Animal behavior Content

What Makes Queen Bees So Smart?

Andy Fell — November 07, 2024 - 2:22pm

A bumblebee’s brain is smaller than a sesame seed. But it can still accomplish quite a bit.

“You don’t need a big brain to learn well,” said Felicity Muth, an assistant professor in the Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior and a National Geographic Explorer who studies cognition in bees and other animals. “Bumblebees are capable of many of the same cognitive feats as many vertebrates.”

Understanding Cattle Grazing Personalities May Foster Sustainable Rangelands

Emily C Dooley — March 27, 2024 - 9:00am

�ٺ��Ƶ research finds that not all cattle are the same when it comes to grazing, and knowing that could lead to better animal health and range conditions.

Heavy Necking: New Insights Into the Sex Life of Giraffes

Katherine E Kerlin — February 08, 2023 - 9:00am

A �ٺ��Ƶ study provides new insight into the unique sex life of giraffes and other behaviors.

�ٺ��Ƶ Researchers Study Telemedicine for Cats

Amy M Quinton — January 11, 2023 - 1:27pm

�ٺ��Ƶ researchers have found cats show fewer signs of stress with telemedicine or virtual veterinary appointments.

How Dragonflies Catch Prey in Midair

Andy Fell — January 04, 2023 - 10:41am

No Time to Nap in Nature

Andy Fell — March 02, 2022 - 9:15am

The first study ever to examine sleeping behavior in a wild group of primates has challenged a central tenet of sleep science: that we must make up for lost sleep. Even after sleeping poorly, wild baboons still spent time on other priorities, such as socializing with group-mates or looking out for predators, rather than catching up on lost sleep.

Personality Matters, Even for Squirrels

Katherine E Kerlin — September 10, 2021 - 10:00am

Humans acknowledge that personality goes a long way, at least for our species. But scientists have been more hesitant to ascribe personality — defined as consistent behavior over time — to other animals.

Best of Frenemies: Unexpected Role of Social Networks in Ecology

Andy Fell — November 01, 2019 - 10:13am

Social networking, even between competing species, plays a much bigger role in ecology than anyone previously thought, according to three biologists at the University of California, Davis.

“There’s mounting evidence that different species pay attention to each other in the wild, especially if they share predators,” said Mike Gil, postdoctoral researcher at �ٺ��Ƶ. “The theory of ecology has lagged behind.”

Child Development Experts Discover Potential Upside to Prenatal Stress

Andy Fell — February 07, 2018 - 3:27pm

New research with prairie voles by child development experts at �ٺ��Ƶ suggests that prenatal stress promotes developmental plasticity in babies, making them especially likely to benefit from good parenting as well as suffer from negligent care.

Monkey See, Monkey Do, Depending on Age, Experience and Efficiency

Andy Fell — June 07, 2017 - 12:14pm

Wild capuchin monkeys readily learn skills from each other – but that social learning is driven home by the payoff of learning a useful new skill. It’s the first demonstration of “payoff bias” learning in a wild animal, and could inform whether and how animals can adapt to rapidly changing conditions.