Same-sex mounts provide male juvenile golden snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana) with opportunities to practice heterosexual copulatory skills and are often followed by grooming (post-mounting grooming, PMG). We hypothesized that juveniles acted as the mountee and provided mounting opportunities to receive grooming from their peer mounter. Here, we observed same-sex mounts among male juveniles (N = 5) in a captive group of R. roxellana in Shanghai Wild Animal Park, China, from November 2014 to June 2015. Among 1,044 mounts recorded, 45.40% were accompanied by PMG initiated by the mounter and only 3.74% were followed by PMG initiated by the mountee. Mountees were more likely to receive PMG when they performed a mounting solicitation than when they did not, or when they were mounted for a longer time (even if they did not solicit). Over a long timeframe (1 month), mountee’s tended to choose partners who groomed them more often than others after mounting, regardless of how long the grooming lasted. However, whether the mounter groomed the mountee did not predict the mounting direction in their subsequent mount. Our results suggest that, in the context of same-sex mounts, juveniles provide mounting opportunities to receive grooming from peers on a long-term, rather than on a short-term basis. This study provides the first evidence that juveniles’ same-sex mounting strategy may be associated with the grooming market in nonhuman primates, which necessitates further investigation with large free-ranging groups due to the limited sample size of individuals and the captive setting of the current study.

The haematological and biochemical parameters of endangered wild animals in gestation can provide the knowledge of normal physical conditions and recognition of every abnormality, then contribute to conservation and management. For better breeding management of Chinese water deer (Hydropotes inermis) reintroduced population, a series of haematological and biochemical parameters were tested and analyzed, viz. white blood cells (WBC), red blood cells (RBC), haemoglobin (HGB), packed-cell volume (PCV), platelet count (PLT), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean red blood cells distribution width coefficient of variation (RDW) and different hematological parameters viz. total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), globulin (GLB), albumin to globulin ratio (A/G), total bilirubin (TBIL), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), γ-glutamyl transferase (GGT), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), AST/ALT, creatinine, urea (BUN), uric acid, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride, creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and cortisol. The WBC value of non-pregnants was significantly higher than that of pregnants; the total cholesterol and total bilirubin concentration was significantly lower in pregnants. The hematological and serum biochemical parameters to change when the pregnant Chinese water deer pregnancy, which could be used in health monitoring and disease diagnosis of the Chinese water deer and reference for other cervids.

Same-sex mounting behavior has been documented across primate species and several biological functions, that are often difficult to differentiate, have been proposed. Postmounting affiliative behaviors (e.g., embracing and grooming) have been partly overlooked and their performance may more clearly reveal the function of same-sex mounts for different age-sex classes. Here, considering postmounting grooming behaviors (PMG), we tested the affiliation hypothesis for same-sex mounts in an all-male unit (AMU) of captive golden snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana) (n = 7-8) and the needing to learn hypothesis in the juveniles of the AMU (n = 4) and the juvenile male from the neighboring one-male unit in Shanghai Wild Animal Park, China from November 2014 to June 2015. A total of 1986 same-sex mounts were recorded from the AMU individuals and the juvenile of the neighboring one-male unit. We found that neither dyadic proximity-based association nor grooming-based affiliation predicted the occurrence of mounts in the AMU, and PMG was more likely to occur in nontense than tense social contexts, providing no support for the affiliation hypothesis. Although dyadic grooming-based affiliation predicted the occurrence of PMG, it exerted no influence on the occurrence of mounts, which was necessary to support the hypothesis. However, consistent with the needing to learn hypothesis, from ages two to four, juveniles' mounting duration increased and they performed pelvic thrusting during mounting more and more often as they grew older. Reciprocated series mounts were much more common among juveniles than other mounting dyads, providing learning opportunities for both participants. The mounter was more likely to groom the mountee at the end of a mount among juveniles than other mounting dyads, suggesting that juvenile mounters may profit from mounting and groom mountees in return for providing them with opportunities to learn copulatory skills. A hypothesis that merits further investigation.

So far, only a handful of species have successfully passed the mirror test, showing the mirror self-recognition ability. Birds that have been claimed to show this ability are all corvids. In this study, we conducted a series of mirror-related tests, including open mirror exposure, mirror-mediated foraging task and mark test, to investigate this ability in the African grey parrot. Subjects responded to the mirror on three levels. Three subjects consistently showed social behaviours towards the mirror, two of which repeatedly hit the mirror throughout the test, indicating a complete lack of mirror perception and self-recognition. Two subjects showed social behaviours or hit the mirror almost within the first 10 min of the mirror trial, indicating they initially recognized mirror images as conspecifics but changed this misconception over time. There was only one individual, who not only never hit the mirror and exhibited social behaviours towards the mirror, but also could use the mirror to locate hidden food and mark on the body that was invisible without a mirror. However, considering the lack of contingent behaviours and spontaneous mirror-guided self-directed behaviours, it is hard to assert the African grey parrot possesses mirror self-recognition. All in all, we found our subjects responded differently towards the mirror, showing varying levels of understanding of the mirror. Our findings support the gradualist perspective on mirror self-recognition. Different mark methods are also discussed, and we suggest attaching the mark on the mandible in future parrot research.

Behavioural laterality was widely discovered in both vertebrates and invertebrates. However, reports of behavioural laterality in scent-marking are scarce and focused on limb preference during scent-marking. In this study, we observed another scent-marking behaviour, anogenital rubbing, which involved whole-body movement, in zoo-housed Chinese red pandas. We recorded the moving direction of the buttocks when initiating anogenital rubbing. Our results showed that three of our subjects were explicitly left-biased when initiating anogenital rubbing and the other one showed more left initiation although there was no statistical significance. Besides, the laterality was consistent across the whole observational period. This is the first report of laterality in anogenital rubbing, perhaps indicating hemispheric specialization for chemical communication in the Chinese red panda.

Limb preference, associated with behavioural laterality and hemispheric lateralization, has long received high attention from both ethologists and psychologists. Chinese red pandas in Shanghai Zoo perform natural unimanual actions in two different ways during food handling, making it an appropriate subject to investigate the effect of food handling on pawedness. In this study, we estimated the direction and the strength of pawedness in spontaneous feeding behaviours in zoo-housed Chinese red pandas. All the subjects exclusively used the preferred paw when handling fruit pieces throughout the observational period, with three of them preferred the left paw while the other two the right paw. By contrast, both paws were found to be used alternately in consuming bamboo. Our results indicate that different food manipulations have effects on pawedness in the Chinese red panda where more complex handling could probably enhance its pawedness.

科学家通过镜子测试来研究动物的镜像自我认知,进而探索自我意识在动物中的进化.本文列举了目前为止通过了镜子测试的物种,并介绍了根据物种行为能力差异而进行的测试方法和标准的改进.

Sufficient genetic variation is vital for the long-term survival of a population. The adaptive potential and reproductive fitness of a population is generally enhanced by greater levels of genetic diversity, while loss of genetic variation in small populations may increase extinction risk due to disease susceptibility and decreased reproductive fitness. Determining levels of genetic diversity in threatened species can, therefore, help inform conservation strategies. The Chinese water deer (Hydropotes inermis) is classified as Vulnerable in its native range on the IUCN Red List, and populations in Korea and mainland China have declined drastically in recent years. However, the species was introduced to Europe about a century ago and populations there now make up over 40% of global numbers. To infer the population genetic structure and genetic diversity of Chinese water deer both in their native China and in populations introduced to the UK and France, variation in mitochondrial DNA was investigated for over 100 individuals (92 cytochrome b and 106 control region sequences). Our results reveal lower levels of genetic diversity in the British populations, differentiation between native and introduced populations, and that the source population of British deer is likely to be extinct. Recommendations are made for the conservation of populations.

Scientists have spent great efforts exploring self-recognition in non-human animals using the mirror test. In avian species, some of the passerines have passed the test, although the findings are still under debate. The present study aimed at investigating mirror self-recognition ability and making a comparative study of mirror responses in two avian species, the common hill myna from the Passeriformes and the African grey parrot from the Psittaciformes. The subjects underwent four stages of experiment: habituation, baseline, mirror exposure and mark test. Our subjects spent significantly longer time in gazing into the mirror than the plexiglass as control. We also found they significantly increased the durations of grooming behaviour when presented with the mirror. No species difference was detected in the above two behaviours. However, the African grey parrots were more likely to approach the mirror than the common hill mynas, indicating their different ways of mirror exploration. All subjects failed to pass the mark test. In this study, we found no evidence of mirror self-recognition in the common hill myna and the African grey parrot.

It has been suggested that social relationships are more likely to be prone to variation in the dispersing sex than the philopatric sex. However, we know less about the dynamics of all-male groups in male-dispersing species than we do about other types of primate groups. We studied male sociality in a captive group of golden snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana), which was composed of a one-male unit (OMU, N = 7) and an all-male unit (AMU, N = 7 or 8), in Shanghai Wild Animal Park, China. Using data collected for 6 months, during which there was a demographic change in the AMU and the alpha male was replaced by a newcomer, we found that a dramatic change in social ranks occurred accompanied by elevated aggression following this social upheaval. A proximity-based social network analysis revealed that members did not associate randomly any more but formed differentiated relationships post-upheaval, resulting in three distinct sub-units in the AMU. In terms of inter-unit interactions, significant changes were found in the affiliations between the male juvenile of OMU and AMU individuals. He interacted with AMU individuals randomly and frequently pre-upheaval, but cut down his affiliations and had a preferred partner post-upheaval, who was a member of the dominant male’s sub-unit. Our findings suggest that social networks in the dispersing sex are dynamic structures and vary by some demographic change (e.g., individual immigration) in the studied species. We also put forward that individual dominance could be a criterion when the male juvenile chooses partners before he immigrates into a group. In conclusion, the high level of behavioral flexibility of the dispersing sex could be an evolutional strategy and good for individuals’ future dispersing life.

It has been hypothesized that same-sex mounts can reflect the hierarchical relationship in a mounting dyad and it is widely deemed that mounting and being mounted are demonstrations of dominant and subordinate status, respectively. In this research, we aimed to test whether same-sex mounts function as dominance assertion in male golden snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus roxellana). We investigated this behavior in eight-individuals, captive all-male unit (AMU) in Shanghai wild animal park, China. Behavioral observations were conducted with a total of 1,855 mounts recorded from November, 2014 to June, 2015, during which the alpha male was replaced in the beginning of April. In support to the dominance assertion hypothesis, we found that during the entire study period the higher-ranking male was more likely to be the mounter than the lower-ranking one, except the mounts that happened among juveniles in peaceful and playful social contexts. Our study indicates that the hierarchical relationship of a mounting dyad can be influenced by the age-class of the participants and the social context where mounting occurs. We suggest that same-sex mounts might have different functions in different age groups and be multifunctional in a species.

本文对重引入后野放于上海滨江森林公园的獐进行无线电遥测跟踪研究,确定其在公园内286个斑块内的有效活动位点,分析其活动范围,并通过Vanderloeg选择系数和Scavia选择指数分析其栖息地选择.结果显示,以最小凸多边形法得到的重引入獐的活动范围面积从24.94 hm2至83.24 hm2不等,均值为58.74 hm2;以固定核空间法得到的面积从11.23 hm2至41.52 hm2不等,均值为26.93 hm2.野放后的獐偏好选择面积为1-2 hm2的较大斑块和距离水源较远的栖息地.在植被因子的选择上,野放后的獐倾向选择野草地为主、乔木和灌木密度适中、乔木高度10-15 m、草本高度30 cm以上的栖息地,避免选择乔木高度低于5 m、草本高度过低(＜5 cm)和无草本植物分布的栖息地.建议在今后重引入项目实施中,在郊野公园或者其它城市绿林地内为獐营造植被盖度和密度适中、隐蔽性良好、斑块面积适中的栖息地,并补种高草本,促进物种重引入成功.

Reintroduction projects for recovery of endangered species are widespread, but mostly conducted in wild area, few in urban area. As VU species in IUCN red list and second protected animal, Chinese water deer (Hydropotes inermis) (CWD) has lived in Shanghai in the history. Evaluate the feasibility and background, CWD reintroduction project launched in Shanghai at 2006. Huaxia park (in Pudong district, Shanghai) was chosen as a plot area to establish release stock, after two year, the deer has not only adapted to the climatic conditions，but also succeeded in reproducing. The stock numbers in Huaxia Park grew from 21 to 51 in the first couple of years; 80.95% of the introduced individuals survived and the survival rate of their offspring was 79.54%. In 2008, Punan Wood land (Songjiang district, Shanghai) was a controllable habitat and was selected for acclimatization. As followed step, Binjiang Park (Pudong District, Shanghai) and Nanhui East shoal (Pudong District, Shanghai) as controllable location and uncontrollable loci for deer releasing in 2009. The population in Binjiang Park is stable and watched by locals and tourists sometimes. The population in Nanhui East Shoal was difficult for monitoring due to the area is opening, but two deer foraging pictures were captured by infrared cameras in 2014. These photographs showed that the released deer in the Nanhui east shoal had survived, and also indicated that the wetland is one of the feasible habitats for release. Continued monitoring will go on and the suitable releasing places need to evaluate. Look into the overall planning scheme of Shanghai ‘Country Park’, a total area of 400 km2 will become country parks with natural design. The important function of these parks is to meet the habitat demand of wildlife in and around the Shanghai city. They will be in the candidate list as potential habitats for Chinese water deer. This project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant no. 31401985); Science and Technology research key projects on agriculture of Shanghai (SH Agriculture (2007), No 3–6); Science and Technology Development Fund of Pudong new district (No. PKJ2006N06). The work was also supported by Shanghai Landscaping and City Appearance Administrative Bureau, Department of Wildlife Protection Administration and WWF Shanghai Office.

The activity pattern of wild animals is influenced by both the external environment and the internal physiological mechanism and it is basic information for the scientific conservation. Daily activity rhythm and activity intensity of six reintroduced Chinese water deer(Hydropotes inermis) have been studied by radio-telemetry in Songjiang Punan Woodland and Shanghai Binjiang Forest Park. Individuals were located on foot. by radio tracking technique. Movement of each individual was processed by Locate Ⅲ and Arc GIS Map 9.2. We analyzed the impact of human activities on the activity pattern of the deer. Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to test the normality of data and Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the mean activity intensity of individuals in the day and night between seasons In Songjiang Punan Woodland, the average activity intensity of the three deer was 144.88 m/h. The deer was slightly more active in the daytime than they did at night. The deer decreased their activity from summer to the next spring(Table 1). In the spring the deer moved significantly less distance than they did in any other seasons by the results of Mann-Whitney U test. The deer were most active in June and least active in March(Fig. 1). The mean activity intensity for each deer also decreased from June to March(Fig. 2). Two obvious activity peaks were found in the morning(5:00﹣8:00) and evening(18:00﹣21:00). Another small active peak was found during(13:00﹣15:00)(Fig. 3 and Fig. 4) in the autumn. The deer showed a crepuscular behavior in summer and autumn(Fig. 5). In Shanghai Binjiang Forest Park, the average activity intensity of 3 three deer was 69.90 m/h and the deer were slightly less active in the daytime than they did at the night(Table 2). The deer moved more in the winter than they did in they spring and decreased the movement from December to May(Fig. 6 and Fig. 7). The deer didn′t show a crepuscular behaviour(Fig. 8) and their activity peak was only found from 9:00 to 11:00, especially during winter for the male(Fig. 9 and Fig. 10). It was assumed that artificial feeding, tourists and other human activities had influenced the activity pattern of the released deer.

The Chinese water deer was once widely spread in Liaodong Peninsula, North China Plain and both banks of the Yangtze River and the Korean peninsula. Due to long-term environmental changes and influence of human development, its wild population in China has rapidly declined, both in abundance and distribution. As one of the native species in the history of Shanghai, Chinese water deer was introduced to Shanghai for captive breeding in 2006 and were released into the wild in 2010. The present study was conducted in Nanhui East Shoal Wildlife Sanctuary. The reintroduction of Chinese water deer was carried out separately in June and October 2010. So as to study the movement of the deer after release, 12 Chinese water deer (sex ratio 1 : 1) were tagged with radio-collars. We successfully used radio-telemetry to track 10 deer, and used the minimum convex polygon (MCP) and fixed kernel estimation (FKE) methods to calculate their home range. The results showed that using the MCP method, the mean home-range size of Chinese water deer was estimated to be 671 ha (range 245–1559 ha), while using the 95% FKE method, the mean was estimated to be 262 ha (range 43–435 ha). The mean home-range size of a buck was smaller than that of a doe by both MCP and FKE. The mean home-range size of an adult female was smaller than that of a subadult female. The largest seasonal home-range size (MCP, 275 ha) occurred during the winter of the first year, which then kept on shrinking in spring and summer. Home-range overlap was found among the home range of each individual. The mean overlap size was 303 ha. The mean overlap size was 135 ha in bucks, 422 ha in does and 270 ha between the buck and the doe. The study reflects that the seasonal food change is probably the main factor for the change of home-range size. Oestrus may also result in the enlargement of home range in winter. As an attempt to reintroduce large mammals to cities, we hope to provide useful experience for future wildlife management and conservation.

Chinese water deer (Hydropotes inermis) was endangered in China and vanished from Shanghai early in the 20th century. The deer was reintroduced from 2006 onward, so as to re-establish a wild population in Shanghai. We obtained the deer from the breeding stock and released them. The deer numbers increased from 21 in 2007 to 299 in 2013. There has been a total area of 30.62 km(2) of free-range deer release from 2010 and this will be enlarged in the future.

As a native species in history, Chinese water deer were reintroduced to Shanghai in 2006 and were released into the wild, at Nanhui East Shoal Wildlife Sanctuary, in 2010. In order to study the dispersal, we used radio telemetry to track 12 released deer's movements. The research suggests that all the bucks showed clear dispersal behaviour in the initial period, and their dispersal occurred earlier and lasted longer than that of the does. Most bucks' dispersing movement occurred from the third day to the fifth day after release, and the dispersing does' movement occurred from the eighth to the ninth day. The first dispersal of the bucks lasted for 4-5days, while this was only 1-2days for the does. The mean dispersal distance for the bucks was 623m in the initial period of relocation, and that of the does was significantly smaller. The dispersal distance for sub-adults was also considerably smaller than that of the adults. Reed wetland was the main habitat the deer liked to select. After the initial period, the mean dispersal distance was 857m and bucks still dispersed significantly farther than does did. Most surviving individuals displayed a new dispersal during early December, but the adult does showed a tendency of retraction from the following January. Unfamiliarity with new environments might explain why the deer did not immediately disperse after release. After becoming familiar with food distribution and shelter conditions, they dispersed further in order to avoid predation risk. In order to improve the survival rate of reintroduced deer, we suggest releasing the adult individuals of robust physique into the wild in future programmes, and more attention should be paid to the initial 9days after releasing the species. Increasing the local experience of the captive-born animals and helping them become familiar with the new wild habitat will improve the survival rate in future reintroductions.

This communication reports some evidence of the reintroduced Chinese water deer surviving in the Nanhui Wildlife Sanctuary, Shanghai, China. Deer were still present in the sanctuary in 2014 and evidence of breeding was also recorded. Historically, the deer was last recorded in Shanghai in 1890. The Chinese Water Deer Reintroduction Project was started in Shanghai in 2006, in order to restore the native Chinese water deer population.

野生动物栖息地是生物多样性保护的研究热点之一,也是国家和地区生态安全及生态管理的关注对象.本文突破了传统意义上只注重野生动物自然分布单一角度的研究模式,探讨从野生动物资源自然分布和城市管理双维度分析城市野生动物栖息地的分布现状,寻找"自然生态与城市管理"的耦合点,以上海市为例分析城市野生动物栖息地的分布、类型、特点、保护管理现状及面临的问题.本研究在分析野生动物栖息地基础上,查阅相关文献及材料,结合上海的实际情况,提出了适合高度城市化地区的野生动物栖息地保护模式,具体包括自然保护区保护模式、野生动物禁猎区保护模式、野生动物重要栖息地模式、城市补充栖息地保护模式等4种模式,并从模式的宗旨、目标、内容、土地权属、管理主体和形式、法律地位、运营模式、管理成本分析等方面进行了探讨,以期为城市化地区野生动物栖息地保护的最佳模式提供理论依据和应用参考.