The study of animal behaviour.
3
votes
0answers
40 views
Do non-human animals suffer from insomnia?
And how do we know whether they do or not?
§
If sleep is a physiological need, it seems weird that we become unable to fulfill on demand even in the absence of any obvious physical issues. We would ...
5
votes
1answer
77 views
What happens to an ant colony when the queen dies?
Does the colony collapse? Do workers keep following the last orders? Or can future queens replace the dead one? I'm guessing this might also depend on each specific sub-species.
0
votes
1answer
38 views
What's food mode?
I've been watching a The Crocodile Hunter episode about Komodo dragons, and Steve Irwing kept speaking about the animals being in "food mode", in which they apparently change their behavior to one of ...
5
votes
1answer
49 views
Cat purring: What are some possible underlying mechanisms behind purring and bone remodeling and formation?
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-do-cats-purr
The article above says that cats purr mostly when they're wounded or under duress. They hypothesis that cats purring leads to ...
1
vote
1answer
38 views
Introductory text for primatology
I'm looking for a book that provides a good overview of primatology, one aimed more at researchers rather than a popular science book. Ideally, I'd like something with an ethology/ecology angle with ...
1
vote
1answer
44 views
How do animals/plants change for each season?
The question pretty much sums it up. How do animals/plants change for each: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter?
A detailed explanation on distinct behaviour and appearance changes would be nice.
1
vote
0answers
29 views
Why do animals sleep
Animals spend a good portion of every day doing nothing, and it seems like that time could be better spent hunting, searching for mates, etc. Also, animals are not aware during sleep, so it would be ...
3
votes
2answers
287 views
Why is that all the animals can swim in water without learning to swim but humans cannot?
I had a question since I was a child. I was always curious that all the animals can swim in water. They don't need any training or to learn swimming. But humans need to learn to swim. Why ?
I am a ...
1
vote
0answers
31 views
What are the most well-understood vocal animal languages? [closed]
Just as the Bee dance, for a "language", I mean that there are vocal pattens, or "grammar".
In the nature, there are many intelligent animals like human beings.
Bird songs, whale songs, dogs?
In ...
1
vote
1answer
64 views
are female bonobos “always” pregnant?
Given that bonobo chimps are more sexually active then humans, are the females almost always pregnant? if not how not?
also are they so sexually active in the wild as well or is it just in captivity?
...
3
votes
1answer
103 views
What makes an animal/species suitable for domestication/training?
Humans have domesticated all manner of creatures during the course of their civilization - dogs, horses, several types of cattle, varieties of birds, and perhaps others too.
A prerequisite for an ...
4
votes
1answer
39 views
Tool use by animals: research history
I was under impression that data about quite a lot different species using different tools is a fairly modern phenomenon, i.e., all of the research is fairly recent.
Around 50 years ago it was ...
6
votes
1answer
141 views
Is there any documented evidence for suicide among vertebrates other than humans?
Is there any documented evidence for suicide among vertebrates other than humans? Lemmings not accepted !
7
votes
1answer
359 views
Do any animals other than humans undergo menopause?
Do any animals other than humans undergo menopause?
Also, is there any difference between animals in captivity and animals in the wild as regards menopause? For example, even if menopause has been ...
8
votes
2answers
197 views
What does “nesting failure” mean?
According to the Wikipedia article on swans, swans are mostly monogamous but may sometimes separate, particularly after a "nesting failure". What "nesting failure" may mean is not entirely clear to ...
7
votes
2answers
88 views
Is there a term for tool use in animals?
Is there a technical/scientific term that scientists use to refer to tool making abilities found in certain types of animals?
Reference ...
11
votes
1answer
209 views
How do porcupines keep from pricking each other while mating?
How do porcupines keep from pricking each other while mating? It seems like they would constantly be scratching each other.
11
votes
1answer
199 views
How do members of cryptic species know who to mate with?
According to Wikipedia:
In biology, a cryptic species complex is a group of species which
satisfy the biological definition of species—that is, they are
reproductively isolated from each ...
14
votes
1answer
119 views
Are there dextral/sinistral higher animals?
For example, almost every dog I've met in my life (more than 20 subjects) uses their right paw touching one while asking for attention. Can it be used as a criterion for calling them dextral? If not, ...
