Burying beetles (subfamily Nicrophorinae) are some of the best parents in the insect world! Both the males and females carefully tend to the carcass on which they lay their eggs, spreading antibacterial secretions and enzymes to maintain the carrion’s condition. These “brood balls” decompose at far slower rates than normal carcasses, provide an easy-to-digest food for…
Author: The Ethogram
The official blog of the UC Davis Animal Behavior Graduate Group.
Field Frame Friday: What does your facial hair say about you?
Facial hair whorl (how the hair swirls) position can be associated with temperament in cattle. Those with hair whorls starting between their eyes are more interested in unfamiliar humans than cows with hair whorls that begin below their eyes. Judging by these calves’ interest in this camera, it seems like a fair conclusion! [Photo and…
Sunday Sketch: Swallowtail Caterpillar
Swallowtail caterpillars are masters of mimicry and masquerade. While most swallowtails look convincingly like bird droppings at earlier instars (developmental stages), older caterpillars often develop a snakelike appearance to scare away predators. Their intimidating eyespots work in tandem with defensive behaviors (thorax inflation, rearing up, scent gland eversion) to create a compelling mimicry! Who knew…
Sharks and Social Media: Managing Human-Wildlife Interactions in the Digital Age
A shark researcher’s opinion on the fine line between wildlife advocacy and harassment
Field Frame Friday: Lunch is served
Common murres (Uria aalge) dive to hunt for fish, and use their wings for both swimming underwater and flying in the air! [Photo by Alycia Drwencke and caption by Karli Chudeau] Reference Watanuki, Y & Katsufumi, S. (2008). Dive angle, swim speed and wing stroke during shallow and deep dives in Common Murres and Rhinoceros…
Field Frame Friday: Biting off a little more than you can chew (or swallow)!
[Photo by Alycia Drwencke; Caption by Karli Chudeau]
Field Notes: (Machine) Learning about Baboons
What happens when biologists and computer scientists can’t use new technology on their primate subjects? Well, human see- human do!
Sunday Sketch: Highland cattle
Did you know that Highland cattle have established dominance hierarchies? The strong relationships between these cattle were associated with low aggressive tension, which could help explain their increased reproductive performance! Sketch contributed by Maggie Creamer Source: Reinhardt, C., Reinhardt, A., & Reinhardt, V. (1986). Social behaviour and reproductive performance in semi-wild Scottish Highland cattle. Applied Animal…
Fowl Play: When handling birds gets auk-ward
It’s owl in a day’s work When it comes to researching avian species, it is common practice among ornithologists to capture, handle, and band birds [4]. This is standard for monitoring populations, identifying individuals, and obtaining physiological and behavioral data. Nobody really questions this; it’s all an important part of getting the information necessary to…
Sunday Sketch: Peacock spider
Did you know that male peacock spiders (Maratus spp.) perform elaborate courtship displays to attract mates? In the coastal peacock spider (Maratus speciosus), the male extends his opisthosoma (the fan-like back) and orange setae (hair-like structures on either side) to produce a colorful display! Sketch contributed by Lea Pollack Source: Otto, J., & Hill, D….
