Are there different vigilance strategies between types of social units in Lama guanicoe?

• Published in: Behavioural processes Vol. 167; p. 103914
• Main Authors: Taraborelli, Paula, Moreno, Pablo, Torres, Maria E. Mosca
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.10.2019
• Subjects: Animals; Behavior, Animal - physiology; Camelids, New World - physiology; Cooperative Behavior; Ecosystem; Female; Guanaco; Male; Predation risk; Predatory Behavior; Social Behavior; Social organization; Ungulate; Vigilance behaviour; Wakefulness - physiology; Guanaco; Ungulate; Vigilance behaviour; Social organization; Predation risk
• ISSN: 0376-6357; 1872-8308
• DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2019.103914

•The vigilance behaviour cannot be generalized for Lama guanicoe.•There are differences between the types of social unit.•The differences were related to intrinsic characteristics of each social units.•The presence of offspring would increase the vigilance to detect possible predators.•The differences were related to the perception of risk. Group vigilance is a cooperative behaviour in social species that reduces individual risk of predation. Lama guanicoe is a social species of camelid performing cooperative vigilance, but little is known about the vigilance behaviour of different social units. We analysed the vigilance behaviour in different types of social units of L. guanicoe, to better understand the complexity of this behaviour. The best supported models for both the frequency of vigilance and the proportion of time vigilant included the type and size of social units as the most important predictors that affect the vigilance behaviour. Solitary males devoted proportionally more time in vigilance behaviour than family, mixed or bachelor groups, whereas females in female groups spent more time vigilant than guanacos in mixed groups. Frequency of vigilance was higher in family individuals and solitary males than in bachelor or mixed groups. It is likely that that in family and females groups, the presence of offspring would increase the vigilance behaviour to detect possible predators. Topography and habitat characteristics that determine the predation risk, affected vigilance behaviour of mixed groups and solitary males. Our results suggest that vigilance behaviour should not be generalized for this species, since there are differences between the types of social units, probably related to intrinsic characteristics of each one and the perception of risk.