Understanding maternal behaviour is essential for good animal husbandry; yet, little scientific information currently exists regarding nursing behaviour of alpacas (Vicugna pacos). Moreover, allonursing (the nursing of non-filial offspring) has only been documented in captive non-domesticated guanacos. This study aimed to (1) describe the nursing behaviour of alpacas within traditional husbandry systems in their place of origin, and in foreign conditions, and to (2) investigate the occurrence of allonursing in alpacas. A total of 1899 nursing bouts were observed in the Andes and Central Europe. Additionally, 102 Andean farmers were asked if they observed allonursing in their herds. Nursing behaviour was similar at both locations, with most of the nursing bouts initiated by crias and terminated by dams. However, several significant differences between localities were noted, such as the less frequent sniffing of crias by Andean dams. Crias' age and sex did not affect the percentage of nursing bouts initiated or terminated by the dams. Rare cases of allonursing were recorded in Central Europe (n = 5), and 18.6% of surveyed Andean farmers reported allonursing in their herds. This study provides insight into alpaca nursing and allonursing behaviour, which may contribute towards their management both in their place of origin and farther.

• Keywords
• Vicugna pacos, allosuckling, maternal behaviour, nursing duration, nursing of crias,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

Suckling of a non-filial calf, or allosuckling, is an extreme case of allomaternal care in mammals. There have been many hypotheses postulated in an attempt to explain this behaviour; however, the supporting evidence differs, together with the conclusions drawn from the investigated variables. Previously, suckling bout rejection was analysed, and the milk theft and reciprocity hypotheses were both determined as the most appropriate explanation of allosuckling in giraffe. In this study, seven hypotheses were tested using different behavioural parameters, namely suckling bout frequency, suckling bout duration, and time spent suckling. It is well-documented that these parameters are associated with various aspects in ungulate biology; for example, suckling rejection typically reflects milk intake and parent-offspring conflict, whereas the suckling bout duration and frequency is associated with social behaviours (affiliation, bonding, social stress). In total, 22 nursing females and 47 suckling calves were observed, in four Czech zoos during a five-year period. The correlation of the observed parameters between the reciprocal female-calf dyads was found to be in line with the reciprocity hypothesis. In addition, non-filial calves tried to steal the milk from non-maternal females, supporting the milk theft hypothesis. Thus, the results support both the reciprocity and milk-theft hypotheses as the most plausible explanation of allosuckling in giraffe, and illustrates the importance of using suckling bout duration and frequency, and the time spent suckling, as behavioural parameters that may aid in explaining the extremity of maternal investment, such as allosuckling.

• MeSH
• Animals, Suckling * MeSH
• Lactation * MeSH
• Milk * MeSH
• Feeding Behavior * MeSH
• Giraffes physiology   MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Female MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH