Digital Commons Network^™

About Fish, Humane Society Institute For Science And Policy

Aquaculture Collection

Although a number of fish species have been studied in their freshwater life stages, further research on the behavior and habitat requirements of ocean-going fish is required. While fishes have historically been regarded as more “primitive” than other vertebrate groups, Rodriguez et al concluded that several memory and learning systems of bony fishes are noticeably similar to those of reptiles, birds, and mammals. When animals as small and under appreciated as fish display complex mating systems, parental care, and demonstrate the ability to traverse significant distances using olfactory and celestial cues, it is clear that previously established definitions of intelligence …

About Turkeys, The Humane Society Of The United States

Agribusiness Collection

John James Audubon, a well-known bird expert and nature enthusiast, described wild turkeys as birds of great beauty. The history and origin of wild turkeys is uncertain, yet many share Audubon’s sentiment that the wild turkey is “one of the most interesting of the birds indigenous to the United States of America.” Today, wild turkeys can be found throughout the nation. Following the selection of the bald eagle as the American symbol, Benjamin Franklin remarked that the turkey was more “respectable”, and a “true original native”.

About Chickens, The Humane Society Of The United States

Agribusiness Collection

The chicken is the world’s most numerous domesticated bird, with over 52 billion farmed worldwide in 2008, rivaling the dog as the most ubiquitous domestic animal globally. These birds have fascinated scholars and researchers since the dawn of Western civilization, and recent studies are beginning to reveal the depths of their complexity and cognitive ability. According to Andrew F. Fraser, professor of veterinary surgery at Memorial University of Newfoundland, and Donald M. Broom, professor of animal welfare at University of Cambridge: “Those who have studied the behaviour of the domestic fowl in detail…, especially those who have looked at feral …

Octopuses (Enteroctopus Dofleini) Recognize Individual Humans, Roland C. Anderson, Jennifer A. Mather, Mathieu Q. Monette, Stephanie R.M. Zimsen

Sentience Collection

This study exposed 8 Enteroctopus dofleini separately to 2 unfamiliar individual humans over a 2-week period under differing circumstances. One person consistently fed the octopuses and the other touched them with a bristly stick. Each human recorded octopus body patterns, behaviors, and respiration rates directly after each treatment. At the end of 2 weeks, a body pattern (a dark Eyebar) and 2 behaviors (reaching arms toward or away from the tester and funnel direction) were significantly different in response to the 2 humans. The respiration rate of the 4 larger octopuses changed significantly in response to the 2 treatments; …

Squid Dances: An Ethogram Of Postures And Actions Of Sepioteuthis Sepioidea Squid With A Muscular Hydrostatic System, Jennifer A. Mather, Ulrike Griebel, Ruth A. Byrne

Sentience Collection

A taxonomy of the movement possibilities for any species, within the constraints of its neural and skeletal systems, should be one of the foundations of the study of its behaviour. Caribbean reef squid, Sepioteuthis sepioidea, appear to have many degrees of freedom in their movement as they live in a three-dimensional habitat and have no fixed skeleton but rather a muscular hydrostatic one. Within this apparent lack of constraints, there are regularities and patterns of common occurrences that allow this article to describe an ethogram of the movements, postures and positions of squid. Squid have a combination of bent, …

Quality Prevails Over Identity In The Sexually Selected Vocalisations Of An Ageing Mammal, Elodie F. Briefer, Elisabetta Vannoni, Alan G. Mcelligott

Ethology Collection

Background: Male sexually selected vocalisations generally contain both individuality and quality cues that are crucial in intra- as well as inter-sexual communication. As individuality is a fixed feature whereas male phenotypic quality changes with age, individuality and quality cues may be subjected to different selection pressures over time. Individuality (for example, morphology of the vocal apparatus) and quality (for example, body size and dominance status) can both affect the vocal production mechanism, inducing the same components of vocalisations to convey both kinds of information. In this case, do quality-related changes to the acoustic structure of calls induce a modification of …

Identification Of Parelaphostrongylus Odocoilei (Nematoda: Protostrongylidae) First-Stage Larvae In The Feces Of Gray Wolves (Canis Lupus) By Molecular Methods, Heather M. Bryan, Kathrin A. Sim, Chris T. Darimont, Paul C. Paquet, Brent Wagner, Violeta Muñoz-Fuentes, Judit E. Smits, Nell B. Chilton

Parasitology Collection

First-stage nematode larvae with a dorsal-spine (DSL) were detected in five of 1,565 fecal samples from gray wolves (Canis lupus) collected in British Columbia, Canada, between 2005 and 2008. Molecular techniques were used to identify the DSL because it was not possible to determine their species identity using morphologic characters. The DSL were identified as Parelaphostrongylus odocoilei based on the results of single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analyses and DNA sequencing of the ribosomal DNA first and second internal transcribed spacers. Finding DSL of P. odocoilei in the feces of gray wolves was unexpected because P. odocoilei adults are parasites of …

Investigating The Protective Properties Of Milk Phospholipids Against Ultraviolet Light Exposure In A Skin Equivalent Model, Ashley Russell, Andrea Laubscher, Rafael Jiménez-Flores, Lily H. Laiho

Dairy Science

Current research on bioactive molecules in milk has documented health advantages of bovine milk and its components. Milk Phospholipids, selected for this study, represent molecules with great potential benefit in human health and nutrition. In this study we used confocal reflectance and multiphoton microscopy to monitor changes in skin morphology upon skin exposure to ultraviolet light and evaluate the potential of milk phospholipids in preventing photodamage to skin equivalent models. The results suggest that milk phospholipids act upon skin cells in a protective manner against the effect of ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Similar results were obtained from MTT tissue viability assay …

A Community-Based Monitoring Program For Introduced Marine Pests, Samantha D. Bridgwood, Justin I. Mcdonald

Fisheries Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Endangered And Threatened Wildlife And Plants; Designation Of Critical Habitat For The Salt Creek Tiger Beetle

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service/USFWS), designate critical habitat for the Salt Creek tiger beetle (Cicindela nevadica lincolniana) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). In total, approximately 1,933 acres (ac) (782 hectares (ha)) located in Lancaster and Saunders Counties, Nebraska, fall within the boundaries of the critical habitat designation.

Maria Sibylla Merian's Frogs, Kay Etheridge

Biology Faculty Publications

Maria Sibylla Merian (German, 1647-1717) is best known for her magnificent 1705 publication, Metamorphosis insectorum surinamensium, although she published earlier works on insect metamorphosis. Merian wrote the text and painted all of the illustrations for her books, and for the early volumes she produced most of the engravings. Contemporary scholarship has focused primarily on Merian's detailed images of lepidopteran and host plant life cycles, but Merian's Surinam album also portrays anuram metamorphosis, including the first European depiction of Pipa pipa.

Fishes Of The Columbia And Snake River Basins In Eastern Washington, Allan T. Scholz, Holly J. Mclellan, Fisheries Research Center, Eastern Washington University

Biology Faculty Publications

"This book was prepared through a grant from the United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM)."

Chapter 1 Introduction, Chapter 2 Checklist of Fishes Found in Eastern Washington, Chapter 3 Fish Identification and Classification Aids to Identification of Fishes, Chapter 4 Key to Families of Eastern Washington Fishes, Chapter 5 Family Petromyzontidae: Lampreys, Chapter 6 Family Acipenseridae: Sturgeon, Chapter 7 Family Clupeidae: Herrings, Chapter 8 Family Cyprinidae: Carps and Minnows, Chapter 9 Family Catostomidae: Suckers, Chapter 10 Family Ictaluridae: Bullhead Catfishes, Chapter 11 Family Esocidae: Pikes, Chapter 12 Family Salmonidae: Salmon, Trout, Whitefish, Grayling, Chapter 13 …

Hull Camera: Preliminary Design And Testing Of Its Use For Assessing Biofouling On Small (<12 M) Recreational Vessels, Samantha D. Bridgwood

Fisheries Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Characterization Of Biological Types Of Cattle (Cycle Viii): Carcass, Yield, And Longissimus Palatability Traits, T. L. Wheeler, L. V. Cundiff, S. D. Shackelford, M. Koohmaraie

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate alternative sources of tropically adapted cattle germplasm and compare them with Angus- (AN) and Hereford- (HE) sired steers. Carcass, yield, and longissimus thoracis palatability traits from F₁ steers (n = 621) obtained from mating AN and United States Meat Animal Research Center III cows to HE, AN, Brangus (BR), Beefmaster (BM), Bonsmara (BO), or Romosinuano (RO) sires were compared. Data were adjusted to constant age (426 d), carcass weight (340 kg), fat thickness (1.0 cm), fat trim percentage (25%), and marbling (Small⁰⁰) endpoints. For Warner- Bratzler and slice …

Considerations For The Implementation Of Western Rock Lobster Sectoral Allocations., Integrated Fisheries Allocation Advisory Committee

Fisheries Management Papers

This paper discusses the Western rock lobster allocation process.

The Minister for Fisheries has determined that the allocation for sectors in the western rock lobster fishery after reserving one tonne for the customary sector shall be 95 per cent commercial and five per cent recreational.

The notional Sustainable Harvest Level (SHL) for rock lobster is expressed as a range, depending on the status of the stock rather than a specific quantitative limit.

North America’S Ducks, Geese And Swans In The 21st Century: A 2010 Supplement To Waterfowl Of North America, Paul A. Johnsgard

Waterfowl of North America, Revised Edition (2010) by Paul A. Johnsgard

Since the 1975 publication of Waterfowl of North America, a great deal of ornithological literature has appeared concerning North American ducks, geese & swans. The most significant of these are the species accounts in the American Ornithologists’ Union The Birds of North America (B.O.N.A.) series, 46 of which were published between 1993 and 2003, and which include all the species known to breed in the United States and Canada (see references).

Population data of wild species are constantly changing, and sometimes of limited accuracy, but long-term averages or trends are often significant. National population surveys such as the annual U.S. …

Waterfowl Of North America: Sources, Paul A. Johnsgard

Waterfowl of North America, Revised Edition (2010) by Paul A. Johnsgard

Approximately 500 citations.

See also the updated bibliography in the 2010 supplement: "North America’s Ducks, Geese and Swans in the 21st Century"

Waterfowl Of North America: Whistling Ducks, Tribe Dendrocygnini, Paul A. Johnsgard

Waterfowl of North America, Revised Edition (2010) by Paul A. Johnsgard

Whistling ducks comprise a group of nine species that are primarily of tropical and subtropical distribution. In common with the swans and true geese (which with them comprise the subfamily Anserinae), the included species have a reticulated tarsal surface pattern, lack sexual dimorphism in plumage, produce vocalizations that are similar or identical in both sexes, form relatively permanent pair bonds, and lack complex pair-forming behavior patterns. Unlike the geese and swans, whistling ducks have clear, often melodious whistling voices that are the basis for their group name. The alternative name, tree ducks, is far less appropriate, since few of the …

Ducks, Geese, And Swans Of The World: Tribe Anseranatini (Magpie Goose), Paul A. Johnsgard

Ducks, Geese, and Swans of the World by Paul A. Johnsgard

Other vernacular names. Semipalmated goose, pied goose, black-and-white goose; Spaltfussgans (German); oie pie (French); gans overo o pintado (Spanish).

This is the only species of true waterfowl with only partially webbed feet. Adults of both sexes are black on the head, neck, wings, rump, and tail, and white elsewhere. The bill is long and straight, with a well-developed nail at the tip; as in swans, the head is featherless back to the eyes. Females resemble males but are somewhat smaller, lack an enlarged bony crown, and have a higher-pitched voice. Adult males have an elongated trachea that loops downward between …

Ducks, Geese, And Swans Of The World: Contents, Preface, & Introduction, Paul A. Johnsgard

Ducks, Geese, and Swans of the World by Paul A. Johnsgard

Inasmuch as the primary purpose of this book is to provide information on each of the species of the waterfowl family in a standardized format and easily accessible manner, it is important that the reader have some knowledge of the basis for my sequential organization of these species. A variety of attempts to provide a "natural" classification, or one that best reflects actual evolutionary relationships, of the family Anatidae have been made in recent years, with most of them being minor variations on a scheme first proposed by Jean Delacour and Ernst Mayr in 1945. In this landmark classification, emphasis …

Ducks, Geese, And Swans Of The World: Tribe Anserini (Swans And True Geese), Paul A. Johnsgard

Ducks, Geese, and Swans of the World by Paul A. Johnsgard

Mute Swan
Black Swan
Black-necked Swan
Trumpeter Swan
Whooper Swan
Whistling Swan
Bewick Swan
Coscoroba Swan
Swan Goose
Bean Goose
White-fronted Goose
Lesser White-fronted Goose
Graylag Goose
Bar-headed Goose
Snow Goose
Ross Goose
Emperor Goose
Hawaiian Goose
Canada Goose
Barnacle Goose
Brant
Red-breasted Goose

The swans and true geese are moderately to extremely large waterfowl, which in common with the whistling ducks have plumage patterns that are alike in both sexes and lack iridescent coloration, and they also possess reticulated scale patterns on the tarsal surfaces. Most of the 20 species are found in the cooler parts of the Northern …

Ducks, Geese, And Swans Of The World: Tribe Mergini (Sea Ducks), Paul A. Johnsgard

Ducks, Geese, and Swans of the World by Paul A. Johnsgard

Eider (Common Eider) ● King Eider ● Spectacled Eider ● Steller Eider ● Labrador Duck ● Harlequin Duck ● Long-tailed Duck (Oldsquaw) ● Black Scoter ● Surf Scoter ● White-winged Scoter ● Bufflehead ● BroBarrow Goldeneye ● Common Goldeneye ● Hooded Merganser ● Smew ● Brazilian Merganser ● Red-breasted Merganser ● Chinese Merganser ● Goosander (Common Merganser) ● Auckland Island Merganser

The sea duck tribe, which here includes the eiders, consists of 20 species that are all superb diving birds. They are found in fresh-water as well as marine habitats, and primarily have Northern Hemisphere distribution patterns. Except for the …

Ducks, Geese, And Swans Of The World: Tribe Stictonettini (Freckled Duck), Paul A. Johnsgard

Ducks, Geese, and Swans of the World by Paul A. Johnsgard

Freckled Duck
Even more than the Cape Barren goose, the freckled duck exhibits an assortment of anatomical traits that suggest affinities with the geese and swans, in spite of a fairly typical ducklike appearance and foraging behavior. Its unpatterned downy young, its remarkably primitive syringeal structure, and its reticulated tarsus all strongly argue for the position that this species is the sole survivor of a very ancient waterfowl lineage, with no near living relatives. A detailed study of its social behavior is greatly to be desired, for like the magpie goose, it provides an unequaled opportunity to gain insight into …

Ducks, Geese, And Swans Of The World: Tribe Tachyerini (Steamer Ducks), Paul A. Johnsgard

Ducks, Geese, and Swans of the World by Paul A. Johnsgard

Flying Steamer Duck
Magellanic Flightless Steamer Duck
Falkland Flightless Steamer Duck

The South American steamer ducks have at times been included with the shelducks, but differ enough from them in structure and behavior to be regarded as a separate but closely related tribe. There are three species very similar in appearance; two are essentially flightless. All are found off the coasts of southern South America and the Falkland Islands, where they feed on mollusks and other marine invertebrates. The males differ slightly from females in their plumage and vocalizations, but in both sexes iridescent coloration is totally lacking and only …

Ducks, Geese, And Swans Of The World: Tribe Aythyini (Pochards), Paul A. Johnsgard

Ducks, Geese, and Swans of the World by Paul A. Johnsgard

Pink-headed Duck ● Red-crested Pochard ● Southern Pochard ● Rosybill ● Canvasback ● Eurasian Pochard ● Redhead ● Ring-necked Duck ● Australasian White-eye ● Siberian White-eye (Baer Pochard) ● Ferruginous White-eye ● Madagascan White-eye ● Tufted Duck ● New Zealand Scaup ● Greater Scaup ● Lesser Scaup

This tribe of primarily fresh-water diving ducks contains 16 species that collectively may be called pochards. The tribe has a nearly worldwide distribution, but only a few of its species have ranges that extend beyond a single continent. In addition to 15 species that are very similar in body proportions and diving adaptations, …

Ducks, Geese, And Swans Of The World: Tribe Cairinini (Perching Ducks), Paul A. Johnsgard

Ducks, Geese, and Swans of the World by Paul A. Johnsgard

Spur-winged Goose
Muscovy Duck
White-winged Wood Duck
Comb Duck
Hartlaub Duck
Green Pygmy Goose
Cotton Pygmy Goose
African Pygmy Goose
Ringed Teal
North American Wood Duck
Mandarin Duck
Australian Wood Duck
Brazilian Teal

This group of 13 species of primarily perching waterfowl is a rather heterogeneous assemblage of birds that are not easily characterized. In addition to being generally perching and cavity-nesting, they also have fairly wide, rounded wings, elongated tails, and sometimes also relatively long legs. Many of the species exhibit a great deal of iridescent coloration in their plumage, even among females, and in a few species nearly …

Ducks, Geese, And Swans Of The World: Tribe Oxyurini (Stiff-Tailed Ducks), Paul A. Johnsgard

Ducks, Geese, and Swans of the World by Paul A. Johnsgard

Black-headed Duck
Masked Duck
Ruddy Duck
White-headed Duck
Maccoa Duck
Argentine Blue-billed Duck
Australian Blue-billed Duck
Musk Duck

The stiff-tailed ducks are characterized by several unusual features in addition to their long, stiffened tail feathers that serve as underwater rudders. Among other adaptations are their very large feet, which are placed so far back on the body that it is difficult for these birds to walk on land. The body feathers are small, numerous, and have a grebe-like sheen, and the wings are so short that takeoff and flight is attained with difficulty. All of the species have relatively short …

Waterfowl Of North America: Swans And True Geese, Tribe Anserini, Paul A. Johnsgard

Waterfowl of North America, Revised Edition (2010) by Paul A. Johnsgard

The approximately twenty extant species of swans and true geese are, unlike the whistling ducks, primarily of temperate and arctic distribution, especially in the Northern Hemisphere. It is thus not surprising that continental North America may lay claim to at least nine breeding species, or nearly half.of the known total. Additionally, sufficient records of a tenth, the barnacle goose, are known as to warrant its inclusion in the book even though there is no indication that it nests in continental North America. Several additional Old World species of geese and swans have been reported one or more times in North …

Waterfowl Of North America: Surface-Feeding Ducks, Tribe Anatini, Paul A. Johnsgard

Waterfowl of North America, Revised Edition (2010) by Paul A. Johnsgard

The surface-feeding, dabbling, or similarly described ducks are a group of about thirty-six species of mostly freshwater ducks that occur throughout the world. Many of them are temperate or arctic-breeding species that nest on dry land near freshwater ponds, marshes, rivers, or similar rather shallow bodies of water. Associated with this breeding habitat are their adaptations for foraging by "tipping-up" rather than by diving for food, an ability to land and take off abruptly from small water areas or land, and a moderately good walking ability but reduced perching capabilities as compared with perching ducks. Also unlike perching ducks, iridescent …

The Occurrence Of Epizoic Ciliates (Protozoa: Ciliophora) Of The Juvenile Flounder, Platichthys Flesus L., 1758, From Sarıkum Lagoon Lake (Sinop, Turkey), Türkay Öztürk, Ahmet Özer

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The occurrence of epizoic ciliates on the juvenile flounder, Platichthys flesus L., 1758, collected monthly by fishing net in Sinop's Sarıkum Lagoon Lake during the period from May 2003 to April 2004, was investigated. Five epizoic ciliate species, Trichodina jadranica (Raabe, 1958) Haider, 1964; Trichodina domerguei Wallengren, 1897; Riboscyphidia sp.; Ambiphrya sp.; and Vorticella sp., were found after examination of 296 juvenile flounder. Among these, T. jadranica was the dominant species. The prevalence and mean intensity values of the 5 epizoic ciliates were given as pooled data for 2 groups, namely mobiline ciliates and sessiline ciliates. Mobiline ciliates were commonly …