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Articles 12271 - 12300 of 36498

Full-Text Articles in Animal Sciences

Diet Of The Bull Shark, Carcharhinus Leucas, And The Tiger Shark, Galeocerdo Cuvier, In The Eastern Pacific Ocean, Colombo Estupiñán-Montaño, José F. Estupiñán-Ortiz, Luis G. Cedeño-Figueroa, Felipe Galvan Magaña, Carlos J. Polo-Silva Jan 2017

Diet Of The Bull Shark, Carcharhinus Leucas, And The Tiger Shark, Galeocerdo Cuvier, In The Eastern Pacific Ocean, Colombo Estupiñán-Montaño, José F. Estupiñán-Ortiz, Luis G. Cedeño-Figueroa, Felipe Galvan Magaña, Carlos J. Polo-Silva

Turkish Journal of Zoology

This study presents information on the diet of two shark species, Carcharhinus leucas and Galeocerdo cuvier, that inhabit the southeastern Pacific Ocean. The stomachs were collected from October 2003 to July 2005 in Ecuador. Stomachs of 41 C. leucas and six G. cuvier were analyzed. According to the index of relative importance (%IRI), the most important prey for C. leucas were fishes: family Ophichthidae (13.41%), Tylosurus pacificus (9.79%), Katsuwonus pelamis (4.54%), and fish remains (44.81%). G. cuvier, for its part, consumed squids: Ancistrocheirus lesueuri (45.14%), Pholidoteuthis boschmaii (7.81%), and Octopoteuthis spp. (5.17%), as well as turtles: Caretta caretta (9.7%), Lepidochelys …

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The Indo-Pacific Brachyuran Charybdis (Gonioinfradens) Paucidentatus (A. Milne-Edwards, 1861) (Brachyura, Portunidae) In The Cyclades, Aegean Sea, Gerasimos Kondylatos, Thodoros Kampouris, Vasilis Kouloumperis, Maria Corsini Foka Jan 2017

The Indo-Pacific Brachyuran Charybdis (Gonioinfradens) Paucidentatus (A. Milne-Edwards, 1861) (Brachyura, Portunidae) In The Cyclades, Aegean Sea, Gerasimos Kondylatos, Thodoros Kampouris, Vasilis Kouloumperis, Maria Corsini Foka

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The occurrence of the alien Charybdis (Gonioinfradens) paucidentatus is reported from Santorini Island after repeated underwater surveys carried out in 2014-2015. The findings constitute the first record of an Indo-Pacific brachyuran in the south-central Aegean Sea, showing the successful expansion of this portunid recently introduced into the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

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What Can Vigilance Tell Us About Fear?, Guy Beauchamp Jan 2017

What Can Vigilance Tell Us About Fear?, Guy Beauchamp

Animal Sentience

Animal vigilance is concerned with the monitoring of potential threats caused by predators and conspecifics. Researchers have argued that threats are part of a landscape of fear tracking the level of risk posed by predators and conspecifics. Vigilance, which is expected to vary with the level of risk, could thus be used as a measure of fear. Here, I explore the relationship between vigilance and fear caused by predators and conspecifics. The joint occurrence of vigilance and other physiological responses to fear, such as increased heart rate and stress hormone release, would bolster the idea that vigilance can be a …

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Individual Variation In Fear Behaviour, Rob Found Jan 2017

Individual Variation In Fear Behaviour, Rob Found

Animal Sentience

Individual variation in behaviour adds another layer of complexity to studies of animal responses to fear and risk, but when individual responses are consistent, and correlated with other behaviours, these patterns can provide a structure that furthers our understanding. I interpret Beauchamp’s review of vigilance and fear from the perspective of my own studies of elk personality. Wild elk responses to changing stimuli (benign or aversive) illustrate how personality is a key factor in explaining variation in vigilance and fear behavior. Personality even influences how wildlife can learn to assess risk and adjust their fear responses accordingly.

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Considering Side Biases In Vigilance And Fear, Lesley J. Rogers Jan 2017

Considering Side Biases In Vigilance And Fear, Lesley J. Rogers

Animal Sentience

Measures of vigilance and fear might be more consistently associated if side biases are taken into account, because the right side of the brain is specialised to detect predators and to express fear responses. In species with eyes positioned laterally and with relatively small binocular fields, this brain asymmetry is manifested as eye preferences because each eye sends most of its input to be processed in the opposite side of the brain. Hence, responses elicited by stimuli on the animal’s left side are more likely be associated with fear than are responses to the same stimuli on the animal’s right …

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A Histopathological Study On The Freshwater Fish Species Chub(Squalius Cephalus) In The Karasu River, Turkey, Hati̇ce Dane, Turgay Şi̇şman Jan 2017

A Histopathological Study On The Freshwater Fish Species Chub(Squalius Cephalus) In The Karasu River, Turkey, Hati̇ce Dane, Turgay Şi̇şman

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The present study examined the gills and liver histopathology of the freshwater fish chub caught from three different sites (Site A: Aşkale, Site D: Dumlu, and Site S: Serçeme) in the Karasu River. At Site A, the concentrations of some metals such as cadmium, aluminum, arsenic, lead, and manganese exceeded acceptable levels according to the Turkish Standards Institute. Moreover, the concentrations of metals in the liver and gills of the collected fish were determined. The presence of histological alterations was assessed by the degree of tissue change. The quantitative histological assessment indicated that the histological lesions were comparatively most severe …

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Updated Checklist Of Odonata Fauna In The Turkish Thrace Region, With Additional Records Of New, Rare, And Threatened Taxa, Nurten Hacet Jan 2017

Updated Checklist Of Odonata Fauna In The Turkish Thrace Region, With Additional Records Of New, Rare, And Threatened Taxa, Nurten Hacet

Turkish Journal of Zoology

A new record for the Odonata from Turkish Thrace, Lindenia tetraphylla (Vander Linden, 1825), and its heterofamilial heterosexual tandem with a female of Orthetrum albistylum (Selys, 1848) are reported. This finding increases the species number in the region to 56. The current species list of the region based on unpublished records and available literature is presented. Five species are listed at subspecies levels in the region and the controversial subspecies status of some species is summarized. Additional records of rare species based on specimens collected in the region between 2001 and 2015 are provided and their distributions and threat statuses …

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A Review Of Subtribe Phrosinellina Verves, 1989, With Descriptionof Phrosinella (Asiometopia) Kocaki Sp. Nov. From The Middle East(Diptera: Sarcophagidae: Miltogramminae: Metopiaini), Yury Verves, Liudmyla Khrokalo Jan 2017

A Review Of Subtribe Phrosinellina Verves, 1989, With Descriptionof Phrosinella (Asiometopia) Kocaki Sp. Nov. From The Middle East(Diptera: Sarcophagidae: Miltogramminae: Metopiaini), Yury Verves, Liudmyla Khrokalo

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Phrosinella kocaki Verves & Khrokalo sp. nov. from Israel is described as being new to science. A similar species, Phrosinella kozlovi (Rohdendorf, 1925), is recorded for the first time for Turkey and redescribed. Faunistic and ecological data on 31 species from 3 genera of subtribe Phrosinellina are given: Gymnoprosopa Townsend, 1892 (6 species); Gymnopsidia Shewell, 1987 (1 species); and Phrosinella Robineau-Desvoidy, 1863 (24 species). An original key to the genera and subgenera is presented.

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The Effect Of Pistacia Terebinthus Extract On Lipid Peroxidation, Glutathione,Protein, And Some Enzyme Activities In Tissues Of Rats Undergoing Oxidative Stress, Semra Türkoğlu, Sai̇t Çeli̇k, Serhat Keser, İsmai̇l Türkoğlu, Ökkeş Yilmaz Jan 2017

The Effect Of Pistacia Terebinthus Extract On Lipid Peroxidation, Glutathione,Protein, And Some Enzyme Activities In Tissues Of Rats Undergoing Oxidative Stress, Semra Türkoğlu, Sai̇t Çeli̇k, Serhat Keser, İsmai̇l Türkoğlu, Ökkeş Yilmaz

Turkish Journal of Zoology

This study measures the effects of Pistacia terebinthus flower extract on the amounts of lipid peroxidation (LPO), total protein, glutathione, and enzyme activities in blood. It also measures the effects of the plant extract on glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme activities and it arrives at the conclusion that GSH-Px activity significantly increased in the Pistacia terebinthus-hydrogen peroxide group (P < 0.0001) and SOD activity meaningfully increased in the Pistacia terebinthus (P < 0.05) and Pistacia terebinthus-hydrogen peroxide (P < 0.0001) groups. It is also found that P. terebinthus extract has protective effects against LPO exerted in the kidney, brain, and lungs (P < 0.0001). The positive effects of P. terebinthus extract are also found on the levels of glutathione and total protein in all organs, except for the level of glutathione in the spleen and brain, and the increase of glutathione and total protein (P < 0.0001). These results are parallel to the effect of the extract used in this study on the LPO levels in tissues and they show that the plant species used in the study has positive effects on the activities of antioxidant molecules as well as protective effects against LPO.

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Spatial And Temporal Variations Of Soft Bottom Polychaetes Of Sinop Peninsula(Southern Black Sea) With New Records, Güley Kurt Şahi̇n, Ertan Dağli, Murat Sezgi̇n Jan 2017

Spatial And Temporal Variations Of Soft Bottom Polychaetes Of Sinop Peninsula(Southern Black Sea) With New Records, Güley Kurt Şahi̇n, Ertan Dağli, Murat Sezgi̇n

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The soft bottom polychaete community was examined seasonally at eight stations between August 2009 and July 2010. A total of 76 species belonging to 27 families were identified in the Sinop Peninsula (southern Black Sea), of which 23 species are new records for the Black Sea fauna and 7 species for the Black Sea coast of Turkey. Syllidae was the best represented family in the research area and contributed 15.78% of the total fauna. The most dominant and frequent species were Micronephthys stammeri and Protodorvillea kefersteini in the study area. Community parameters varied significantly among stations and seasons; number of …

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The Phenology Of Pulvinaria Floccifera Westwood (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Coccidae), A New Invasive Pest On Ornamentals Outdoors In Poland, Bozena Lagowska, Katarzyna Golan, Katarzyna Kmiec, Izabela Kot, Edyta Gorska Drabik, Katarzyna Goliszek Jan 2017

The Phenology Of Pulvinaria Floccifera Westwood (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Coccidae), A New Invasive Pest On Ornamentals Outdoors In Poland, Bozena Lagowska, Katarzyna Golan, Katarzyna Kmiec, Izabela Kot, Edyta Gorska Drabik, Katarzyna Goliszek

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The phenology of Pulvinaria floccifera infesting common holly was studied from June 2009 to October 2011 in Central Poland. Live specimens were most abundant on the leaves in July and August, while dead individuals were most numerous in winter and early spring each year. The scale completed one generation per year in the field and both the second and third instar nymphs overwintered. Following the spring molting to the 3rd instar or to the young adult females were observed in April and early May. The young adult females were first recorded in the second 10-day period of May. Oviposition occurred …

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Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, And Trichoptera Assemblages Of Karst Springs In Relationto Some Environmental Factors: A Case Study In Central Bosnia And Herzegovina, Ana Savic, Dejan Dmitrovic, Vladimir Pesic Jan 2017

Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, And Trichoptera Assemblages Of Karst Springs In Relationto Some Environmental Factors: A Case Study In Central Bosnia And Herzegovina, Ana Savic, Dejan Dmitrovic, Vladimir Pesic

Turkish Journal of Zoology

In this study we analyzed changes of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT) assemblages in 50 springs along the Cvrcka River mainstream in central Bosnia and Herzegovina. Springs were divided into 3 groups: rheocrene, rheopsammocrene, and piped springs. The objectives of our survey were to analyze changes in EPT communities in response to some environmental factors and anthropogenic activities. Twenty-eight morphologically distinct taxa were identified. EPT diversity was positively correlated to discharge and areal coverage of sand and stones but negatively correlated with areal coverage of algae. Canonical correspondence analysis revealed that the most important factors in structuring EPT spring assemblages …

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Seasonal Changes In Tawny Owl (Strix Aluco) Diet In An Oak Forest In Eastern Ukraine, Yehor Yatsiuk, Yuliya Filatova Jan 2017

Seasonal Changes In Tawny Owl (Strix Aluco) Diet In An Oak Forest In Eastern Ukraine, Yehor Yatsiuk, Yuliya Filatova

Turkish Journal of Zoology

We analyzed seasonal changes in Tawny Owl (Strix aluco) diet in a broadleaved forest in Eastern Ukraine over 6 years (2007-2012). Annual seasons were divided as follows: December-mid-April, April-June, July-early October, and late October-November. In total, 1648 pellets were analyzed. The most important prey was the bank vole (Myodes glareolus) (41.9%), but the yellow-necked mouse (Apodemus flavicollis) (17.8%) dominated in some seasons. According to trapping results, the bank vole was the most abundant rodent species in the study region. The most diverse diet was in late spring and early summer. Small forest mammals constituted the dominant group in all seasons, …

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The Incidence Of Rare Males In Seven Parthenogeneticartemia (Crustacea: Anostraca) Populations, Muhammad Saleem Chang, Alireza Asem, Shichun Sun Jan 2017

The Incidence Of Rare Males In Seven Parthenogeneticartemia (Crustacea: Anostraca) Populations, Muhammad Saleem Chang, Alireza Asem, Shichun Sun

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Males that present infrequently in parthenogenetic Artemia are commonly called "rare males". By rearing cloned parthenogenetic Artemia in the laboratory, the frequency of rare males was observed for seven Artemia populations with different ploidy compositions. The results showed that the values of the male:female ratio varied from 0.53:1000 to 1.40:1000 in diploids from different populations, and there were significant differences among populations and clones. No rare males were found in any of the 46 polyploid clones (217,197 individuals) observed.

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Cautions About Precautions, Jay R. Stauffer Jr. Jan 2017

Cautions About Precautions, Jay R. Stauffer Jr.

Animal Sentience

Assuming an animal to be sentient in the absence of conclusive evidence to the contrary is an extreme position, hence it should not and could not be the default assumption. Birch explains how the precautionary principle may be used to substantiate decisions to give the animal the benefit of doubt. Although I am reluctant to accept all of his points, Birch has provided an excellent argument for the use of the precautionary principle for the detection of animal sentience. I agree that more research is needed to refine and understand this relationship.

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Justifying The Precautionary Principle With Expected Net-Welfare Maximization, Yew-Kwang Ng Jan 2017

Justifying The Precautionary Principle With Expected Net-Welfare Maximization, Yew-Kwang Ng

Animal Sentience

The precautionary principle may be best justified on the principle of expected net-welfare/benefit maximization; there is no conflict between the two principles. We should want to be more cautious for cases with high benefit-to-cost ratios; there should thus be different degrees of precaution. For measures to reduce extinction-threatening environmental disruption or to reduce animal suffering that cost us little or nothing, we should adopt them even for species having only a small likelihood of being sentient, i.e., we should be more cautious. This argument is based on welfarism, which I strongly defend elsewhere (Ng 1990 & forthcoming).

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Not Statistically Significant, But Still Scientific, Rachael L. Brown Jan 2017

Not Statistically Significant, But Still Scientific, Rachael L. Brown

Animal Sentience

Birch’s formulation is persuasive but not nuanced enough to capture at least one situation where it is reasonable to invoke the precautionary principle (PP): when we have multiple, weak, but convergent, lines of evidence that a species is sentient, but no statistically significant evidence of a single credible indicator of sentience within the order as required by BAR. I respond to the worry that if we include such cases in our framework for applying the PP, we open ourselves to the charge of being “unscientific.”

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Red Snapper Distribution On Natural Habitats And Artificial Structures In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Mandy Karnauskas, John F. Walter Iii, Matthew D. Campbell, Adam G. Pollack, J. Marcus Drymon, Sean P. Powers Jan 2017

Red Snapper Distribution On Natural Habitats And Artificial Structures In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Mandy Karnauskas, John F. Walter Iii, Matthew D. Campbell, Adam G. Pollack, J. Marcus Drymon, Sean P. Powers

University Faculty and Staff Publications

In 2011, an intensive, multiple-gear, fishery-independent survey was carried out in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM) to collect comprehensive age and length information on Red Snapper Lutjanus campechanus. Based on this synoptic survey, we produced a spatial map of Red Snapper relative abundance that integrates both gear selectivity effects and ontogenetically varying habitat usage. Our methodology generated a spatial map of Red Snapper at a 10-km2 grid resolution that is consistent with existing knowledge of the species: Red Snapper occurred in relatively high abundances at depths of 50–90 m along the coasts of Texas and Louisiana and in smaller, …

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Pseudopecoelus Mccauleyi N. Sp. And Podocotyle Sp. (Digenea: Opecoelidae) From The Deep Waters Off Oregon And British Columbia With An Updated Key To The Species Of Pseudopecoelus Von Wicklen, 1946 And Checklist Of Parasites From Lycodes Cortezianus (Perciformes: Zoarcidae), Charles K. Blend, Norman O. Dronen, Gábor R. Rácz, Scott Lyell Gardner Jan 2017

Pseudopecoelus Mccauleyi N. Sp. And Podocotyle Sp. (Digenea: Opecoelidae) From The Deep Waters Off Oregon And British Columbia With An Updated Key To The Species Of Pseudopecoelus Von Wicklen, 1946 And Checklist Of Parasites From Lycodes Cortezianus (Perciformes: Zoarcidae), Charles K. Blend, Norman O. Dronen, Gábor R. Rácz, Scott Lyell Gardner

Scott L. Gardner Publications

Pseudopecoelus mccauleyi n. sp. (Opecoelidae: Opecoelinae) is described from the intestine of the bigfin eelpout, Lycodes cortezianus (Gilbert, 1890) (Perciformes: Zoarcidae), collected at 200–800 m depths in the northeastern Pacific Ocean off Oregon and Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The new species is distinguished by possessing a unique combination of the following diagnostic characters: vitelline fields that extend to the posterior margin of the ventral sucker; a slender, tubular and sinuous seminal vesicle that extends some distance into the hindbody; an unspecialized, protuberant ventral sucker; a genital pore at pharynx level; lobed to deeply multilobed testes; a lobed ovary; and an …

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Rainbow Peacock Spiders Inspire Miniature Superiridescent Optics, Bor-Kai Hsiung, Radwanul Hasan Siddique, Doekele G. Stavenga, Jürgen C. Otto, Michael C. Allen, Ying Liu, Yongfeng Lu, Dimitri D. Deheyn, Matthew D. Shawkey, Todd A. Blackledge Jan 2017

Rainbow Peacock Spiders Inspire Miniature Superiridescent Optics, Bor-Kai Hsiung, Radwanul Hasan Siddique, Doekele G. Stavenga, Jürgen C. Otto, Michael C. Allen, Ying Liu, Yongfeng Lu, Dimitri D. Deheyn, Matthew D. Shawkey, Todd A. Blackledge

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

Colour produced by wavelength-dependent light scattering is a key component of visual communication in nature and acts particularly strongly in visual signalling by structurallycoloured animals during courtship. Two miniature peacock spiders (Maratus robinsoni and M. chrysomelas) court females using tiny structured scales (~ 40 × 10 μm2) that reflect the full visual spectrum. Using TEM and optical modelling, we show that the spiders’ scales have 2D nanogratings on microscale 3D convex surfaces with at least twice the resolving power of a conventional 2D diffraction grating of the same period. Whereas the long optical path lengths required …

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Growing Yeast For Livestock, Zachary Christman Jan 2017

Growing Yeast For Livestock, Zachary Christman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Over 500,000 tons of organic materials such as food scraps are disposed of each year in Wisconsin. A large percentage of this material could be composted or turned into useful products. The purpose of this article is to educate farmers and organizations on how to turn food waste into a high value food source for livestock. Yeast can be grown at any time of the year without the large inputs of agricultural chemicals and machinery that is common with other feed production methods. A yeast growing facility can be scalable to any size the producer wants such as a small …

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A Serosurvey Of Diseases Of Free-Ranging Gray Wolves (Canis Lupus) In Minnesota, Usa, Michelle Carstensen, John H. Giudice, Erik C. Hildebrand, J. P. Dubey, John Erb, Dan Stark, John Hart, Shannon M. Barber-Meyer, L. David Mech, Steve K. Windels, Andrew J. Edwards Jan 2017

A Serosurvey Of Diseases Of Free-Ranging Gray Wolves (Canis Lupus) In Minnesota, Usa, Michelle Carstensen, John H. Giudice, Erik C. Hildebrand, J. P. Dubey, John Erb, Dan Stark, John Hart, Shannon M. Barber-Meyer, L. David Mech, Steve K. Windels, Andrew J. Edwards

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

We tested serum samples from 387 free-ranging wolves (Canis lupus) from 2007 to 2013 for exposure to eight canid pathogens to establish baseline data on disease prevalence and spatial distribution in Minnesota’s wolf population. We found high exposure to canine adenoviruses 1 and 2 (88% adults, 45% pups), canine parvovirus (82% adults, 24% pups), and Lyme disease (76% adults, 39% pups). Sixty-six percent of adults and 36% of pups exhibited exposure to the protozoan parasite Neospora caninum. Exposure to arboviruses was confirmed, including West Nile virus (37% adults, 18% pups) and eastern equine encephalitis (3% adults). Exposure rates …

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Testing Alternative Hypotheses For The Cause Of Population Declines: The Case Of The Red-Headed Woodpecker, Walter D. Koenig, Eric L. Walters, Paul G. Rodewald Jan 2017

Testing Alternative Hypotheses For The Cause Of Population Declines: The Case Of The Red-Headed Woodpecker, Walter D. Koenig, Eric L. Walters, Paul G. Rodewald

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) has experienced strong population declines during the past 3 decades. Using North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) and Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC) data, we investigated 4 hypotheses that may explain this decline, including: (1) interspecific competition with native Red-bellied Woodpeckers (Melanerpes carolinus) and nonnative European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris); (2) predation by Cooper's Hawks (Accipiter cooperii) and Sharp-shinned Hawks (Accipiter striatus); (3) climate change; and (4) changes in forested area within their range. In analyses of both the breeding and overwintering periods, our results indicated …

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The Breeding Bird Community Of A Remnant Urban Woodland In Mcallen, Texas, John S. Brush, Alexis Racelis, Timothy Brush Jan 2017

The Breeding Bird Community Of A Remnant Urban Woodland In Mcallen, Texas, John S. Brush, Alexis Racelis, Timothy Brush

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

We conducted a breeding bird survey of a remnant thorn-forest at McAllen Nature Center in 2015 and 2016 to assess the breeding bird community and compare it to that of a larger, exurban refuge. We recorded 37 territorial species in McAllen Nature Center, including 15 species not reported at the exurban tract. Thirteen of these predominantly used the more open, human -maintained habitats in the northern and western sides of the park. The presence of many common thorn-forest birds, including a subset of the regions “South Texas specialty” species, is encouraging. Small remnant woodlands such as McAllen Nature Center may …

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Behavioral And Physiological Assessment Of Zoo-Housed Heterosexual Gorilla (Gorilla Gorilla Gorilla) Troops With Multiple Silverbacks, Kaylin S. Tennant Jan 2017

Behavioral And Physiological Assessment Of Zoo-Housed Heterosexual Gorilla (Gorilla Gorilla Gorilla) Troops With Multiple Silverbacks, Kaylin S. Tennant

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Based on recognized life history traits and ecology, zoos strive to house their gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) in mixed-sex groups with one mature male or silverback, multiple females, and their offspring. However, successful captive breeding programs and a nearly 50:50 birth sex ratio has created the need to house surplus males in solitary conditions or all-male groups. It is commonly believed that male western gorillas will not tolerate one another in the presence of females; however, multi-male, mixed-sex groups have been observed in the wild. For this reason, some zoos have begun experimenting with this scenario. At the …

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Canine Emotions As Seen Through Human Social Cognition, Miiamaaria V. Kujala Jan 2017

Canine Emotions As Seen Through Human Social Cognition, Miiamaaria V. Kujala

Animal Sentience

It is not possible to demonstrate that dogs (Canis familiaris) feel emotions, but the same is true for all other species, including our own. The issue must therefore be approached indirectly, using premises similar to those used with humans. Recent methodological advances in canine research reveal what dogs experience and what they derive from the emotions perceptible in others. Dogs attend to social cues, they respond appropriately to the valence of human and dog facial expressions and vocalizations of emotion, and their limbic reward regions respond to the odor of their caretakers. They behave differently according to the …

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Dogs Consciously Experience Emotions: The Question Is, Which?, Ralph Adolphs Jan 2017

Dogs Consciously Experience Emotions: The Question Is, Which?, Ralph Adolphs

Animal Sentience

I discuss three themes related to Kujala’s target article. First, the wealth of emerging data on cognitive studies in dogs will surely show that dogs have a very rich repertoire of cognitive processes, for most of which we find homologues in humans. Second, understanding the internal states that mediate social behaviors, such as emotions, requires us to consider both a dog’s behaviors with other dogs, and the emergence of new behavioral patterns in interaction with humans. Third, all of this will certainly narrow the range of justifications for denying that dogs have subjective experiences of emotions.

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Direct Perception Of Animal Mind, Paul Morris Jan 2017

Direct Perception Of Animal Mind, Paul Morris

Animal Sentience

Kujala’s (2017) target article is ostensibly focused on how everyday folk (fail to) make sense of canine emotions. However, the theories outlined in the article apply to making sense of all aspects of the mentality of both human and non-human animals. The target article neglects the fundamental arguments surrounding the problem of other minds. I explore the relevant arguments and briefly review approaches suggesting that our everyday-life sense that both human and non-human animals are thinking, feeling, emotional beings has a secure epistemological basis.

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Canine Emotions And The Bond Between Humans And Dogs, Robert G. Franklin Jr. Jan 2017

Canine Emotions And The Bond Between Humans And Dogs, Robert G. Franklin Jr.

Animal Sentience

I explore how the findings reviewed by Kujala (2017) influence our understanding of the human-dog bond. The special social cognitive abilities of dogs may be unique among animal species, probably influenced by the circumstances surrounding canine domestication. The bond has influenced animal welfare policies, giving dogs a privileged place among animals. To determine what protections other species should have in a rational animal welfare policy, more research is needed on whether other species have similar social cognitive abilities.

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Communicating Canine And Human Emotions, Juliane Bräuer, Karine Silva, Stefan R. Schweinberger Jan 2017

Communicating Canine And Human Emotions, Juliane Bräuer, Karine Silva, Stefan R. Schweinberger

Animal Sentience

Kujala (2017) reviews a topic of major relevance for the understanding of the special dog-human relationship: canine emotions (as seen through human social cognition). This commentary draws attention to the communication of emotions within such a particular social context. It highlights challenges that need to be tackled to further advance research on emotional communication, and it calls for new avenues of research. Efforts to disentangle emotional processes from cognitive functioning might be necessary to better comprehend how they contribute, alone and/or in combination, to the communication of emotions. Also, new research methods need to be developed to account for the …

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