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| Chercher la Mom: Multimodal Attention Within Mule Deer Odocoileus hemionus Social Groups |
| Andrew G. Fulmer, Solei Johnston, Adrian Lazos, Gabriel Sadongei, Isabella Tasevoli. Fort Lewis College, Durango, Colorado, United States |
Mule deer�Odocoileus hemionus�use multiple sensory modalities to maintain fission/fusion groups which vary somewhat in membership across seasons, engaging in socially complex behaviors with relatively low aggression. Matrilineal, female-philopatric groups are joined by males after fawning season. Mate selection is accomplished by a tending-bond based form of polygyny. We monitored social spacing & attentional displays of a wild, human-presence-habituated mule deer herd occupying an alpine college campus year-round, using observation, camera traps, and transect-based sampling. From these data we assemble a picture of the social organization of the fission-fusion groups which constitute this herd across one calendar year. We find that of all social phenotypes observed, does receive the most attention across modalities. We find variation in the modalities employed towards the different observed social phenotypes, with does and juveniles receiving more physical contact and approaches than bucks. Bucks are most frequently initiators and recipients of visual displays. Group composition varied predictably across seasons, although bucks appear with female groups in all seasons. � |