Author: The Ethogram

The official blog of the UC Davis Animal Behavior Graduate Group.

Ask a Scientist: Feeling Salty

Mild-mannered Manatee asks, “Why can’t fresh water fish survive in the ocean?” What a great question Mild-mannered Manatee! To answer your question, we need to learn a little bit about osmosis. Osmosis is the movement of water from less salty areas to more salty areas across a membrane. Cells, like the ones in your body,…

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Sci Hero: Dr. Roger Arliner Young

The Ethogram believes that science should be accessible and diverse in order to increase the sense of belonging within the science community. As a part of our continuing effort to make science a more inclusive field, we will be highlighting a “Sci Hero” each month so that the next generation of scientists and naturalists may…

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Field Frame Friday: Summer Fieldwork Forecast?

I study how bird songs influence mating strategies in white-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys) and am interested in how traffic noise impedes the ability to assess bird songs and subsequently affects their reproductive success. During this summer’s fieldwork at Tioga Pass in Yosemite, we woke up to something very unexpected…a snowstorm had hit overnight- in JUNE!…

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Creature Feature: Ethiopian wolf

An elusive creature and the rarest canid in the world, the Ethiopian wolf is commonly referred to as the Simien fox. Despite its foxy nickname, bushy tail, and reddish fur, the Ethiopian wolf is actually a true wolf.

Field Frame Friday: Now you see them, now you don’t!

What happens when a pandemic strikes and travelers are no longer hiking or visiting natural areas? Research, of course! Since there are no visitors allowed in protected areas in Panama, I’m taking advantage of this opportunity to assess whether local forest mammals will avoid the trails less with fewer human visitors. I deployed cameras traps…

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