This Squirrel Appreciation Day (January 21st), celebrate with California’s own fearless fluffball
Author: The Ethogram
The official blog of the UC Davis Animal Behavior Graduate Group.
Field Frame Friday: Otters’ spatial task
The asian small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus) is the smallest otter species in the world and lives throughout southeast Asia. Cognitive research performed at the Atlanta Zoo found that the animals were able to learn a spatial task and have good working and reference memory. Working memory is temporary information stored over a short period of…
Creature Feature: Sea Turtles
Growing up in New York State, I knew turtles as slow creatures, bell-shaped and rugged, with the wrinkled face and lumbering demeanor of a wise old man. One or two might inhabit your backyard, or be found swimming in a nearby pond. In comparison to these terrestrial and freshwater specimens, sea turtles were a distant…
Sunday Sketch: Capybara social behavior
The capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is native to South America and is the largest living rodent species. They’re known for being very gregarious, often photographed nearby other animal species, and they reside in semi-aquatic habitats. Their social groups have been noted to range from 6-16 adult members, and they have what’s called a “strictly linear” social…
Field Notes: From Shared Curiosity to Deep Data Dive: Meeting and Tracking the Pacific Marten
Harlin/Hayley Steele (they/she/ze/he) stayed in a cabin in the California wilderness during the early days of the COVID-19 lockdown. Through the window, they observed this member of the weasel family, which they say “looks like a ferret and bounces like a squirrel, but with actual rhythm.” As they describe, “I’d never seen an animal move…
Arts & Crafts: Happy World Walrus Day (November 24th)!
How much do you know about walruses?
Field Frame Friday: Anna’s hummingbird
Anna’s hummingbird (Calypte anna) is known for its striking iridescent pink throat and crown. The males have a classic mating ritual where they perform a “shuttle” behavior where they fly from side to side, and then sing a high-intensity song. This is done in the female’s nesting area and occurs directly before mating. Photo by Cassidy…
Sunday Sketch: Red Pandas
The red panda (Ailurus fulgens) is native to the eastern Himalayan mountains and southwestern China. The populations in the wild are decreasing due to habitat loss and deforestation. Thus, research has been done on their reproductive activities in captivity, to explore future breeding opportunities to assure the species remains. Reproductive behaviors between males and females…
Field Frame Friday: Giant River Otter
Giant river otters (Pteronura brasiliensis) are indigenous to South America and are the largest animal in the weasel family. They are social and like to defend their territory along bodies of water like riverbanks. One study explored their behavior in Brazil and found that they spent most of their time fishing and entered their dens…
Sunday Sketch: Largest migration in all mammals!
The humpback whale is the only species of whale in Megaptera, and is very popular for whale-watching because they often breach the surface of the ocean. These magnificent animals have one of the largest migration lengths of any mammal, for example, traveling 10,000 km. They typically travel from high latitudes to feed and move to…
theethogram.com 