Abstract

BARRERA, Gabriela  and  BENTOSELA, Mariana. Interspecific social skills in a highly socialized Aguará Guazú (maned wolf, Chrysocyon brachyurus): A pilot-subject study. Curr. Ethol. [online]. 2016, vol.15, n.1, pp. 55-63. ISSN 2594-9985.

The maned wolf or Aguará Guazú (Chrysocyon brachyurus), is the largest canid of South America and shares with the grey wolf (Canis lupus) a common wolf-like ancestor. They are solitary and avoid individuals of the same or different species, even in captivity. There is little data on the behavior of this species, even though it is in danger of extinction and conservation strategies are being developed. The aim of this work is to assess the behavior of a maned wolf raised by humans on interspecific social and cognitive tasks - sociability toward a familiar person and toward a stranger, gazing at the human face to ask for food, and following human cues to locate hidden food. The results show numerous social behaviors and the ability to learn to use human cues to solve problems. We discuss the importance of intensive socialization at early stages on the development of canids.

Keywords : Maned wolf; Early learning; Sociability; Communication.

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