Giant Panda Maternal Care: A Test of the Experience Constraint Hypothesis.
The body condition constraint and the experience condition constraint hypotheses have both been proposed to account for differences in reproductive success between multiparous (experienced) and primiparous (first-time) mothers. However, because primiparous mothers are typically characterized by both inferior body condition and lack of experience when compared to multiparous mothers, interpreting experience related differences in maternal care as support for either the body condition constraint hypothesis or the experience constraint hypothesis is extremely difficult. Here, we examined maternal behaviour in captive giant pandas, allowing us to simultaneously control for body condition and provide a rigorous test of the experience constraint hypothesis in this endangered animal. We found that multiparous mothers spent more time engaged in key maternal behaviours (nursing, grooming, and holding cubs) and had significantly less vocal cubs than primiparous mothers. This study provides the first evidence supporting the experience constraint hypothesis in the order Carnivora, and may have utility for captive breeding programs in which it is important to monitor the welfare of this species' highly altricial cubs, whose survival is almost entirely dependent on receiving adequate maternal care during the first few weeks of life.
Zoo Atlanta 800 Cherokee Avenue SE Atlanta, GA 30315, U.S.A.|Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden 2101 NE 50th Street Oklahoma City, OK 73111, U.S.A.
Rebecca J
RJ
Snyder
Agnes Scott College 141 E. College Avenue Decatur, GA 30030, U.S.A.
Bonnie M
BM
Perdue
Chengdu Research Base for Giant Panda Breeding 1375 Xiongmao Avenue, Chenghua Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China 610081.
Zhihe
Z
Zhang
Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens 370 Zoo Parkway Jacksonville, FL 32218, U.S.A.
Terry L
TL
Maple
School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin (UCD), Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
Benjamin D
BD
Charlton
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D001503:Ursidae / Q000502:physiology*