Ontogénèse du comportement de l'Ecureuil roux (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)
A detailed analysis of the behavioural development of the red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) from birth to weaning is presented. For each behaviour pattern, the earliest and latest ages of emergence in a series of 14 young (from three litters) were registered and a mean was calculated. A review of the principal events of physical development is given first. The ontogeny of behaviour is then considered under five headings: locomotion, alertness and exploration, feeding, comfort, and social interactions. In the discussion, a general analysis of the development of behaviour with regard to the different periods of ontogeny (neonatal period, transition period, and socialization period) and the two leading events of the early life of the red squirrel (emergence from the nest and weaning) is given. It appears that the young are equipped with a minimum of behaviour patterns during the period of nest confinement and that close to emergence, a series of new behaviours come into effect with the exception of locomotion, which evolves gradually and regularly during ontogeny.