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Is The Dewlap An Honest Signal Of Fighting Ability In The Male Green Anole (Anolis Carolinensis)?, Alexia Hughes
Is The Dewlap An Honest Signal Of Fighting Ability In The Male Green Anole (Anolis Carolinensis)?, Alexia Hughes
Graduate Theses
Signals are morphological or behavioral traits that an individual uses to influence the behavior or actions of another. These signals can be used in male-male competition, in which male secondary sexual traits act as a signal of his fighting ability. Animal signals are considered honest when the signal reliably indicates a specific trait or condition of the individual. The genus Anolis, comprised of over 400 species that occupy the tropics and the southeastern United States, utilize aggressive signaling prior to physical combat. Research on several tropical species of anole indicates that the size of their dewlap can act as an …
The Behavioral Effects Of Feeding Enrichment On A Zoo-Housed Herd Of African Elephants (Loxodonta Africana), Caroline Marie Driscoll
The Behavioral Effects Of Feeding Enrichment On A Zoo-Housed Herd Of African Elephants (Loxodonta Africana), Caroline Marie Driscoll
Graduate Theses
A comprehensive study on the behavioral effects of feeding enrichment was conducted on six African elephants housed at the North Carolina Zoological Park in Asheboro, NC. The herd is comprised of are two adult males, three adult females, and one subadult female. The study was conducted over a 10-month period and consisted of focal sample observations across three conditions. Observations were recorded during the baseline condition (June to September) and continued through the introduction of feeding enrichment. Behavioral data were also collected when enrichment items were present but food presentation followed the historical husbandry routine, known as the experimental control …
Geographic Variation In Low Frequency Narrow-Band Sounds Produced By Amazon River Dolphins (Inia Geoffrensis) In Brazil And Peru, Grace Olson
Graduate Theses
Relatively few studies have investigated the sound production of Amazon River dolphins (Inia geoffrensis), and many questions remain regarding their social sounds. In this study, we document the presence of “low frequency narrow-band” (LFN) sounds in Amazon River dolphins. Amazon River dolphin LFN sounds were recorded in the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve (Brazil), and 1,512 km away in the Área de Conservación Regional Comunal Tamshiyacu Tahuayo reserve (Peru). A quantitative comparison of LFN sounds produced by these two populations demonstrates evidence of geographic variation. The variation found in the social sounds produced by geographically separated Amazon River dolphin populations provides …
Anti-Predator Behavior And Discriminative Abilities: Playback Experiments With Free-Ranging Equatorial Saki Monkeys (Pithecia Aequatorialis) In The Peruvian Amazon, Candace Stenzel
Graduate Theses
Anti-predator behaviors of free-ranging groups of equatorial saki monkeys (Pithecia aequatorialis) were recorded in the Área de Conservación Regional Comunal Tamshiyacu Tahuayo in the Peruvian Amazon to determine whether individuals responded in predator-specific ways to calls of aerial and terrestrial predators. Previous studies have shown that several species of Old World monkeys possess these discriminative abilities, but few have explored this question in New World monkeys. The ability to recognize predators and to respond appropriately is important for survival. Thus, we predicted that equatorial saki monkeys should respond in predator-specific ways, both vocally and behaviorally, to aerial and terrestrial predators. …
Assessment Of Behavior And Social Dynamics In A Newly-Forming Group Of Captive Western Lowland Gorillas, Sarah Murphey Huskisson
Assessment Of Behavior And Social Dynamics In A Newly-Forming Group Of Captive Western Lowland Gorillas, Sarah Murphey Huskisson
Graduate Theses
This study presents behavioral data of a recently-formed western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) group at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in Columbia, South Carolina, from the initial stages of group formation through the first several months after introduction. The group consists of a male (19 years), two half-sisters (both 10 years), and an unrelated female (20 years). I collected 15-minute focal animal samples for three hours twice a week in two observation blocks, the first lasting from 7/17/15 to 9/11/15, and the second lasting from 10/30/15 to 1/3/16. A total of 99.25 observation hours were collected. It was predicted that …