Great shape? Sure! Stunning antlers? Of course! A deep roar? Yep!
But let’s stop objectifying our stags and take a closer look at their personality.
This study provides the first scientific study on the personality of captive adult male red deer and its link to the dominance hierarchy.
Using questionnaires filled in by trained observers and behavioral observations in various situations, we tried to identify personality traits in red deer and explore their relationship with social rank.
While only a subset of the questionnaire items showed acceptable inter-rater reliability, these items formed a single personality component termed "Confidence/Aggressiveness," which was correlated with individual dominance rankings. The study contributes to the limited understanding of personality in cervids, suggesting potential avenues for future research into the underlying mechanisms and implications for animal welfare.
Find out more about this study here (or here for the press release).
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