“On the whole, large differences in exploratory behavior were observed between the cichlid species, and these differences were also confirmed under laboratory conditions [...] This puts the focus back on animal behavior as driving force behind key evolutionary processes"
I spent yesterday in shock and grief over the death of primatologist and animal-behavior scientist Frans de Waal, and that continues today. Here are only some of his books that revolutionized my thinking, research, and teaching about animal cognition and emotion. #FransDeWaal#animals#ethology#chimpanzees#animalbehavior#animalcognition#books
A man who changed the way we look at animals, and allowed animal behaviour scientists to look at animals as richly emotional and much closer to humans than we care to admit. Rest in peace, Frans de Waal.
Cracking a good joke is no laughing matter, but the complex cognitive abilities that underpin humor have so far been studied mostly in humans, with our great ape cousins going largely overlooked.
Now, a new study reports playful teasing behavior — a precursor to joking — in small groups of chimpanzees, gorillas, bonobos and orangutans.
A recent study challenges the notion that it’s a man’s world when it comes to primate social groups.
The study found that while a majority of species (58%) exhibited male-biased power structures, female- or co-dominant structures were identified in every major primate group.
Very excited to have contributed to this piece in Science on cognition in livestock; unfortunately behind a paywall :( but TLDR: farm animals are a lot smarter than people give them credit for, and @Goatsthatstare and his colleagues at FBU do amazing work!
The third and final updated edition of David Attenborough's classic Life trilogy. Life on Earth covered evolution, Living Planet , ecology, and now The Trials of Life tackles ethology, the study of how animals behave.
The female orca was found far from her normal hunting ground with six whole sea otters in its stomach and one lodged between its oral cavity and the esophagus.
My workgroup (@idealab) at the Department of Evolutionary Biology @unibielefeld has an open PhD student position in evolutionary genetics. We study experimental evolution with freshwater gastropods and would love to have somebody with previous experience in ddRAD-seq and ATAC-seq to join us!
Scientists investigate mysterious case of orca that swallowed 7 sea otters whole (www.livescience.com)
The female orca was found far from her normal hunting ground with six whole sea otters in its stomach and one lodged between its oral cavity and the esophagus.