Ake & Kutsukake (2024) investigated the dual role of putative appeasement behaviour (PAB) in the African painted dog (Lycaon pictus). These behaviours include low postures and high-pitched vocalisations, traditionally interpreted as signals of submission in non-feeding contexts. The researchers sought to determine whether PAB serve purely as appeasement signals to reduce aggression, or whether they could also function as harassment strategies to obtain food.
Using controlled behavioural experiments with captive parent–offspring and sibling pairs, the study tested food-sharing scenarios involving items that were either easily divisible (two bones) or indivisible (one bone). PAB occurred significantly more often in the single-bone condition, where competition was higher, and aggression was also observed. This pattern supports the appeasement function of PAB, as dogs sought to mitigate aggression in tense feeding situations.
However, persistent PAB was also linked to food monopolisation by the beggars rather than to cooperative co-feeding. In these cases, repeated appeasement-like actions pressured the food holder into abandoning their resource, aligning with the harassment hypothesis. Interestingly, the researchers did not observe reciprocity, suggesting that negotiation dynamics were largely one-sided.
The findings indicate that PAB in painted dogs serve both appeasement and harassment roles, reflecting a complex negotiation system within a generally tolerant species. These results highlight how social signals evolve multifunctionality, allowing individuals to navigate cooperative yet competitive contexts such as feeding.
Source: Ake, K., & Kutsukake, N. (2024). The function of putative appeasement behaviour for access to food in African painted dogs. Behaviour. Authors: Kanako Ake, Nobuyuki Kutsukake. Journal: Behaviour.
