In order to determine whether queens differed from subordinates in laterality and to test for the effect of the colony, only groups consisting of at least one queen and one subordinate were used. Thus, sample sizes differed between this study and the study by Oosthuizen [49 (link)]. The experimental animals originated from laboratory colonies at the University of Pretoria, and all were born in captivity. Although Damaraland mole rats can live in captivity for up to 16 years (Oosthuizen, pers. obs.), animals in the study were less than 10 years old and considered healthy adults. Queens are generally the older individuals in the colony, but the ages of the different colonies may vary [46 (link),50 (link)]. The experimental group consisted of 15 animals (5 queens and 10 subordinates (3F and 7M). Animals from the field group were captured near Blackrock (27°7′ S, 22°52′ E) in the Northern Cape, South Africa, using Hickman live traps [51 (link)]. This group was supplemented with animals from Tswalu Kalahari Reserve (27°31′ S, 22°19′ E), Northern Cape; these animals were subsequently released again. The field group consisted of 25 animals (6 queens and 19 subordinates (10F; 9M)). All animals were housed in plastic crates within their respective colonies. Crates were lined with wood shavings and animals were provided with tissue paper for nesting material. Animals were fed ad libitum on chopped sweet potatoes, apples and carrots, and they retrieved their water from the food. Trapping permits were obtained from the Northern Cape Nature Conservation Authority (ODB 2023/2010) and experimental procedures were approved by the Animal Use and Care Committee at the University of Pretoria (EC013-09).
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