Table 2.
Ethogram with play patterns recorded in the current study.
| Play Patterns | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Behavioural Pattern | Type | Description |
| Offensive | Attempt play bite | C | A piglet attempts to bite the partner, but there is no contact with it |
| Head play knocking | C | A piglet hits another individual with the head | |
| Play bite | C | A piglets bites a partner by delicately closing mouth over the other’s flesh | |
| Play lifting | C | A piglet attempts to displace a partner by lifting or levering it with snout or head | |
| Play mount/climb | C | A piglet places both front hoofs on the back of another piglet or sow | |
| Play push | C | A piglet drives its head, neck, or shoulders with minimal or moderate force into another piglet’s body. Occasionally, this pattern results in the displacement of the target animal. It is significantly more intensive than nudging | |
| Play run | LA | A piglet runs and hops in forward motions within the pen environment. Run can be performed both in solitary and social manner | |
| Neutral | Flopping | LA | A piglet drops to the pen floor from a normal upright position to a sitting or lying position. There is no contact with an object or another individual that could cause the change in position |
| Head tossing | LA | A piglet gently head shakes from one side to another | |
| Hopping | LA | A piglet has either its two front feet or all four feet off the pen floor at one time through an energetic upwards jumping movement. The piglet continues facing the same original direction for the whole of the behaviour | |
| Leg spreading | LA | A piglet spreads its fore and hind limbs and it moves quickly from side to side | |
| Nudge | C | A piglet uses its snout to gently touch another piglet’s body (excluding nose–nose contact). It is more intensive than touching, but also more gentle than pushing | |
| Object play | LA | A piglet manipulates an item or securely holds it in its mouth, energetically shaking it or carrying it around the pen | |
| Pivot | LA | A piglet twirls its body on the horizontal plane by a minimum of 90°. Pivot is usually associated with jumping on the spot | |
| Scamper | LA | A piglet performs two or more forward directed hops in quick succession of each other usually associated with excitability | |
| Defensive | Play kneeling | LA | A piglet goes down on its knees while playing |
| Play lying down | LA | A piglet places itself in a horizontal position during play | |
| Play sitting | LA | A piglet sits during play | |