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”…
Sunday Sketch: White’s Tree Frog
White’s tree frogs are type of frog you can keep as a pet. They are typically green in color and can turn brown or grey when they are cold, sick, or stressed. Males have a breeding call, which they can vocalize when sprayed by water, while both males and females have a different call for…
Sunday Sketch: Coral Beauty Angel
If you visit a tropical Indo-Pacific coral reef, you are likely to encounter the two-spined pygmy angelfish, Centropyge bispinosa, as it is the most widely distributed species of marine angelfish. Art by Darien Satterfield, Instagram & Twitter & Tiktok @DiverDarien. Fact by Nicole Rodrigues, Twitter @n3rodrigues [Edited by Nicole Rodrigues] Reference: Lowe, J. R., Payet, S. D., Harrison, H. B., Hobbs, J.-P….
Field Frame Friday: Mosquito
Did you know that different species of mosquito have different tastes in blood? The species pictured above, Culex tarsalis, is native to California and prefers to bite birds, though it will also bite humans and can potentially spread West Nile Virus. In contrast, the invasive species Aedes aegypti is considered an urban mosquito and prefers…
Creature Feature: Mara
Argentinian wildlife Creature Feature, Part 2: a sociable, engineering large rodent
Sunday Sketch: Snail
Snails can feed on a variety of food sources, such as plants or decaying material. They have a radula, which contains teeth that enable them to eat. New teeth are constantly forming to replace those worn down from eating. Snails can graze or grind their food, and their radula is adapted to the types of…
Sunday Sketch: Tardigrade
Tardigrades are exceptionally resilient animals. They can endure extreme temperatures ranging from -272.8 °C to 150 °C for 15 minutes, as well as low and high atmospheric pressures, ranging from 200 to 280 hPa to 7,500 MPa. Additionally, they can withstand ionizing radiation and X-rays up to around 5000 Gy, high doses of ultraviolet radiation…
Newsroom: The cliff’s edge: rearing environment and spatial cognition in egg laying hens
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…
Creature Feature: Gato montes
Argentinian wildlife Creature Feature, Part 1: The elusive, savvy, cat of the monte
Sunday Sketch: Honey Bee
Honey bees perform a dance to invite other bees from the same colony for grooming. This behavior can help them get rid of harmful parasites. Art and fact by Nicole Rodrigues, Instagram & Twitter @n3rodrigues [Edited by Nicole Rodrigues] Reference: Siefert, P., Buling, N., & Grünewald, B. (2021). Honey bee behaviours within the hive: Insights…
