ABS 2023
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Effects of Group and Individual Demographics on Social Play Behavior in Wild Asian Elephants
Megan G. Weiss1, Sarah L. Jacobson1,2, Sonia Ragir1, Joshua M. Plotnik1,2. 1Hunter College, City University of New York , New York, NY, United States; 2The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States

While social play has been studied in captive elephant populations, there is a scarcity of research on social play in wild Asian elephants. We investigated how social structures and individual characteristics influence play behavior in the wild. We quantified the frequency and duration of play interactions, as well as the specific behaviors exhibited during play in 100 camera trap video recordings of social play from two different watering holes in the Salakpra Wildlife Sanctuary in Thailand. We will present the effect of group demographic composition, group size, and the age and sex of the participants on different types of play behavior. Specifically, we will demonstrate how rates of play intensity may differ based on the surrounding social group, as well as the demographics of the play participants. This research sheds light on intricate social play patterns and how group dynamics may influence the type of social play exhibited. Overall, this work enhances our understanding of elephant social behavior and underscores the importance of considering group dynamics in animal play studies.