Have you ever met someone with a really strong trait? For instance, a friend of mine is extremely active–always jogging here and there, to and fro. I went on vacation with her, and although she was a bit more relaxed than usual, she was still relatively much more active than most other people on vacation…

Imagine you’re moving to a new house, and not only must you pack up all your belongings but also carry your children safely to the new home. Sounds stressful? For the Indian ant Diacamma indicum, this is pretty much their life story when they relocate their nest. A recent study in Myrmecological News shows that…

We have all heard the common phrase “lions, tigers, bears, oh my!” from Dorothy’s fears of entering the forest and encountering the cowardly lion, but have you heard “apples, carrots, friends, oh my?” Similar to humans, dairy calves respond to novel or unknown stimuli and situations with caution due to the possibility of a threat…

         How do you learn? Most of us learn something every day, even if we don’t realize it. We might learn how to fix our faucet, where the nearest store is, or even just a fun fact about honeybees from an article we found online. But have you ever wondered what happens “under the hood,”…

Have you ever wondered how scientists determine what behaviors animals have ? It’s not as simple as just looking at them —especially when researchers are working with large groups of animals, like chickens. So, how do scientists accurately capture the behaviors they’re interested in ? The ideal method for measuring animal behavior accurately is a…

Check out this throwback Newsroom piece!

According to scientist Dr. Marianne Dawkins, animals in captivity are considered to have good animal welfare if they are healthy and get what they want. Since animals can’t tell us what they want, how do we figure it out? One way scientists study this is by seeing if animals are willing to “pay a price”…

A common question I get about chickens is “can they fly?” And to many people’s surprise the answer is yes! Although they might not go far or look very graceful, chickens can absolutely fly. Like their ancestors the Red Jungle Fowl, chickens naturally seek safety by flying up to perch in trees and roost at…

Check out this Newsroom about pigeon parental behavior and physiology!

Many wonder what goes on behind the eyes (and in the minds) of animals. In fact, the aspiring Doctor Dolittle’s of the world may go as far as to wish they could communicate with animals and understand them. However, this is much harder than one might initially think, and it requires a lot of research…