Influence of different diet regimes on behaviour of lemurs Lemur catta Linnaeus, 1758 and Varecia variegata Kerr, 1792

Abstract

Malobrojna su istraživanja o utjecaju režima prehrane na ponašanje jedinki u zatočeništvu. Cilj ovog istraživanja, na dvije grupe lemura prstenastorepih i čupavouhih lemura, je utvrditi povezanost zdrave prehrane na bazi povrća s ponašanjem jedinki. Utvrđeno je da prehrana u prirodi sadrži složene ugljikohidrate (vlakna), a voće iz uzgoja u zoološkim vrtovima sadrži više jednostavnih ugljikohidrata (glukoza, fruktoza). Prehrana je mogući uzrok fizioloških nedostataka jedinki u zatočeništvu. Provela sam prethodna promatranja i kreirala tablicu ponašanja prilagođenu našim grupama. Grupe su promatrane jednako ujutro i popodne u trajanju od tri sata (jedan prije hranjenja i dva poslije), a opažena ponašanja bilježila sam svake dvije minute. Rezultati su pokazali da su obje grupe više vremena provodile u odmaranju i probavljanju hrane, čija se konzumacija također značajno povećala, te u prosocijalnim (pozitivnim međusobnim) interakcijama. Promjenom prehrane u grupi čupavouhih lemura došlo je do značajnog pada agonističkih (negativnih, agresivnih) ponašanja. Odgovori obaju promatranih grupa ovisili su o sastavu grupe i u detaljima se razlikuju, no generalni zaključak je da prehrana utječe na ponašanje i nužna su detaljnija istraživanja varijabli koje su se pokazale ključne u ovom istraživanju.There are a few researches about influence of diet regimes on animal behaviour in captivity. Aim of this research, on two groups black and white ruff-eared and ring-tailed lemurs, is to confirm the influence of healthy vegetable based diet on behaviour of individuals. It is known that diet in nature contains complex carbohydrates (fibers), and that fruit in the zoos contains much more simple carbohydrates (glucose, fructose). Diet could be the cause of physiological limitations of individuals in captivity. I did preliminary monitoring and created the table of behaviours for our groups. Monitoring was equal for morning and afternoon sessions in duration of three hours (one before feeding and two after), recording behaviours every two minutes. The results have shown that both groups spent more time resting and digesting, the feeding rate had grown, and their prosocial interactions (positive mutual) increased. The diet change in black and white ruff-eared lemurs caused the significant decrease of agonistic (aggressive) behaviours. The response of both groups depended on group formation and they differed in details, but general conclusion is that diet has influence on the behaviour and it is necessary to test important variables from this research in other circumstances