North America’s coyote and badger species are regularly found hunting together as a team. As they employ different hunting methods for driving out the same prey, one will dig up the quarry while the other gives chase- allowing them to capture three times as much food. Happy Year of the Dog! Sketch and fact contributed…
Author: The Ethogram
The official blog of the UC Davis Animal Behavior Graduate Group.
Creature Feature: Peacock Spider
Everyone knows the classic example of a flashy male peacock showing off its flamboyant feathers to attract a female counterpart. These traits are considered the epitome of the products of sexual selection1. However, few are aware of an equally impressive example, the Australian peacock spider. There are 48 described species of peacock spiders of the…
Sunday Sketch: Weather Bee
Did you know? In honor of groundhog day, here’s an animal that can really predict the weather! Sensing drops in barometric pressure, as well as other changes in the environment, a honeybee hive puts in extra work in before a rain. Sketch and fact contributed by Victor Santiago Source: Xujiang, He & Tian, Liu-Qing &…
Field Fiasco Friday: Fishy Business
On a bright and sunny day in the eastern rainforests of Madagascar, I prepared for another day in the field, following a group of wild lemurs. I filled my water bottle, grabbed my lunch, threw my backpack over one shoulder and set off up the hill to meet my local guide at our usual meeting…
Creature Feature: Tailless whip scorpion
These elusive critters look like something straight out of a horror movie. They are members of the order Amblypygi and within the arachnid family, which includes spiders1. In contrast to the whip scorpions or vinegarroons (Uropygi)—another order of arachnids—these creatures lack the tails that lend them the partial title of “scorpion”. Though they have the…
Sunday Sketch: Grandma Aphid
Did you know? In many aphid species, a female will regularly give birth to a live clone. These newborn clones already contain a developing daughter within them. Termed “telescopic generation”, this allows aphids to multiply very quickly with or without males. So, the next time you’re pulling out your hair over these little bugs, be…
Creature Feature: Great white shark
It all begins with an innocent evening dip. A woman runs down the beach, stripping off her outer garments and diving into the cold, dark water of the Atlantic Ocean. Her identity is barely relevant, because just days later, remnants of her corpse are washed ashore – she is just another victim of the leviathan…
Field Fiasco Friday: The Ticking Tick Bomb
As a native to the mountains of New York, I considered frog catching a favorite childhood pastime. I remember spending hours at the local streambed catching frogs, confining them in jars, and studying their behavior. In retrospect, this may have been my first signs as a budding field biologist, along with a naivety to the…
Sunday Sketch: Hamster Party!
Did you know? Golden hamsters (Phodopus cambelli) can ingest nearly eight times the amount of alcohol than humans can- without showing signs of impairment. This high tolerance is due to a specialized metabolism, since their staple food source throughout the winter consists of seeds that undergo fermentation. Older Hamsters can even prefer food with a…
Creature Feature: California Golden Trout
California has long been known as the ‘golden state’. This could be attributed to its golden sunshine, the golden hills that the summer brings, or the gold flakes that line its streams. Thus it is only fitting that the official state fish is the California Golden Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss aguabonita). It is one of three…
