Fragmentation of their habitat and disease are driving the number even lower. African wild dogs are critically endangered, with only 6,600 remaining. While more research is warranted to confirm the finding, Walker is thrilled with the response to the research so far, and hopes that it will raise the profile of this species. “I frankly never thought that sneezing was an important factor,” said Dedan Ngatia, a carnivore researcher at Mpala Research Center in Kenya. However, it is certainly the best predictor of whether a hunt will proceed. If involuntary, then it’s not a true vote. The scientists were also unable to determine whether the sneezes were voluntary or involuntary, like a sneeze.
It’s an “audible, rapid forced exhalation through the nose,” said Reena Walker, co-author of the study. The dogs’ sneezes during this process are not the same as a human sneeze. While most animals do signal consensus through some sort of vocalization-grunts, huffs, “yay or nay” –African wild dogs are the only known species that reaches consensus via sneeze. Just about all social organisms make group decisions by consensus-from meerkats to monkeys. Wild dogs and humans are not the only social animals that engage in voting behavior. On the other hand, “rallies initiated by lower ranking individuals required a minimum of 10 sneezes to achieve the same level of success.” individual initiated and there were at least three sneezes,” wrote the researchers. The more dominant the dog, the fewer sneezes needed in support. The dominance of the dog that starts the rally directly impacts the number of dogs needed to start the hunt. However not all is fair in dog democracy. The sneeze acts like a type of voting system.” The more sneezes that occurred, the more likely it was that the pack moved off and started hunting.
They went back over recordings of 68 rallies and “couldn’t quite believe it when our analyses confirmed our suspicions. After the researchers witnessed several rallies, they noticed that the dogs were “sneezing while preparing to go,” said Jordan. If the rally is successful and a consensus is reached, the dogs will go hunting. Prior to going out on a collective hunt, the wild dogs come together in a “rally,” generally initiated by one dog. The results were published earlier this month in Proceedings of the Society B. Neil Jordan, a fellow at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, and his team followed five packs of African wild dogs for nearly a year, observing their social behavior. These endangered animals “vote” on whether to begin hunting by making noises that sound like sneezes. Looking for a way to avoid Russian interference in elections? African wild dogs in Botswana have figured out a tamper-resistant way to make democracy work.
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