Questions tagged [ethology]
The study of animal behaviour.
229
questions
3
votes
1answer
35 views
Why are Aardvarks capable of burrowing given their size?
I was wondering if large animals could possibly dig extensive burrows for themselves to live in. The polar bear burrows, but snow is not dirt. The aardvark goes about 4' long, ~150 lbs: similar to a ...
4
votes
1answer
111 views
Can you explain the behavior of this snake?
I just saw this video in which a snake is swallowing a grape.
("Whip snake eating grapes").
In the video, the snake just doesn't eat but goes on to swallow 2-3 grapes.
I did some research on the ...
2
votes
1answer
74 views
The “truce of the watering hole” — is it completely discredited?
In short, the idea comes from Kipling that animals observe a sort of truce around watering holes and prey animals do not have to be on guard (as much?) from predators in the vicinity.
I have read ...
0
votes
0answers
60 views
Do any non-human species have juveniles that cannot communicate with adults?
Human babies take 1+ years to begin learning how to speak (though sign language can be learned a bit earlier1).
I know that cries, yells, and other non-linguistic sound are a simple form of ...
1
vote
0answers
15 views
The primary source for Erich von Holst research for minnow forebrain and shoaling
I am trying to find the primary source of information about the experiments of Eric von Holst, mentioned by Konrad Lorenz in the book “Das sogenannte Böse: Zur Naturgeschichte der Aggression”/“On ...
4
votes
1answer
91 views
The emergence of Phengaris butterflies from ant nests
The butterflies of the Phengaris genus (also known as Maculinea) are known to be brood parasitic. During the fourth instar, the caterpillars leave their food plant and mimic ant larvae, causing the ...
1
vote
1answer
12 views
What's the technical terminology for call-and-respond type behaviour?
The groups of some species such as water birds display a behavior that once out of line-of-sight a member will periodically initiate an interaction by make some type of sound, which will be followed ...
2
votes
0answers
24 views
Predatory animal tracking methods
As far as I know, humans are the only animals that use visual references to track prey that is not immediately visible to them.
Do any other animals do this?
I'm not referring to stalking prey ...
0
votes
0answers
31 views
Do animals exist (for example ostriches, chimps, etc.) that develop the need to mate with humans if they are soley raised and socialized by humans?
I just watched a German talk show "Nachtstudio" with the title "Die Graugans und der Mensch" (Gosling and People) about the legacy of the famous ethologist and Nobel Prize winner Konrad Lorenz (https:/...
-3
votes
2answers
105 views
Why are children so violent, compared to other adolescent animals, when they play?
When children play it is frequent that someone starts crying, suffers minor injuries and that they are intentionally mean towards each other (e.g., bite, pull hair, throws sand, pushes someone so they ...
2
votes
0answers
20 views
Can Chilopoda “vocalize” or produce sound for the express purpose of communication, as opposed to sound as a byproduct of other movements?
Is there any species of Chilopoda that can "vocalize" or or otherwise produce sound for the express purpose of communication, as opposed to sounds it might create as a byproduct of other movements ...
2
votes
0answers
38 views
Lions protecting girl in Ethopia — how plausible is it that they understood situation?
Several years ago we read of a girl who was apparently threatened by humans being protected by lions who chases off the males and stayed with the girl. Explanations like, "her crying resembled that of ...
4
votes
0answers
45 views
Why do some ant workers still wander at night?
As far as I have seen, the vast majority of workers in colonies of diurnal, non-nomadic species return to their nests and remain there at night. The colonies seem to forage largely during the day. ...
2
votes
1answer
48 views
Why squirrel behaviour varies greatly throughout India?
Common squirrels seen in India, probably Indian palm squirrels; seem to have drastic different behaviour. And all squirrels of a definite locality, behave in a very consistently same whay. That seems ...
0
votes
2answers
75 views
Is 'disorientation event' a common term among biologists?
On the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources web page about the marine turtle conservation program it says, "When a hatchling sea turtle is attracted away from the ocean towards a direct or ...
0
votes
0answers
16 views
Life cycle of Ascaris worms
Why do Ascaris larva move to the epiglottis from the lungs only to come down with food to the small intestine and become an adult?
7
votes
3answers
237 views
Do birds grieve and feel emotion?
Crows are surprisingly clever with tool making/use and even understanding displacement water over sand! Clearly there's some relatively high level cognitive processes going on up in those avian brains....
0
votes
0answers
24 views
Do jackdaws help each other against enemies/predators?
Do jackdaws help each other out when one member of the flock is caught by a natural enemy? I'm asking this question, because I have seen other corvids do it.
1
vote
1answer
37 views
Why are bees attracted to Stag Hides in Lime bath
A friend has some stag hides in lime-water solution. He noticed the stag hides were covered in bees of several different species. He also noticed that the nearby sheep hides in a similar bath have no ...
1
vote
1answer
56 views
How do animals learns seductional behaviour?
I was curious how the gender behaviour, the male role or female role, is known in mammals. Do mammals instinctively know how to do seduce the opposed sex or do the animals learn it from their parents/...
0
votes
1answer
52 views
Why do spinner dolphins spin?
Spinner dolphins have a behavior where they jump out of the water and spin a bunch of times in the air. Wikipedia's article on this just states
These spins may serve several functions
and doesn't ...
asked Apr 10 '19 at 16:13
David says Reinstate Monica
2,8942 gold badges9 silver badges12 bronze badges
1
vote
1answer
120 views
Is cannibalism part of mainstream food-chain?
There are some species who sometimes eat their own kinds. Is this cannibalism considered their regular food? Do the link in food-chain for those animals make a loop on themselves?
Can this statement: ...
1
vote
0answers
50 views
Do non-human primates have mental disorders like humans?
I was at the zoo today and watched a gorilla pick at a scab on its finger, compulsively, until it started bleeding. Is this OCD or is it just a nervous thing that non-human primates do at the zoo? Do ...
0
votes
0answers
71 views
Do flies avoid infrared light?
If flies avoid IR light, many places can be kept free from flies using IR light. We see insect repellers in many restaurants, but they don't seem to work well. Can IR be a safe & effective ...
3
votes
1answer
55 views
What's the smallest flier that migrates?
Painted ladies and monarchs migrate hundreds of miles (~1.61 hundreds of kms).
Are there long distance fliers that are significantly smaller?
Dual question: Are fliers' migration distances strictly ...
24
votes
2answers
3k views
What exactly is this small puffer fish doing and how did it manage to accomplish such a feat?
I recently saw a video on youtube where it shows a puffer fish making intricate designs in the sand:
OZZY MAN VIDEO
The puffer fish made this design on the sand:
What exactly is the puffer ...
0
votes
0answers
41 views
Is there animal other than human that can recognize distal causes?
We know animals can recognize proximate causes. For example, if animal A hits animal B and injures it then usually animal B is able to associate animal A with his injury. From our everyday experience ...
0
votes
0answers
89 views
E.O. Wilson on sociobiology and the origin of morality
Somewhere in E.O Wilson's writing, he discusses how human values are rooted in our nature as a specific kind of animal. He argues that we have an identifiable optimal living place -- a grove at the ...
0
votes
1answer
41 views
What's the relationship between oxygen consumption and ambient oxygen concentration for a lobster?
I was looking at a research paper by Thomas (1954) and came across a graph with ambient oxygen concentration plotted against oxygen consumption rate of a European lobster kept in water.
As we can see,...
7
votes
1answer
56 views
Can multiple cetacean species communicate?
It seems that individuals within the same species have their own communication, but is there evidence to suggest that individuals from different species are able to communicate?
5
votes
1answer
229 views
What's the relationship between snail movement and rain?
I have a question about the relationship between snail and rain. A few days ago I found snail shells in a moist area and I brought them in for crafts work (I thought they were empty because snail ...
1
vote
0answers
18 views
The Tun state of a tardigrade
I was wondering How long does it take for a tardigrade to enter and exit the Tun state?
I'm doing a thesis on tardigrades for my B.S in biology and I haven't come along any information in the primary ...
1
vote
0answers
35 views
Who cleans the cleaner fish?
Cleaner fish are those fish that eat the dead skin cells and parasites off from other usually larger fish.
( such cleaners include wrasse, cichlids, catfish, shrimp etc )
I wondered if the cleaner ...
19
votes
2answers
5k views
Why is wombat excreta shaped like cubes?
I've heard that wombat excreta is cube shaped, but I don't understand how that can happen. Has anyone studied the phenomenon? What would the evolutionary pressure have been to cause this?
0
votes
1answer
43 views
Will a dog develop similar feelings with a robot as like human?
I think we are connected to the world by Biochemistry first and then physical and verbal interactions. If a robot feeds a dog regularly, pampers it and cuddles it regularly, would it develop the same ...
1
vote
1answer
33 views
Why so fewer birds in the yard come late summer and early autumn?
We've enjoyed watching birds in our yard this past summer. We're in a suburb, fairly forested, inland northeastern USA hardiness zone 5. As we scaled up the amount of diversity and net primary ...
2
votes
0answers
26 views
Efficacy of sonic kangaroo deterrents
Bender (2003) tested the efficacy of sonic kangaroo deterrents. Their device is static (and apparently ineffective).
Has there been any rigorous testing of the whistle-like 'kangaroo deterrent' ...
1
vote
0answers
30 views
Is there mismatch in injures or death numbers for carnivores that hunt during day time and night time?
Is there significant mismatch in injures or death numbers for hunters (when hunter was killed or injured by its prey), between day time and night time hunts (carnivores that hunt during the day time ...
1
vote
0answers
49 views
Hamilton's rule: When to change the equation?
So, in class, my teacher gave two examples of using hamilton's rule. Let b= 4 and c=2.5.
The first was whether altruism would evolve between two diploid full siblings given these values. Since r=1/2, ...
2
votes
0answers
35 views
Why would a horse-fly quickly dip into water?
For several years I have noticed a large horse-fly, flying very quickly down to the surface of my pond (in Sweden), touch the surface, and fly off. Sometimes it dips down a few times, taking some ...
1
vote
0answers
45 views
How to quantify the strength of social bonding between the individuals of a colony? How to compare the strength of social bonding across the species?
Consider two different species of honey bees. If I have to compare the strength of social bonding between the two species i.e. in which species, social bonding between the individuals is stronger than ...
1
vote
2answers
775 views
Territorial behavior in humans?
Do humans exhibit territorial behavior like other primates? I have seen people sometimes stare at others -- notably males -- and then physical fights spontaneously turn up. Is this territorial? It ...
2
votes
1answer
69 views
What do bats do if played ultra sound?
If there are bats flying in the cave, and I play the same pitch they use to echolocate from a speaker, what would the bats do?
4
votes
2answers
98 views
Are there any pairs of animal species that regularly prey on other?
I don't mean cannibalism within a single species - I mean, are they are any pairs of species A and B such that members of species A regularly prey on members of species B, and also members of species ...
1
vote
1answer
58 views
Species that murder their own counterparts when put in captivity
Mary Midgley writes in her book, Beast and Man (p. 54 in this eBook: https://goo.gl/3NnhtP):
Lorenz gives chilling examples from roe deer and doves, in both of which species stronger members will ...
4
votes
1answer
424 views
Is there a distinction between the fisherian runaway theory and Fisher's sexy son theory?
In many websites/books they are referred to as part of the same process whereby:
"runaway" describing that the process continues even after traits become maladaptive
the "sexy son theory" explains ...
2
votes
2answers
156 views
Does human behaviour that is caused by inheritance depend on the environment and lifestyle in general?
Different breeds of common domesticated animals such as horses and dogs clearly show different behaviour, instincts, social relationships and similar, due to their biological inheritance. Still they ...
3
votes
0answers
58 views
Why do lions keep young preys and don't kill them right away?
I saw some (actually several) videos on Youtube of young lions and lionesses that after hunting baby preys keep them and even seem to play with them. The lions don't seem to want to hurt them but they ...
3
votes
1answer
371 views
What do you call clearly different sub-groups within a species?
If you look at species of bees and ants, you can clearly see there are drastically different specialized ants, like queen ants and workers. They're both part of the same species, yet are still ...
6
votes
1answer
314 views
Are there any parasites that alter human behavior in a self destructive way?
There seems to be quite a few examples of parasites taking over the behavior of insects in a way that leads to the death of the host. A couple of examples include:
Spinochordodes tellinii: A ...
