Casual-Stance

Standing or Walking with the trunk draped over a tusk in a relaxed and “casual” manner. Predominantly a posture adopted by musth males as approaching a group females or while in their presence and moving through the group. Also observed by adult males and females in Attentive and Contemplative contexts.

References: Moss 1988; Moss, 1992 [Casual-Walk] Poole & Granli 2003; Poole & Granli 2011. (Full reference list)

This behavior occurs in the following context(s): Advertisement & Attraction, Attentive

Casual-Stance

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (1)

This is a shortened section from a longer clip. Musth male, Gogogo, gm0001 is moving through a group testing females. He tests a young female in the Mabenzi family who I believe is daughter to Marcela, gf0079. (Gorongosa, Mozambique)

Casual-Stance

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (2)

Musth male (m0023) walks through a group. He has been testing females and then adopts Casual-Stance as he walks and then stops to sniff dung. (Maasai Mara, Kenya)

Casual-Stance

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (3)

Musth male Pascal has just Mated with Amparo and is Resting as he continues to Guard Amparo. He scratches his ear and temporal gland with his trunk and then adopts a Casual-Stance. He appears to hear something out of view that attracts his attention and then he returns to his more relaxed posture as he Guards Amparo. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Casual-Stance

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (4)

Musth male Pascal has just Mated with Amparo and is Resting as he continues to Guard Amparo who is just in front of him. He adopts a Casual-Stance. When Amparo steps forward he follows her standing within a couple of meters of her. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Casual-Stance

Context: Advertisement & Attraction (5)

Pascal is in full musth and has spend the last 15 minutes engaging in various musth displays. Now he walks toward us in a Casual-Stance. Note his stiff-legged Foot-Scuff. He pauses at the water's edge and engages in Trunk-Curl. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Casual-Stance

Context: Attentive (1)

Mabenzi matriarch, Provocadora, gf0012, is aware of us and has already adopted a Stand-Tall. As the clip begins she is considering us. She does a bit of Displacement-Feeding and then raises her head again. She moves her trunk into a Periscope-Trunk posture but then continues to Displacement-Grooming and then adopts a Casual-Stance.

All the while she is paying attention, contemplating her next move. Then she turns sharply to the left (from our perspective) and takes a few steps in a Perpendicular-Walk and stops Foot-Lifting. She is standing perpendicular or opposite to the others now. She stands Foot-Lifting in a Casual-Stance for some time and then as the clip ends she takes a very purposeful step toward us and immediately the others move with her in a Group-Advance. The Casual-Stance and the Foot-Lifting seemed to be part of her decision-making process as she contemplated what to do next. (Gorongosa, Mozambique)

Casual-Stance

Context: Attentive (2)

This young male has just Charged wildebeest, and then stands in contemplation, Eye-Blinking, Ears-Stiff and sniffing in a Casual-Stance. You can see animals running in the background. Then he gets an erection and goes over to some rocks and dislodges one making a loud noise and then digs a bit. It is not clear what this is all about. It is possible that he is coming into musth, but he seems rather young. (Maasai Mara, Kenya)

Casual-Stance

Context: Attentive (3)

A medium sized male adopts a Casual-Stance and an Exaggerated-Walk. He gives an Ear-Flap-Slide and then as he walks toward the filmmakers his ears are stiff (Ears-Stiff) and he is is sniffing in a surreptitious manner. (Maasai Mara, Kenya)

Casual-Stance

Context: Attentive (4)

Pascal in musth adopts a Casual-Stance as he walks toward us. (Amboseli, Kenya)