Exploring Differences in Dogs' and Wolves' Preference for Risk in a Foraging Task.

ABSTRACT: Both human and non-humans species face decisions in their daily lives which may entail taking risks. At the individual level, a propensity for risk-taking has been shown to be positively correlated with explorative tendencies, whereas, at the species level a more variable and less stable feeding ecology has been associated with a greater preference for risky choices. In the current study we compared two closely related species; wolves and dogs, which differ significantly in their feeding ecology and their explorative tendencies. Wolves depend on hunting for survival with a success rate of between 15 and 50%, whereas free-ranging dogs (which make up 80% of the world dog population), are largely scavengers specialized on human produce (i.e., a more geographically and temporally stable resour

SUBMITTER: Marshall-Pescini S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4993792 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature