Encoding of Emotional Valence in Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) Calls.

ABSTRACT: Measuring emotions in nonhuman mammals is challenging. As animals are not able to verbally report how they feel, we need to find reliable indicators to assess their emotional state. Emotions can be described using two key dimensions: valence (negative or positive) and arousal (bodily activation or excitation). In this study, we investigated vocal expression of emotional valence in wild boars (Sus scrofa). The animals were observed in three naturally occurring situations: anticipation of a food reward (positive), affiliative interactions (positive), and agonistic interactions (negative). Body movement was used as an indicator of emotional arousal to control for the effect of this dimension. We found that screams and squeals were mostly produced during negative situations, and grunts during

SUBMITTER: Maigrot AL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6025020 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature