Mistletoe does not only serve to incite smooches on Christmas, but it’s also a tasty snack for Diademed Sifakas (Propithecus diadema) in Madagascar. When resources are few and far between in the winter, Sifakas rely on mistletoe and this reliance can reduce group cohesion in fragmented forests. Mistletoe may bring humans together, but it makes…
Field Frame Friday Holiday Edition: Christmas in the Field
Alexander is spending Christmas on Barro Colorado Island in Panama, part of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. The island is quiet for the holiday: only him, a handful of guardabosques (“Forest Guards”, similar to game wardens, that help maintain and protect the Barro Colorado National Monument), and a few cooks. They had a special lunch,…
Creature Feature: Reindeer
With jack frost nipping at your nose and holiday spiced drinks at your local coffee shop, ‘tis the season to be on the lookout for reindeer. Even if you don’t leave carrots by the chimney for Rudolf on Christmas Eve, reindeer are handsome, hardy animals that inspire thoughts of sparkling white snowscapes, the north woods,…
Field Frame Friday: Beggars can’t be choosers
Ever had your pet beg to you for food? Well this is no different. This is Emma, performing her signature “hands out” behavior to indicate that she would like you to share whatever scrumptious things you have with her. Emma is a long tailed macaque that lives in a tourist park outside of Kuala Lumpur,…
Sunday Sketch: Between a rock and a hard place
Long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) are one of the most common monkeys in southeast Asia. Some populations along the shore are found to use stones as tools to crack oysters, bivalves and various kinds of shellfish. This tool-related foraging technique is extremely rare among primates. The tool use behaviors are found only in some populations of monkey species in the same location despite sharing environmental…
Field Frame Friday: Literal love birds!
Madagascar love birds are the smallest lovebirds and one of three sexually dimorphic (meaning males and females look different in size or color) lovebirds. Lovebirds got their names as they often sit in pairs preening each other’s feathers [Photo and caption by Meredith Lutz] Dubuc, R. G. Family Tree of the African Love Bird. AFA Watchbird, 5(1),…
Field Notes: PhD Research or Arts-n-Crafts Hour… Why Not Both?
When you’re in the business of making nearly a thousand clay caterpillars by hand, there are a few must-have investments: Spotify premium (for hours’ worth of podcasts), ludicrous amounts of alcohol wipes (to scrub your stubbornly ink-dyed hands), more Copic marker refills than you think you would ever need (so you don’t have to drive…
Creature Feature: Fossa
Fossa are bizarre-looking apex predators endemic to Madagascar.
Sunday Sketch: Monkey See, Monkey Do
Long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) are known for stealing food from tourists in several areas. Populations in Uluwatu temple, Indonesia are more advanced and steal valuables stuff such as phones, wallets, and glasses from tourists. They cannot consume those objects, but they wait for the temple staff to trade for them with fruits. This foraging techniques…
Field Frame Friday: Excuse me? May I park my infant here please?
Ruffed lemurs, like the black and white ruffed lemur pictured here (Varecia variegata editorum) exhibit a unique infant rearing strategy among primates. They give birth to litters of 2-3 altricial (meaning that they are rather helpless and not as developed at birth) babies in a nest. The babies stay in the nest while one adult…
