Digital Commons Network^™

Cetacean Brain Evolution: Multiplication Generates Complexity, Lori Marino

Anatomy Collection

Over the past 55-60 million years cetacean (dolphin, whale, and porpoise) brains have become hyperexpanded so that modern cetacean encephalization levels are second only to modern humans. At the same time, brain expansion proceeded along very different lines than in other large-brained mammals so that substantial differences between modern cetacean brains and other mammalian brains exist at every level of brain organization. Perhaps the most profound difference between cetacean and other mammalian brains is in the architecture of the neocortex. Cetaceans possess a unique underlying neocortical organizational scheme that is particularly intriguing in light of the fact that cetaceans exhibit …

Size Matters: A Test Of Boldness In Eight Populations Of The Poeciliid Brachyraphis Episcopi, Culum Brown, Victoria Braithwaite

Sentience Collection

Individual variation in behaviour within populations may be explained in part by demographics and long-term, stable individual psychological differences. We examined the relation between boldness (taken as the time to emerge from a shelter and explore a novel environment) and body size in eight populations of the poeciliid Brachyraphis episcopi originating from sites upstream and downstream of waterfalls in four rivers that run into the Panama Canal. The relation between body size and time to emerge from a shelter was positive, with larger fish taking longer to emerge. This relation differed between downstream and upstream sites, being significant in the …

Origin And Evolution Of Large Brains In Toothed Whales, Lori Marino, Daniel W. Mcshea, Mark D. Uhen

Veterinary Science and Medicine Collection

Toothed whales (order Cetacea: suborder Odontoceti) are highly encephalized, possessing brains that are significantly larger than expected for their body sizes. In particular, the odontocete superfamily Delphinoidea (dolphins, porpoises, belugas, and narwhals) comprises numerous species with encephalization levels second only to modern humans and greater than all other mammals. Odontocetes have also demonstrated behavioral faculties previously only ascribed to humans and, to some extent, other great apes. How did the large brains of odontocetes evolve? To begin to investigate this question, we quantified and averaged estimates of brain and body size for 36 fossil cetacean species using computed tomography and …

The Other Side Of Silence: Rachel Carson’S Views Of Animals, Marc Bekoff, Jan Nystrom

Animal Welfare Collection

The publication of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring in 1962 is widely regarded as one of the major events that launched the modern environmental movement. Silent Spring is a compelling blend of stories, natural history, human values, and biological facts. In this essay we consider Carson’s attitude toward animals in Silent Spring and in other texts. Despite the facts that she was raised to love Nature and animals, little direct attention has been given to Carson’s views about our moral responsibilities to, and the moral standing of animals. Carson favored responsible stewardship, was more of an animal welfarist and environmentalist/conservation biologist …

Neuroanatomy Of The Killer Whale (Orcinus Orca) From Magnetic Resonance Images, Lori Marino, Chet C. Sherwood, Bradley N. Delman, Cheuk Y. Tang, Thomas P. Naidisch, Patrick R. Hof

Veterinary Science and Medicine Collection

This article presents the first series of MRI-based anatomically labeled sectioned images of the brain of the killer whale (Orcinus orca). Magnetic resonance images of the brain of an adult killer whale were acquired in the coronal and axial planes. The gross morphology of the killer whale brain is comparable in some respects to that of other odontocete brains, including the unusual spatial arrangement of midbrain structures. There are also intriguing differences. Cerebral hemispheres appear extremely convoluted and, in contrast to smaller cetacean species, the killer whale brain possesses an exceptional degree of cortical elaboration in the insular cortex, temporal …

Laboratory Routines Cause Animal Stress, Jonathan P. Balcombe, Neal D. Barnard, Chad Sandusky

Laboratory Experiments Collection

Eighty published studies were appraised to document the potential stress associated with three routine laboratory procedures commonly performed on animals: handling, blood collection, and orogastric gavage. We defined handling as any non-invasive manipulation occurring as part of routine husbandry, including lifting an animal and cleaning or moving an animal's cage. Significant changes in physiologic parameters correlated with stress (e.g., serum or plasma concentrations of corticosterone, glucose, growth hormone or prolactin, heart rate, blood pressure, and behavior) were associated with all three procedures in multiple species in the studies we examined. The results of these studies demonstrated that animals responded with …

Predators In Natural Fragments: Foraging Ecology Of Wolves In British Columbia’S Central And North Coast Archipelago, C. T. Darimont, M. H. H. Price, N. N. Winchester, J. Gordon-Walker, P. C. Paquet

Biogeography and Ecological Opportunity Collection

Aim Predator–prey dynamics in fragmented areas may be influenced by spatial features of the landscape. Although little is known about these processes, an increasingly fragmented planet underscores the urgency to predict its consequences. Accordingly, our aim was to examine foraging behaviour of an apex mammalian predator, the wolf (Canis lupus), in an archipelago environment.

Location Mainland and adjacent archipelago of British Columbia, Canada; a largely pristine and naturally fragmented landscape with islands of variable size and isolation.

Methods We sampled 30 mainland watersheds and 29 islands for wolf faeces in summers 2000 and 2001 and identified prey remains. We examined …

Swro Fall 2004

Southwest Regional Office

• Showdown at the OK Corral
• SWRO assists in largest dogfighting raid in OK history
• Battling bird fighters in the Bayou State
• Cats safer in Dallas/Fort Worth
• Watch for "Game Dogs"
• SWRO staffer goes the extra mile for Montana breeding dogs
• SWRO aids Texas breeding dogs
• HSUS Golden Anniversary: the next 50 years (Wayne Pacelle)
• Finding Max
• RAVS visits Arizona Reservation
• There out to be a rule (Lou Guyton)
• SWRO trains police after dog is shot

Pnro Fall 2004

Pacific Northwest Regional Office

• RAVS visits WA tribes
• One goose's happy ending, hope for more
• Washington orcas added to state's Endangered Species list
• Alaskan sea otter population shows signs of declining
• Legislative Update
• HSUS Golden Anniversary: the next 50 years (Wayne Pacelle)
• Reaching out (Robert Reder)

Csro Fall 2004

Central States Regional Office

• CSRO responds to Charley
• New CSRO staffer helps at Tennessee RAVS clinic
• CSRO identifies dogfighting evidence
• CSRO Director speaks at Disaster Conference
• Persistence pays off in Kentucky
• Still waiting in North Carolina
• Felony animal cruelty in Tennessee
• Special Report from new HSUS CEO -- HSUS golden anniversary: the next 50 years (Wayne Pacelle)

Wcro Fall 2004

West Coast Regional Office

• River Cats promote safe cats
• Gov. Schwarzenegger terminates ill-advised shelter plan
• Sacramento's Safe Cats Week
• La Jolla seals update
• Artivist Film Festival recognizes the HSUS
• Stopping Costa Mesa squirrel poisoning
• Rewards offered in cruelty cases
• Legislative Update
• Humane Charter School a reality
• HSUS Golden Anniversary: the next 50 years (Wayne Pacelle)
• The Hayden Act and California's animal shelters: good intentions aren't good enough (Eric Sakach)

Evolution Of Nociception In Vertebrates: Comparative Analysis Of Lower Vertebrates, Lynne U. Sneddon

Veterinary Science and Medicine Collection

Nociception is an important sensory system of major fundamental and clinical relevance. The nociceptive system of higher vertebrates is well studied with a wealth of information about nociceptor properties, involvement of the central nervous system and the in vivo responses to a noxious experience are already characterised. However, relatively little is known about nociception in lower vertebrates and this review brings together a variety of studies to understand how this information can inform the evolution of nociception in vertebrates. It has been demonstrated that teleost fish possess nociceptors innervated by the trigeminal nerve and that these are physiologically similar to …

Sero Fall 2004

Southeast Regional Office

• SC takes on dogfighting
• SERO takes charge in Charley response
• Major cockfighting raid in Florida
• FL Animal-Friend license plat to fund spay/neuter
• HSUS Gold Anniversary: the next 50 years (Wayne Pacelle)
• Being an "Old Timer" has its advantages
• Licks and Kicks

Maro Fall 2004

Mid-Atlantic Regional Office

• Region hosts successful conference
• Dogfighter convicted in NY, indicted in PA
• Help stop another bear hunt in December
• HSUS will start bear contraception in NJ
• It pays to be proactive
• Expo 2004 provides training
• HSUS sues over inhumane standards
• HSUS Golden Anniversary: the next 50 years (Wayne Pacelle)
• Humane treatment of veal calves
• Unexpected wildlife refuge
• Preserving the wild for wildlife (Nina Austenberg)
• NJ ACO brings skill to hurricane response

Nero Fall 2004

New England Regional Office

• Greyhounds win one!
• Safe Cats comes to New England
• A long journey home
• Scholarship funds training for NH shelter manager
• Star shelter volunteer earns honor
• HSUS helps beavers and humans co-exist in Concord (Linda Huebner)
• Legislative Update
• Bears need your vote!
• HSUS Golden Anniversary: the next 50 years (Wayne Pacelle)
• Help may be just a phone call away (Joanne Bourbeau)
• Fun at Dog Days

Glro Fall 2004

Great Lakes Regional Office

• MI goose program expands
• Help restore the Dove Shooting Ban
• Appalachian Project welcomes new leader
• Disaster Conference the best yet
• RAVS update
• HSUS Golden Anniversary: the next 50 years (Wayne Pacelle)
• Summit sets off avalanche of action (Sandy Rowland)
• Toolkit workshops travel to West Virginia

Mwro Fall 2004

Midwest Regional Office

• In Charley's wake, MWRO responds (Diane Webber)
• Iowa: an animal fighting haven no more (Diane Webber)
• HSUS Golden Anniversary: the next 50 years (Wayne Pacelle)
• Legislative Update
• Cruelty comes out in the open (Diane Webber)

Nrro Fall 2004

Northern Rockies Regional Office

• Protecting bison
• NRRO comes to aid of Montana breeding dogs
• HSUS Golden Anniversary: the next 50 years (Wayne Pacelle)
• Is your cat a safe cat?
• Our office keeps going and growing (Dave Pauli)
• Special in-kind donations sought

Wild Justice And Fair Play: Cooperation, Forgiveness, And Morality In Animals, Marc Bekoff

Ethology Collection

In this paper I argue that we can learn much about ‘wild justice’ and the evolutionary origins of social morality – behaving fairly – by studying social play behavior in group-living animals, and that interdisciplinary cooperation will help immensely. In our efforts to learn more about the evolution of morality we need to broaden our comparative research to include animals other than non-human primates. If one is a good Darwinian, it is premature to claim that only humans can be empathic and moral beings. By asking the question ‘What is it like to be another animal?’ we can discover rules …

Neuroanatomical Structure Of The Spinner Dolphin (Stenella Longirostris Orientalis) Brain From Magnetic Resonance Images, Lori Marino, Keith Sudheimer, William A. Mclellan, John I. Johnson

Veterinary Science and Medicine Collection

High-resolution magnetic resonance (MR) images of the brain of an adult spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris orientalis) were acquired in the coronal plane at 55 antero-posterior levels. From these scans a computergenerated set of resectioned virtual images in the two remaining orthogonal planes was constructed with the use of the VoxelView and VoxelMath (Vital Images, Inc.) programs. Neuroanatomical structures were labeled in all three planes, providing the first labeled anatomical description of the spinner dolphin brain.

Ideology Masquerading As Science: The Case Of Endocrine Disrupter Screening Programmes, Troy Seidle

Experimentation Collection

The global move to develop novel testing methods and strategies to identify suspected endocrine disrupting chemicals offers a unique opportunity to move away from traditional animal testing paradigms in this new area of regulatory concern. Regrettably, the programmes under development, both in the USA and internationally through the OECD, have thus far failed to consider in vitro and other nonanimal test methods as more than “pre-screening” or “priority-setting” tools in a larger, animal-based testing strategy. Validation efforts to date have focused almost exclusively on the modification of existing animal tests to detect “endocrine effects”, with no demonstrable effort to promote …

Animal Model Research: The Apples And Oranges Quandary, Kenneth J. Shapiro

Experimentation Collection

In this paper, I explore the premises underlying the problem of the evaluation of animal models. I argue that the presence of similarities and differences between the model and the modelled, although historically and currently a dominant antinomy framing evaluation, is not a bottom-line consideration. What is critical is 1) whether we learn and 2) whether we improve treatment through the animal model research. Similarity between model and modelled and the closely related concept of validity are not coterminus with these critical evaluative measures. In fact, differences between the model and modelled also can provide impetus to new understanding and …

An Evaluation Of The Us High Production Volume (Hpv) Chemical-Testing Programme: A Study In (Ir)Relevance, Redundancy And Retro Thinking, Andrew Nicholson, Jessica Sandler, Troy Seidle

Experimentation Collection

Under the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) High Production Volume (HPV) Challenge Programme, chemical companies have volunteered to conduct screening-level toxicity tests on approximately 2800 widely-used industrial chemicals. Participating companies are committed to providing available toxicity information to the EPA and presenting testing proposals for review by the EPA and posting on the EPA Web site as public information. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and a coalition of animal protection organisations have reviewed all the test plans submitted by the participating chemical companies for compliance with the original HPV framework, as well as with animal welfare guidelines …

Free-Stall Dimensions: Effects On Preference And Stall Usage, Cassandra B. Tucker, Daniel M. Weary, David Fraser

Housing and Confinement of Farm Animals Collection

In 2 experiments, free-stall dimensions were examined to determine how they affected stall preference, usage, cleanliness, and milk production in Holstein dairy cattle. In experiment 1, stall width (112 or 132 cm) and stall length (229 and 274 cm from curb to wall) were compared in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of stall treatments using 15 individually housed, non-lactating animals. Cows showed no clear preference for stall size as measured by lying time. When animals had no choice between stalls, average lying time was higher in the wide stalls than in the narrow stalls (10.8 vs. 9.6 ± 0.3 …

Pnro Spring 2004

Pacific Northwest Regional Office

• It doesn't pay to be a Chirikof Cow
• Goldendale rescue
• The sad truth about animal hoarders
• Coyotes, other animals doomed to suffer in Oregon traps
• How you can help the Chirikof cows
• Oregon earns kudos for course
• Reward brings in geese killers
• 50 years of history and a new beginning (Robert Reder)

Csro Spring 2004

Central States Regional Office

• IL horse protection
• CSRO helps North Carolina animals stranded by Isabel
• Create a kit
• Rewards can help bring abusers to justice
• North Carolina General Assembly takes an interest in animal welfare
• Director's Report: Fifty years of good work (Phil Snyder)

Reflections On Animal Selves, Marc Bekoff, Paul W. Sherman

Sentience Collection

Is self-cognizance a uniquely human attribute, or do other animals also have a sense of self? Although there is considerable interest in this question, answers remain elusive. Progress has been stymied by misunderstandings in terminology, a focus on a narrow range of species, and controversies over key concepts, experimental paradigms and interpretations of data. Here, we propose a new conceptual and terminological framework, emphasizing that degrees of self-cognizance differ among animals because of the cognitive demands that their species-specific social structures and life-history characteristics have placed upon them over evolutionary time. We suggest that the self-cognizance of an organism falls …

Sero Spring 2004

Southeast Regional Office

• FL closer to animal-friend plate
• SERO responds to disasters on two coasts
• Isabel animal impact light thanks to preparation
• Carlifornia firestorms wreak deadly havoc
• Manatee gets reprieve
• Legislative News
• RAVS vet clinics go to Georgia
• Pet Fest is super fun
• Fifty years to be proud of! (Laura Bevan)

Maro Spring 2004

Mid-Atlantic Regional Office

• Key dogfighting figure is convicted
• Bear Hunt proceeds amid protests
• Tigers win in battle with NJ owner
• Sandy Levine: A decade of caring
• Opossums now safer in the city
• A community approach to animal hoarding
• Training for the next half century
• Tabby would be proud (Nina Austenberg)

Nero Spring 2004

New England Regional Office

• Responding to Rover
• Bear referendum qualifies for Maine ballot
• Training "Animal Detectives"
• NERO staffer gets down and dirty at Wildlife Center
• VT cruelty web site launches
• USDA joins NERO against fighting
• Milestones and memories (Joanne Bourbeau)