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A Survey Of The Management And Development Of Captive African Elephant (Loxodonta Africana) Calves: Birth To Three Months Of Age, Nicole L. Kowalski, Robert H.I. Dale, Christa L. H. Mazur

Robert H. I. Dale

We used four surveys to collect information about the birth, physical growth, and behavioral development of 12 African elephant calves born in captivity. The management of the birth process and neonatal care involved a variety of standard procedures. All of the calves were born at night, between 7PM and 7AM. The calves showed a systematic progression in behavioral and physical development, attaining developmental milestones at least a quickly as calves in situ. This study emphasized birth-related events, changes in the ways that calves used their trunks, first instances of behaviors, and interactions of the calves with other, usually adult, elephants. …

The Neotropical Genus Austrolebias: An Emerging Model Of Annual Killifishes, Nibia Berois, María J. Arezo, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Annual fishes are found in both Africa and South America occupying ephemeral ponds that dried seasonally. Neotropical annual fishes are members of the family Rivulidae that consist of both annual and non-annual fishes. Annual species are characterized by a prolonged embryonic development and a relatively short adult life.

Males and females show striking sexual dimorphisms, complex courtship, and mating behaviors. The prolonged embryonic stage has several traits including embryos that are resistant to desiccation and undergo up to three reversible developmental arrests until hatching. These unique developmental adaptations are closely related to the annual fish life cycle and are the …

Neurogenesis In Cephalopods: "Eco-Evo-Devo" Approach In The Cuttlefish Sepia Officinalis (Mollusca-Cephalopoda), Sandra Navet, Sébastien Baratte, Yann Bassaglia, Aude Andouche, Auxane Buresi, Laure Bonnaud

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

Cephalopods are new evolutionary and ecological models. By their phylogenetic position (Lophotrochozoa, Mollusca), they provide a missing master piece in the whole puzzle of neurodevelopment studies. Their derived and specific nervous system but also their convergence with vertebrates offer abundant materials to question the evolution and development of the nervous system of Metazoa (evo-devo studies). In addition, their various adaptions to different modes of life open new fields of investigation of developmental plasticity according to ecological context (eco-evo-devo approach). In this paper, we review the recent works on cephalopod nervous developmental investigations. We show how cephalopods, and especially Sepia officinalis, …