Territory Defence
3.4 Recolonization of Wolves
Box 3.1 The Italian Invasion and `Going into the Wild´
3.5 Summary
References
4: The Socio-Ecology of Free-Ranging Dogs
Box 4.1 A journey into the world of FRDs
4.1 A Few General Facts
4.2 Environment and Diet: Scavenger or Hunter?
4.2.1 Dog: The Scavenger
4.2.2 Dog: The Hunter
4.3 Social Organization
4.3.1 Group Size: When Are Dogs Solitary and When Social?
4.3.2 Group Composition
4.3.3 Mating and Reproduction
4.3.4 Parental Care
4.3.4.1 Maternal Care
4.3.4.2 Paternal Care
4.3.4.3 Alloparental Care
4.3.4.4 Dispersal and Mortality
4.3.5 Social Dynamics
4.3.5.1 Home Range and Between-Pack Relationships
4.4 Summary
References
5: Social Dynamics Between Conspecifics
5.1 Dominance and Aggression
5.1.1 Formal Signals of Dominance in Wolves and Dogs
5.1.2 Dominance, Hierarchy, and Leadership in Captive and Free-Living Wolves and Dogs
5.1.3 Dominance and Aggression: Wolves and Dogs Compared
5.2 Dominance and Access to Resources
5.2.1 Dominance, Aggression, and Access to Resources: Wolves and Dogs Compared
5.2.1.1 Summary Dominance and Aggression
5.3 Affiliative Relationships
5.3.1 Affiliation: Wolves and Dogs Compared
5.3.1.1 Summary Affiliation
5.4 Play
5.4.1 Summary Play
5.5 Reconciliation
5.5.1 Summary Conflict Management
5.6 Do the Affiliative and Dominance Dimensions Affect Wolves´ and Dogs´ Behaviour in Different Contexts?
5.7 Summary
References
6: Social Behaviour with Humans
6.1 Attachment and Sociability
6.2 Wolves and Dogs Compared
6.2.1 Puppy Tests
6.2.1.1 Attachment
6.2.1.2 Sociability
6.2.1.3 Tractability
6.2.2 Summary Studies with Puppies
6.2.3 Adult Tests
6.3 Physiological Correlates of the Human-Animal Social Bond
6.3.1 Wolves and Dogs Compared
6.3.2 Summary Bonding and Physiology
6.4 Overall Summary
Box 6.1 Life of a P(ee)hD student at the Wolf Science Center (by Gwendolyn Wirobski)
References
7: Social Cognition Part I: Communication with Humans
7.1 Understanding (Human) Communicative Cues
7.1.1 Gaze Following
7.1.2 Following Pointing
7.1.3 Do Dogs and Wolves Differ in Regard to Understanding Communicative Cues?
7.1.3.1 Establishing Eye Contact
7.1.3.2 Gaze Following into Distant Space
7.1.3.3 Following Gaze Around a Barrier
7.1.3.4 Gazing and Pointing in the Two-Choice Task
Proximal (Momentary) Pointing
Distal Pointing
Gazing
7.1.4 Sensitivity to Ostensive Cues
7.1.5 Summary
7.2 Communicating with Humans
7.2.1 Sensitivity to the Attentional States of Others
7.2.2 Showing Behaviour
7.2.3 `Looking Back´ Behaviour in the Impossible Task
7.2.4 Summary Communication with Humans
7.3 Summary Communication
References
8: Social Cognition Part II: Social Learning and Cooperation
8.1 Social Learning
8.1.1 Local Enhancement
8.1.2 Imitation
8.1.3 Summary Social Learning
8.2 Cooperation
8.2.1 Prosocial Behaviour
8.2.1.1 The Prosocial Choice Test (PCT)
The Touchscreen Version
Location Choice
Group-Service Paradigm
8.2.1.2 Food Sharing
8.2.1.3 Summary Prosocial Studies
8.2.2 Inequity Aversion
8.2.2.1 Summary
8.2.3 Coordination in a Cooperative Problem-Solving Task
8.2.3.1 Animal-Animal Coordination
8.2.3.2 Animal-Human Coordination
8.2.3.3 The Role of the Partner
8.2.3.4 Summary
8.2.3.5 What Factors Influence the Success of Cooperation?
8.2.4 Summary Cooperation
References
9: Physical Cognition Part I: Problem Solving and Its Correlates
9.1 Motivational Factors
9.1.1 Neophobia and Exploration
9.1.2 Persistence and a Little Bit of Motor Diversity
9.1.3 Summary: Motivational Factors
9.2 Attention and Working Memory
9.3 Inhibitory Control
9.3.1 Cognitive Inhibition
9.3.2 Motor Inhibition
9.3.3 Self-Control
9.3.4 Summary Inhibition
9.4 General Summary
References
10: Physical Cognition Part II: Learning and Reasoning
10.1 Learning
10.1.1 Summary: Learning
10.2 Inferential Reasoning
10.2.1 Reasoning by Exclusion
10.2.2 Diagnostic Inference
10.2.3 Predictive Inference
10.2.4 Summary: Inference
10.3 Numerical Competence
10.3.1 Summary: Numerical Competence
10.4 General Summary
References
11: Domestication Hypotheses Relating to Behaviour and Cognition: Which Are Supported by the Current Data?
11.1 A Comprehensive Theory for All Domesticated Animals: `The Domestication Syndrome´
11.1.1 Evidence For and Against the Domestication Syndrome
11.2 What Brought About the Behavioural Wolf-Dog Differences We See Today and Which Hypotheses Are Supported by the Current Da...
11.2.1 Interactions with Humans
11.2.1.1 Part I: Domestication Hypotheses
Selection for Temperament Traits
Tameness (i.e. Reduced Fear and Aggression of Humans)
Sociability and Attachment
Selection Related to Socio-cognitive Skills
Socio-cognitive Skills (General)
Social Cooperative Skills
Attention Towards the Human Face
Inhibition
Deferential Behaviour
Composite Hypotheses
11.2.1.2 Part II: Data in Support of These Hypotheses
Sociability and Attachment
Leadership, Conflict Management, and Aggression
Socio-cognitive Abilities in Relation to Humans
11.2.2 Social Behaviour with Conspecifics
11.2.2.1 Part I: Domestication Hypotheses
11.2.2.2 Part II: Data in Support of These Hypotheses
11.2.3 Interaction with the Environment
11.2.3.1 Part I: Domestication Hypotheses
11.2.3.2 Part II: Data in Support of These Hypotheses
11.3 Summary and Overall Conclusions
Box 11.1 A Few Unanswered Questions
References
WSC (Wolf Science Center) Ethogram for Pocket Observer
