Bit of an odd question here, but in mixed seabird/penguin exhibits where there are animals of different sizes, how do they all relate to each other and is there a sort of hierarchy there? Say, are larger species more dominant than smaller species or do small species hang around large species to avoid bullying medium species?
Hierarchy in seabird/penguin mixed aviaries
- Thread starter Nathano
- Start date
Conor McGarry
Well-Known Member
Seneca Park Zoo once housed white faced whistling ducks with African penguins, but ended up being moved into the aviary in the main building and then to the small aviary in the animals of the savanna building until the last one passed away
I'm meaning more how do species tend to interact with each other in mixed-species aviaries - is their a interspecific hierarchy based on size or something? Such as smaller species hanging around larger ones to avoid bullying medium ones.
Conor McGarry
Well-Known Member
yeah, the penguins picked on the ducks, that's why they were moved out
Ah.
I'm wondering - if there are multiple species of different body sizes (say, small species, medium species and large species)... how does that dynamic work? Do, say, medium species bully small species, but avoid larger ones?
