ethology
2024-03-25 @ 17.16.03 ∈ In English
Wild bird gestures ‘after you’: Japanese tit uses wing movements for gestural communication
By analyzing over 320 nest visitations in detail, the researchers saw that the wing-fluttering display prompted the mate who was being fluttered at to enter the nest box first, while the one who fluttered entered second, determining the order of nest entry and mirroring the "after you" gesture observed in human communication.
2023-12-14 @ 20.39.22 ∈ In English
New study reveals characteristics that are shared among a group of uniquely gifted dogs
Science now has documented that some rare dogs are even more special. They have a talent for learning hundreds of names of dog toys. Due to the extreme rarity of this phenomenon, until recently, very little was known about these dogs, as most of the studies that documented this ability included only a small sample of one or two dogs.
2023-11-15 @ 16.26.15 ∈ Suomeksi
Villi varis liittyi koirien tottelevaisuuskurssille – osaa nyt jo kolme temppua
Mikkeliläinen eläintenkouluttaja Sanna Kankainen huomasi viime keväänä, että koirien tottelevaisuuskoulutusta seurasi kiinnostunut varis. Varis ei myöskään ollut niin arka kuin normaalisti villit linnut ovat. Niinpä Kankainen päätti kokeilla, oppiiko lintu temppuja. Ja sehän oppi.
2023-07-07 @ 19.20.07 ∈ In English
Stressed rattlesnakes found to calm down in the company of a nearby ‘friend’
In highly social animals, such as mammals and birds, this phenomenon is well studied. Now, researchers have examined social buffering in rattlesnakes and found that the presence of a second snake significantly reduced rattlesnakes' change in heart rates after they experienced disturbance. It is the first evidence of social buffering in reptiles.
2023-06-30 @ 13.22.42 ∈ In English
Artificial neural network study explains why biting flies are attracted to blue objects
[The ANN, trained to process visual information in a way similar to that of the fly brain, had] trouble telling the difference between blue objects and animals. This suggested that an inability to distinguish between animals and blue objects is the reason for the attraction to blue objects by flies.
2023-06-15 @ 17.05.41 ∈ In English
Urban great tits less stressed than their countryside cousins, finds study
"The great tit's high cognitive capacity means it is highly adaptable, and urban great tits seem to have adapted so well to the new environment that they are not stressed by high population density. Another possible explanation is that it was the most intelligent and most flexible individuals who succeeded in colonizing urban environments in the first place," says Anders Brodin, biologist at Lund University.
2023-06-14 @ 19.21.08 ∈ Suomeksi
2023-06-09 @ 17.49.03 ∈ In English
Wolves in Minnesota switch to fish as a main source of food in the spring
A team of wildlife specialists from the University of Minnesota, the University of Manitoba and Voyageurs National Park has found […] that wolves do, in fact, catch and eat fish, almost exclusively in the spring. This was because deer are a less reliable food source due to reductions in population each year over the hunting season.
