Feral asses ( Equus africanus) of Volcano Alcédo, Galapagos: behavioral ecology, spatial distribution, and social organization

Abstract

Feral asses were studied on Volcano Alcédo, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, during the wet season of 1980. On the volcano rim during March/April, two stable groups were observed to have a `female (harem) defense' polygynous mating system [Emlen, S.T., Oring, S.W., 1977. Ecology, sexual selection, and the evolution of mating systems. Science 197 (4300), pp. 215–223] and social behavior patterns and feeding ecology similar to feral asses living in a habitat where forage and climate are similar, e.g., Ossabaw Island, Georgia [Moehlman, P.D., 1979. Behavior and ecology of feral asses ( Equus asinus). Nat. Geogr. Soc. Res. Rep., 1970, pp. 405–411; Moehlman, P.D., 1997. Feral asses ( Equus africanus): intraspecific variation in social organization in arid and mesic habitats. J. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci., this issue; McCort, W.D., 1980. The feral asses ( Equus asinus) of Ossabaw Island, Georgia., PhD Dissertation, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, 219 pp.].