Background
The horse was a wild prey species for 55 million years, shaping their behaviour, until domestication 5,500 years ago altered it. Wild horses are now extinct; only domesticated and feralised ones remain. Feral horses display vigilance toward predators. This study examined vigilance, mobility and grouping behaviours in three genetically similar feral horse groups with different predator exposure.
Aims
- To disentangle the part of genetics and life experience concerning the vigilance and grouping behaviours of feral horses.