Forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) unlike their cousins to the east spend the majority of their time deep in the thick Central African rain forests. Once thought to be the same species, forest and savannah elephants have been distinguished as different species due to a host of morphological and genetic differences (Roca et al., 2001). This…
Author: The Ethogram
The official blog of the UC Davis Animal Behavior Graduate Group.
Creature Feature: Mimic octopus
The mimic octopus is a shape-shifting master of disguise, assuming the color and form of flounder, sea snakes, and lionfish…
Creature Feature: Cone snail
Cone snails have some impressive adaptations: not only is their toxin a great example of an anti-predator defense mechanism, but they also forage with a loaded harpoon…
Field Fiasco: The Shower
A few summers ago I spent a field season studying monkeys on a tiny island in southern Japan. I would stay on the island for up to a week at a time, because it was typhoon season and large waves often prevented transportation to and from the island. With unpredictable weather during a short…
Field Notes: Eric in the Eastern Sierras
Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) are weird alien-birds that are emblematic of North America’s western states. They live in the sagebrush steppes: a unique and harsh desert whose beauty belies the harsh conditions that animals face. My research is broadly focused on sage-grouse behavior and conservation. My project is two-pronged: I investigate the link between behavior…
Creature Feature: California Condor
Despite the long road to recovery, the California condors are making a comeback thanks to targeted conservation efforts to save this iconic species.
Sunday Sketch: Wombat Poo
Did you know that wombats (Vombatus ursinus) have cube-shaped poop? No, this is not a result of a square sphincter, but a slow digestive process that takes up to 14 days! A wombat’s intestine has horizontal ridges which molds the fecal matter into a cube shape, and then as most nutrients and water are absorbed,…
Field Frame Friday: Feeding “frenzy”
Caribbean reef sharks (Carcharhinus perezi) are members of a reef-associated species that lives in the tropic waters of the western Atlantic and greater Caribbean (Compagno, 1984). This photograph was taken in Bimini, Bahamas, as part of a volunteer opportunity at the Bimini Biological Field Station “Shark Lab”. In this area, a profitable ecotourism industry has arisen…
Creature Feature: Blanket octopus
The blanket octopus provides a remarkable example of sexual size dimorphism in animals…
Field Fiasco: A Watchful Eye
Hiking up the Virunga Mountains to see mountain gorillas, Gorilla beringei beringei, is truly a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience. Spending nearly a month in-country keeps your excitement in a pressure cooker, so that by the time you are trekking to see these amazing apes, your heart is already racing in anticipation. Yet, the moment I saw one…
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