Although all Paradise flycatcher (Terpsiphone mutata) females are red, males come in multiple colors, including red/blue, white/blue, and intermediate patterns as shown here. Males sport long tails almost the length of their body, which may help them gain mating advantages as they compete for females. [Photo and caption by Meredith Lutz] Sinclair, I., & Langrand,…
Author: The Ethogram
The official blog of the UC Davis Animal Behavior Graduate Group.
Sunday Sketch: Shrimp Make Good Moms and Dads
Peppermint shrimp (Lysmata boggessi) are a common ornamental salt water aquarium invertebrate species beloved by many hobbyists for their bright candy cane stripes and lively behaviors. What most people don’t know is that these shrimp are considered protandric simultaneous hermaphrodites. When they first reach adulthood they have male reproductive organs, but as they get bigger they…
Field Notes: Research in the time of COVID-19
COVID19 has been a tough pill to swallow for everyone, from teachers, to parents, to everyday employees. The global pandemic has caused unprecedented impacts not only on the workforce and economy, but everyday life as well. Academic research has both suffered and flourished in new and surprising ways under the heel of COVID19. Last month, as we were all adapting to stay-at-home orders, we highlighted some of our animal behavior researchers’ pandemic version of “the field.” For this month’s field notes, we are checking in with them to find out just how the pandemic has impacted their research for worse, or for better.
Creature Feature: Whooping Cranes
Come and celebrate Endangered Species Day with our latest creature feature on the Whooping Crane!
Sunday Sketch: Make me crabby and I’ll get jabby
Lybia edmondsoni, also known as the “boxer crab” or “pom pom crab”, employs a rather unique anti predator defense. With the aid of minute sea anemones in each claw, these crabs can attack oncoming predators by delivering a jab and electric shock. This relationship is mutualistic, meaning that the anemones get something in exchange for…
Field Frame Friday Mother’s Day edition: Mother knows best
Ladies want the best for their kids. For, lady beetles (Family: Coccinellidae), they want to lay their eggs (a.k.a. oviposition) in a place where their larvae will be able to have lots of high-quality food and low chances of getting beaten up by bullies (a.k.a intraspecific predation) or eaten by predators. Although it is unknown…
Mixed-species groups are all around us: insights from quarantining with a puppy
Like many people around the world, I am working from home. Like many people, I have taken up new “at-home” hobbies like sourdough baking and gardening. And, like so many people, I have brought home a new pet during this uncertain time. Her name is Gouda, like the cheese, and she is an 11-week-old puppy….
Field Frame Friday: Incoming sea gull! Take (algae) cover!
Sea urchins, including this purple sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) will use their tiny tube feet to grab and cover themselves in pieces of algae, small rocks or shells. It is thought that this behavior protects urchins from drying out in tidepools, getting eaten by seagulls, or being damaged by the sun’s ultraviolet rays. [Photo and…
Sunday Sketch: World Penguin Day
Emperor penguins may be cute polar mascots, but they have a secret habit of child-snatching!
Sunday Sketch: Daddy Day Care
Titi monkeys (Callicebus cupreus) are studied not only for their monogamy, but also because fathers are actually the primary caretakers of the babies! Mothers will provide nourishment through nursing, but most of the time you’ll see the baby titi monkey clinging to their father for the first few months of their life. However, for families…
theethogram.com 