Dr Alan McElligott
Lecturer
- Room: 2.18, Fogg Building
- Telephone: +44 (0)20 7882 3298
- Email: a.g.mcelligott("at" sign)qmul.ac.uk
Research interests:
Research website: http://sites.google.com/site/alanmcelligott/
Main research areas: vocal communication, sexual selection, animal cognition, animal welfare.
My research group uses both descriptive and experimental approaches; focused mainly on ungulates, including red deer, Alpine ibex, chamois, goats, and fallow deer. These studies were carried out in Ireland, Switzerland, Italy, France and the UK.
I have studied how the vocal display of male fallow deer affects reproductive success; males broadcast information on identity, body size and dominance status to both females and other males, through their investment in vocal display. See publications list.
The results of my research on ungulate mother-offspring vocal recognition suggests that the process varies, depending on whether species are hiders or followers. In fallow deer (a hider species), adult female contact calls are individually distinctive and the calls of fawns are not distinctive. We showed that mothers do not recognise the calls of their own fawns, whereas fawns recognise their mothers. In sheep (a follower species), both adult ewes and lambs have individually distinctive calls and vocal recognition is mutual. This research is ongoing with goats and cattle. An important aspect will be to consider the welfare implications of cognitive differences in these species.
Research groups:
Postdoctoral researchers:
- Elodie Briefer; e.briefer ("at" sign) qmul.ac.uk; http://www.sbcs.qmul.ac.uk/staff/elodiebriefer.html
- Benjamin Pitcher; b.pitcher ("at" sign) qmul.ac.uk; http://www.pitcher.net.au/