Photographs of CNPRC titi monkeys (Plecturocebus cupreus) and rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) [Source] In a collaboration between the Bales and Bauman Labs, researchers at the California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC) at UC Davis have validated a new method for eye tracking in non-human primates. Eye tracking is when a computer monitor and camera setup…
Sunday Sketch: Whistling Caterpillars
Many caterpillars have colorful and sometimes toxic defenses against predators, but the North American Walnut Sphinx caterpillar really knows how to startle a would-be attacker. These little guys produce high-pitched whistles that have birds diving away from them in confusion! Fact and sketch contributed by Amelia Munson Source: Bura, V. L., Rohwer, V. G., Martin, P….
Field Frame Friday: (Don’t) Share the Love.
Dominant yellow-rumped cacique (Cacicus cela) males mate with many females while males lower down in the hierarchy mate with only a few females, if any. Dominant males can consort with anywhere form 1-27 females and will guard them while they forage and nest. [Photo by Grace Davis in Barro Colorado Island, Panama; Caption by Maggie…
Creature Feature: Horned lizard
Horned lizards can shoot out a high propulsion stream of blood through their eyes!
Newsroom: Primate play
This week, we debut a new section on the Ethogram: Newsroom. Here, we aim to make scientific literature more accessible to the general public by covering recent publications by UC Davis Animal Behavior students, faculty, affiliates, and the broader research community. Researchers at UC Davis, Bucknell University, and GERP [the Malagasy primate research group] have…
Sunday Sketch: Rabbits and Food Preferences
*Sniff, sniff* “That’s my favorite!” Rabbits can transfer food preference information to their offspring during different stages of development. They can be exposed to the mother’s food preference in utero, through nursing, and through exposure to the mother’s poop that are in the nest! Sketch and fact contributed by Karli Chudeau Bilko, A., Altbacker, V. &…
Field Frame Friday: What do behavioral scientists do when they aren’t observing animals for research?
They observe animals for fun! On a boat trip from San Francisco Bay to the Farallon Islands, it is rare not to have a whale sighting. However, to see two fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) cruising together is magic! [Photo by Alycia Drwencke and caption by Karli Chudeau]
Sunday Sketch: The Dolphin Digestive Tract Debris Dilemma
A recent study found plastic debris in the digestive tracts of 50 dolphins, whales, and seals. Surprisingly, a large amount of the trash came from synthetic fibers (found in clothing, fishing nets, and toothbrushes), while the rest were from plastic fragments. Keep in mind that plastic pollution affects many other marine organisms, as well. Therefore,…
Field Frame Friday: Squad goals.
Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) congregate in areas where natural cracks in the ice provide easy access into and out of the water, and while Antarctic waters remain around -2°C (~28°F) which may seem cold to us, these seals are well adapted to spending hours at a time in the water. [Caption and Photo taken (under…
Sunday Sketch: Lacewing Trash-Packages
Why bother with camouflage when you can just play dress-up? The larvae of green lacewings (order Neuroptera) blend into their surroundings by attaching bits of debris to small, hook-like structures on their backs. These “trash-packages” can consist of plant matter, lichen, dirt, or even the dead bodies of their prey (aphids)! Sketch and fact contributed…
