Feist J D, McCullough D R
J Reprod Fertil Suppl. 1975 Oct(23):13-8.
A behavioural study of feral horses was conducted on the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range in the western United States. All 270 horses on the Range were identified individually. The sex ratio was nearly balanced. Foal to adult female ratio was 43-2:100. Morality was concentrated among foals and old horses. Horses were organized as forty-four harem groups each with a dominant stallion, one to two immature stallions, one to three immature mares, one to three adult mares and their yearling and foal offspring, and 23 bachelor groups of one to eight stallions. Harem groups were quite stable year-round because of dominance and leadership by the stallions and group fidelity by mares and their offsring. Most changes occurred during the breeding season and involved immature females. Defeat of dominant stallions was infrequent. Immature males were tolerated because of their submissive behaviour. Bachelor stallion groups were inherently unstable. Mares came into heat after foaling in May/June, and were mated by harem stallions only.
在美国西部的普赖尔山野马保护区对野马进行了一项行为研究。保护区内的所有270匹马都进行了个体识别。性别比例几乎平衡。幼驹与成年母马的比例为43 - 2:100。死亡率集中在幼驹和老龄马中。马群被组织成44个妻妾群，每个妻妾群有一匹占主导地位的种马、一到两匹未成年种马、一到三匹未成年母马、一到三匹成年母马以及它们一岁的幼驹和新生幼驹后代，还有23个由一到八匹种马组成的单身汉群。由于种马的主导地位和领导力以及母马及其后代的群体忠诚度，妻妾群全年都相当稳定。大多数变化发生在繁殖季节，且涉及未成年母马。占主导地位的种马被击败的情况很少见。未成年雄性因其顺从行为而被容忍。单身种马群本质上不稳定。母马在5月/6月产驹后进入发情期，并且只与妻妾群中的种马交配。
