In animal behavior research, we are often at the mercy of our animal collaborators. Acai, a harbor seal in rehabilitation, was uninterested in checking out this PVC puzzle in the water as a part of her cognitive tests. While frustrating that she didn’t want to participate, her behavior still provides valuable information that can help us understand how she is feeling about her environment or these novel puzzles. As a scientist, it is important to keep our minds open to how our furry, flippered, or feathered collaborators are behaving, even when things “aren’t going our way.”

[Photo and caption by Karli Chudeau]

[Edited by Maggie Creamer]