Assessing Focal Animal Sampling (FAS) as a mean of categorizing dominance behaviour and determining group hierarchy in an African elephant herd (Loxodonta Africana)

Abstract

In this study, a group of ten African elephants was observed and behaviours were monitored by means of Focal Animal Sampling (FAS), to try to determine the herd’s hierarchy. During FAS, individual animals are monitored for 20 minutes, and all aggressive and submissive interactions of that individual are scored in that period.

On the basis of behavioural analysis, therefore, the proposed social hierarchy is; 1, 9, 2, (8), 3, (7, 10), (4, 5), 6. The literature suggests that the hierarchy of African elephants is based primarily on age and size. If it were that simple, the hierarchy would have been: (1, 8, 9), 2, 3, 4, 7, 5, 6, 10.

If the study had been performed for longer it is likely that FAS would have yielded an even more accurate indication of herd hierarchy. However, FAS is time-consuming and it may be possible to speed up the process by not focussing on a single animal at each observation.