Double-Suckling

Context: Calf Nourishment & Weaning (1)

The clip opens with a view of the Mabenzi family. The behavior in question is difficult to see because, Maya gf0020 is in the light in the foreground. A circle focuses attention on a 4-5 year old male calf approaching Marcela, gf0017, who has been Suckling a 6 month old calf for a long time. The male approaches and Supplants the 6 month old at the breast who ducks underneath gf0017 to Suckle on the other side. Marcela reaches her Trunk-to-Mouth of the older calf and then Double-Suckle the two calves for approx. 20 seconds. Then gf0017 Trunk-to-Mouth older calf as she put leg back and uses her hip in a Body-Nudge to Reject-Suck. (Gorongosa, Mozambique)

Double-Suckling

Context: Calf Nourishment & Weaning (2)

Walli is feeding on grass with two calves by her side, a newborn and a 5 year old male. The selection starts with the older calf exhibiting Solicit-Suckling and begging with two Grumble-Rumbles and then a softer Grumble-Rumble. Just as he manages to Suckle, Walli moves forward, pushing her body into him in a Reject-Suck and he is thwarted.

Meanwhile her infant also Solicits-Suckling on her left side, but just as she begins Suckling (Double-Suckling), Walli moves forward. The infant runs forward between her legs and she uses front foot to try to guide her back to the safer side. She again walks forward blocking the five year old male and he complains. Then she Reject-Suck-Kick - swinging her back leg out at him unsuccessfully. The male tries again (giving a Grumble-Rumble and Cry-Grumble-Rumble) and she stops and both suckle (Double-Suckle) - briefly because she then uses both front and hind leg to Reject-Suck-Kick and he gives a very complaining Roar-Grumble-Rumble. She walks on and the 5 year male runs around the back and tries to access form the other side.

The newborn sees that male coming and gives a couple of Husky-Cries that are beginning to sound like Grumble-Rumbles and Runs-Away. (Maasai Mara, Kenya)

Double-Suckling

Context: Calf Nourishment & Weaning (3)

Walli is feeding on Faidherbia drepanolobium while her two calves, a newborn female and a 5 year old male are trying to Double-Suckle. Unusually, Walli has not weaned her older male calf and he is very jealous of his younger sister. The newborn is already very wily and knows to avoid her brother. Walli is standing so as to block the 5 year old from access to her breast (Reject-Suck) and then uses her body and her hind foot to try to stop him (Reject-Suck-Kick). Finally she tries backing up. The 5 year goes around behind her to try to Solicit-Suckle on the other side and she Reject-Suck-Kick him as he passes. The newborn sees him coming and scrambles quickly under Walli's belly to escape him. Both Solicit-Suckling but Walli backs up again. There are a number of suckle-rumbles from him as he tries to Suckle but they are hard to hear as she is scraping thorns off the branch with her foot. (Maasai Mara, Kenya)

Double-Suckling

Context: Calf Nourishment & Weaning (4)

Walli is feeding while her two calves, a newborn female and a 5 year old male are trying to Double-Suckle. Unusually, Walli has not weaned her older male calf and he is very jealous of his younger sister. Also, unusually, Walli does not intervene to control her son's aggressive behaviour. The newborn is already very wary of her older brother, trying to avoid him. The clip starts with the male on one side and the infant on the other. They are Double-Suckling or attempting to. The infant Roars (can't see the cause) and about the same time Walli uses her hind leg to try to block the older calf from Suckling in a Reject-Suckle. The male then moves quickly around the back of his mother to try the other breast and the infant female, noting his movement, runs forward out of the way. The male Suckles briefly but seeing his sister hovering ahead of his mother, Runs-After her, Ramming her, knocking her over and Tusking her while she Roars. He tries to hold her with his trunk while continuing to Tusk her in an extremely aggressive move. His mother and an allomother arrive but, again unusually, do not really intervene to help the infant. (Maasai Mara, Kenya)

Double-Suckling

Context: Calf Nourishment & Weaning (5)

A segment of the C family is in view. Gf0081 is standing closest with two calves. The younger one begins to Suckle and then the older one joins in. They Double-Suckle for almost two minutes.

You can hear our discussion in the background. At the time we believed that the two calves were too close in age to be siblings. Since the filming we have come to learn that interbirth intervals are often as short as two years, so these are siblings, one between 18 months and 2 years old and the other 3.5-4 years old. (Gorongosa, Mozambique)

Double-Suckling

Context: Calf Nourishment & Weaning (6)

The ND family is heading away from us. Noyeau has a newborn who is Suckling on her right. A one year old calf comes from Suckling Nabila, walks across the group and comes to Suckle simultaneously with Noyeau's infant. It is quite unusual to see a female Suckle a calf who is not her own unless the mother is a grandmother. This is not the case in this instance. Indeed the one year old does not belong to Nabila either! (Amboseli, Kenya)

Double-Suckling

Context: Calf Nourishment & Weaning (7)

Noyeau has a newborn who is Suckling on her right but meanwhile on her left a less than 2 year old female is also Suckling. This calf old was earlier Suckling from Nabila, who herself does not have a less than 2 year old female. So Noyeau is both Double-Suckling and Allo-Suckling. An adult male walks up disturbing them and Noyeau moves. The infant is distressed and we can hear three faint cries. The only female in the family with a female calf of this age is Nashipai. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Double-Suckling

Context: Calf Nourishment & Weaning (8)

Noyeau has a newborn who is Suckling on her left. All morning she has been followed around by a less than 2 year old female who has been Double-Suckling with the infant and also was earlier Suckling from Nabila, who herself does not have a under 2 year old female.

In this clip the less than 2 year old joins the infant and they Suckle together again. Noyeau twice reaches back Trunk-to-Breast to check on the two. So Noyeau is both Double-Suckling and Allo-Suckling. The only female in the family with a female calf of this age is Nashipai. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Double-Suckling

Context: Calf Nourishment & Weaning (9)

Noyeau has a newborn who is Suckling. All morning she has been followed around by a less than 2 year old female who has been Double-Suckling with the infant and also was earlier Suckling from Nabila, who herself does not have a less than 2 year old female.

In this clip the less than 2 year old is hanging around Noyeau playing with a stick. As the infant starts Suckling she decides to have some too and walks around the back of Noyeau to get to her other breast. She Suckles briefly and then Social-Rubs against Noyeau's hind leg. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Double-Suckling

Context: Calf Nourishment & Weaning (10)

The twins are always surrounded by allomothers and so it has been hard to get footage of them Doubl-Suckling. In this clip there is a brief glimpse. (Amboseli, Kenya)

Double-Suckling

Context: Calf Nourishment & Weaning (11)

This footage was shot by Kelly Fogel in Kruger National Park, South Africa. She, a guide and a driver saw a tiny newborn elephant, an older sibling and the mother who still had the placenta hanging from her vulva. The older sibling was a tuskless female about 4.5 years of age.

In this short clip the older calf Suckles as the infant searches for the nipple and tries to Suckle. While this may not actually be a case of Double-Suckling, since we cannot be sure that the infant Suckled, we include it as the mother did not show signs of rejecting the older calf who is obviously not weaned. (Kruger National Park, South Africa)