Describing temperament in an ungulate: a multidimensional approach.

Area of Science:

• Animal behavior and physiology
• Veterinary science
• Ethology

Background:

• Traditional animal temperament studies often use a one-dimensional scale.
• Theoretical frameworks suggest multidimensional approaches (e.g., valence, arousal).
• Individual assessment of situations influences valence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To support a multidimensional temperament framework using experimental data.
• To investigate temperament in cattle (Bos taurus).
• To correlate behavioral dimensions with physiological measures.

Main Methods:

• Tested 361 calves at 90 days post natum (dpn) in a novel-object test.
• Used principal component analysis (PCA) to identify behavioral dimensions.
• Measured heart rate variability (HRV) to assess autonomous nervous system activity.

Main Results:

• PCA identified two key behavioral dimensions: novel-object-related (PC 1) and exploration-activity-related (PC 2), explaining 58% of variability.
• Significant differences in HRV were observed between calves with different scores in these dimensions.
• Four distinct temperament types were identified: neophobic/fearful--alert, interested--stressed, subdued/uninterested--calm, and neoophilic/outgoing--alert.
• Temperament dimensions showed consistency between 90 and 197 dpn in a subset of calves.

Conclusions:

• A multidimensional approach provides a more comprehensive understanding of calf temperament.
• Behavioral and physiological measures combined reveal distinct, stable temperament types.
• This framework is applicable to economically important livestock species like cattle.