The influence of peers, lineage and environment on food selection of the criollo goat (Capra hircus)

Abstract : The food selection of 56 criollo goats (Capra hircus) grazing the same pastures was compared with the previous history of each individual and with lineage relationship inside the flock. The observations were carried out on natural tropical savannas of Martinique (French West Indies), characterized by high plant species diversity and fast evolution rate under grazing pressure. Diets of translocated animals varied with the origin of goats on the island, even though they grazed the same pastures for 4 years. On these fast changing savannas, diets of cohorts born on successive years partially reflected the pasture composition of their year of birth. The selection of one to several plant species characterized each lineage. But groups of peer kids also showed different dietary characteristics from their parents. Diet selection in goats is thus influenced both by the composition of pastures grazed during the first year of life and by the social environment including family and peers.