Behavior and Ethology Commons^™

Farrowing Behaviour And Stillbirth In Two Environments: An Evaluation Of The Restraint-Stillbirth Hypothesis, D. Fraser, P. A. Phillips, B. K. Thompson

Reproductive Behavior Collection

A total of 59 farrowings were studied in either a conventional, narrow farrowing crate (0.43 m wide) or a much wider alternative design with sides spaced 1.2 m apart at the sow’s standing height but narrowing near the floor to limit the sow’s lying area. Using video recording, we monitored each “birth interval” (i.e. the period between two successive births) and noted the interval’s length, the sow’s posture and postural changes during the interval, and whether the interval ended with a live-born or stillborn piglet. The wide and conventional crates did not differ significantly in median interval between piglets (15.9 …

Weapon Size Versus Body Size As A Predictor Of Winning In Fights Between Shore Crabs, Carcinus Maenas (L.), Lynne U. Sneddon, Felicity A. Huntingford, Alan C. Taylor

Veterinary Science and Medicine Collection

Relative body size (carapace width) and weapon size (chela length) were used as indicators of resource holding potential (RHP) in the agonistic behaviour of male shore crabs, Carcinus maenas (L.). Weapon size was found to be a more reliable predictor of the outcome of pairwise fights than body size. Crabs with longer chelae than their opponents were more likely to win fights than crabs with relatively larger bodies. Body size had less influence on the outcome of fights. Relative body and weapon size did not influence initiation of contests but did affect the likelihood of winning; however, this was significant …

Life In Captivity: Its Lack Of Opportunities For Variable Behaviour, Françoise Wemelsfelder

Zoos and Aquariums Collection

No abstract provided.

Elephant Days And Nights: Ten Years With The Indian Elephant, Robert H.I. Dale

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Book review for the following title:

Elephant Days and Nights. By Raman Sukumar (George B. Schaller, foreword), Oxford University Press, 1996, 200 pages.

Stomach Content Analysis Of Stranded Bottlenose Dolphins, Tursiops Truncatus, In Virginia, 1987-1996, John Mcgurk

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

I examined the stomach contents from 94 bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, that were stranded along the Virginia coastline from 1987 through 1996. Samples from 1987 through 1991 were obtained from the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) and samples from 1992 through 1996 were collected by the Virginia Marine Science Museum (VMSM) Stranding Team. Prey species were identified using fish otoliths and cephalopod beaks.

The dolphins examined fed on 23 species of fish and one genus of cephalopods. The primary prey species was Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus); secondary species were weakfish (Cynoscion regalia), spot (Leiostomus xanthurus), silver perch (Bairdiella chrysoura), …

The Annual Reproductive Cycle Of Oryzomys Palustris In A Virginia Tidal Marsh, Erin A. Dreelin

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The objectives of my study were to determine when the marsh rice rat (Oryzomys palustris) begins and ends reproduction during the year, if there are seasonal changes in litter size, and the weight at which sexual maturity is reached. Monthly samples of rice rats were trapped from May 1995 to May 1996 in Northampton County, Virginia. Rice rats were trapped with Fitch live traps, euthanized in the field, and brought to the lab for necropsy. Data from two other studies of rice rats in Northampton County were also examined. Potential breeders did not reproduce with equal intensity throughout the …

The Scientific Validity Of Subjective Concepts In Models Of Animal Welfare, Françoise Wemelsfelder

Animal Welfare Collection

This paper takes a closer look at the subjectivity/objectivity relationship, as it plays a role in the science of animal welfare. It argues that subjective, experiential states in animals such as well-being and suffering are, contrary to what is often assumed, open to empirical observation and scientific assessment. The presumably purely private, inaccessible nature of such states is not an inherent property of these states, but derives from their misguided conception as ‘causal objects’ in mechanistic models of behaviour. This inevitably endows subjective experience with a ‘hidden’ status. However, subjective experience should be approached on its own conceptual grounds, i.e. …

The Asian Elephant: Ecology And Management, Robert H.I. Dale

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Book review for the following title:

The Asian Elephant: Ecology and Management. By Raman Sukumar, Cambridge University Press, 1993, 282 pages. $34.95 hardcover

The Effects Of Enrichment Treatments On Jaguar Behavior At The Warner Park Zoo, Miranda Cagle

Honors Theses

Not long ago, Sasha walked onto grass for the first time in seven years. For Pasha, it was the first in six. The two jaguar inhabitants of the Warner Park Zoo, Sasha, a nine-year-old female, and Pasha, her eight-year-old half-brother, were transferred to a new enclosure on 12 November 1995. Prior to that date, they had been housed in a smaller cage with a cement floor. The new enclosure was a long-awaited improvement for the zoo, designed to house two of its most wellknown animals. It was expected that the new enclosure would promote more natural behavior in the two …

Diet And Growth Of Larval And Juvenile Grass Pickerel, Esox Americanus Vermiculatus, And Central Mudminnow, Umbra Limi, In The Green Bottom Wildlife Management Area, Cabell County, West Virginia, Erica Midkiff

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The grass pickerel, Esox americanus vermiculatus, is listed as Undetermined on the Vertebrate Species List of Concern in West Virginia. The central mudminnow, Umbra limi, is a disjunct population in Green Bottom Swamp. The lentic, vegetated areas that are required for spawning for the grass pickerel and the central mudminnow have been reduced by residential, agricultural, and industrial developments. Green Bottom Swamp, a naturally occurring wetland of 58 ha, and a nearby mitigated wetland of 29 ha, provides spawning habitat for the grass pickerel and the mudminnow. Fishes were collected in beds of Potamogetan crispus and Ceratophyllum demursum …

Crows Do Not Use Automobiles As Nutcrackers: Putting An Oft-Repeated Anecdote To The Test, Daniel A. Cristol, Paul V. Switzer, K L. Johnson, L S. Walke

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Crows Do Not Use Automobiles As Nutcrackers: Putting An Oft-Repeated Anecdote To The Test, Daniel Cristol, Paul Switzer, K Johnson, L Walke

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Habitat Use By Migrant Whooping Cranes In Saskatchewan, Brian W. Johns, Eric J. Woodsworth, Ed A. Driver

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We investigated habitat use by migrating whooping cranes (Grus americana) in Saskatchewan between 1986 and 1990. At foraging and roosting sites and a sample of randomly selected sites we measured various habitat parameters. Palustrine and lacustrine wetlands were the most frequently used wetlands. Temporary and seasonal wetlands were the primary roost habitat during spring migration, and semi-permanent and permanent wetlands were frequently used during the fall. Cranes were attracted to areas of higher than average wetland density. Land use within 2 km of roost sites was intensively modified by man. Cereal crops were the most used feeding areas. …

Availability Of Stopover Habitat For Migrant Whooping Cranes In Nebraska, Dale W. Stahlecker

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Four stratified random samples of 512 National Wetland Inventory (NWI) maps within the central Nebraska portion of the Wood Buffalo-Aransas whooping crane (Grus americana) migration corridor were used to evaluate the availability of wetland roost sites. Wetlands were eliminated as potential roosts if visibility was obscured by vegetation or slope, if certain human activities occurred within 100-800 ro, or if water < 30 em deep was not available. Seasonal emergent wetlands, available as roosts primarily in spring, dominated all samples, particularly in the nortb. Sixty-five percent of all wetlands >0.04 ha passed map review and 52 % passed when ground-truthed. NWI map review was a good predictor of both suitability (63 % correct) and unsuitability (73 % correct). More than one-half of all open and emergent …

Woody Vegetation Expansion And Continuing Declines In Open Channel Habitat On The Platte River In Nebraska, Paul J. Currier

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Aerial videography in 1988 and 1994 of the same selected segments of the Big Bend reach of the Platte River in central Nebraska was compared. During this 6-year period, channel area declined 4 to 41 % (median 26%). In river segments where the channel had already narrowed significantly and at sites where channel habitat is actively managed declines were less (17-18%). These substantial changes occurred during a time that included a relatively low flow period (1990-92). Flows during the summer gertttination and establishment period (mid-May through August) for cottonwood (Populus deltoides) and willow (Salix spp.), the …

Home Range And Habitat Use By Isolation-Reared Sandhill Cranes, Wenrui Duan, Theodore A. Bookhouts, Richard P. Urbanek

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We isolation-reared, placed radio transmitters on, and released 38 greater sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) on Seney National Wildlife Refuge (Seney) in 1988-90 to develop procedures for initiating new populations of cranes. Here we report on habitat selection by breeding birds with functional radio transmitters. Home ranges established by 6 cranes in 1992, when they were 2 to 4 years old, averaged 199±50.8 (SE) ha (harmonic mean method, 75 % utilization) and were of 2 types: feeding grounds separated from nesting habitat and feeding grounds adjacent to nesting habitat. Home ranges consisted of 36% emergent palustrine wetlands, 28% …

Recent Advances In Scheduling Strategies And Practical Techniques In Crane Artificial Insemination, Scott R. Swengel, Monica L. Tuite

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We analyzed fertility patterns of 339 eggs laid 1985-93 at the International Crane Foundation by cranes whose sole means of fertility was artificial insemination (AI). Ten of 15 crane species were studied. Fertility rates increased significantly (P < 0.05) with (I) higher sperm density, (2) greater sperm motility, and (3) 2 vs. 1 vs. 0 inseminations 4-7 days before oviposition. Semen sample size was inversely related to sperm density and had no strong relationship with egg fertility. Inseminations less than 2.5-3.0 days before an egg is laid are probably too late to contribute to fertilizing the egg but may contribute substantially to fertilizing the next egg. We also describe practical knowledge gained during the past 10 years that apply to certain species or situations. Wattled cranes (Bugeranus carunculatus) have a long fertile period post-AI (up to 16 days), but may require more careful methods and special AI scheduling strategies. We also describe techniques for AI just after oviposition that are especially beneficial for Siberian cranes (Grus leucogeranus), and methods for maximizing sample delivery to the female.

Sandhill Crane Hunts In The Rio Grande Valley And Southwest New Mexico, C. Gregory Schmitt, Barry Hale

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Annual limited permit hunting seasons for sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) were initiated in southwestern New Mexico (SWNM) in 1982 and in the middle Rio Grande Valley (MRGV) in 1986. Within the MRGV and SWNM are wintering areas for 3 migratory subspecies, including the lesser sandhill crane (G. c. canadensis) (lessers). Canadian sandhill crane (G. c. rowani) (Canadians), and greater sandhill crane (G. c. tabida) (greaters). We summarized annual season dates, bag limits, requirements for permits, procedures for examination of crane specimens at check stations, number of hunters, estimated harvest, mean harvest per …

Results Of An Experiment To Lead Cranes On Migration Behind Motorized Ground Vehicles, David H. Ellis, Brian Clauss, Tsuyoshi Watanabe, R. Curt Mykut, Matthew Kinloch, Catherine H. Ellis

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Ten greater sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) , trained to enter and ride in a specially-equipped truck, were transported at ca 80 days of age from their rearing site at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (patuxent), Maryland, to a reintroduction site located within the species' former breeding range in northern Arizona. After 5 additional weeks of training, these juvenile cranes were led south ca 600 km to a wintering area on the Arizona/Mexico border. Nine of the 10 survived the trek, 495 km of which were flown, although only a few cranes flew every stage of the route. Their …

Corrigendum Crane Migration In Northern New Mexico, Dale W. Stahlecker

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

These tables were not included in the above article. They are published here so that interested readers will have access to them while reading the results and discussion presented in that paper. It is now well documented that sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) from outside the Rocky Mountain Population stage in spring and autumn in the San Luis Valley of southern Colorado (Benning et al. 1997). Therefore, the high autumn counts reported in the 1988 paper and discussed in relation to Table 3 could also have included cranes from other populations.

Survival And Habitat Use Of Greater Sandhill Crane Colts On Modoc National Wildlife Refuge, California, Kevin J. Desroberts

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Radiotelemetry was used to monitor 13 (1990) and 14 (1992) greater sandhill crane (Grus canadensis tabida) colts on Modoc National Wildlife Refuge, California, to determine causes of mortality, brood habitat utilization, and effects of habitat management on colt survival. Colt survival rates were 0.36 (1990) and 0.54 (1992). Coyotes (Canis latrans) killed 3 colts and mink (Mustela vison) killed 4; I colt died because of a bacterial infection (Staphylococcus aureous). Broods used 6 different habitat types and 79% used more than I type. Irrigated meadows (74%), cultivated uplands (53 %), and marsh …

Monogamy And Productivity In Sandhill Cranes, Stephen A. Nesbitt, Thomas C. Tacha

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Marked pairs of Florida (Grus canadensis pratensis) and greater sandhill cranes (G. c. tabida) were monitored for 426 pair-years. Among pair members, females averaged 3.7 ± 3.6 (SD) years older than males. Pair longevity was not correlated with pair productivity (P ~ 0.279) for pairs that were together >3 years. Forty-four percent of 72 Florida sandhill crane pair bonds were broken during the study, 67.7% due to death and 32.3 % to divorce. Among both Florida and greater sandhill cranes, the incidence of divorce was related to a failure to reproduce; 52.6% of pairs that failed to produce …

History Of Breeding Pairs And Nesting Sites Of The Mississippi Sandhill Crane, Jacob M. Valentine Jr., Scott G. Hereford

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Thirty-four Composite Nesting Areas (CNA's) of endangered Mississippi sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis pulla) within the current breeding range in Jackson County, Mississippi, were located from 1965 to 1996, primarily by ground searching. Of those 34 CNA's located, 28 were on I of the 3 refuge units and 6 were off but adjacent to the refuge's Ocean Springs Unit. Five of the CNA's had 2-3 distinct smaller core nesting areas within. Two CNA's had active nests in more than 20 years, and those nests accounted for 11 % of the total. Nine CNA's accounted for 130 (63%) of the …

Proceedings Of The Seventh North American Crane Workshop

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

In 1975 a group of North American crane researchers and managers convened a workshop at the fledgling International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, Wisconsin. At the end they agreed to publish the proceedings of the workshop and to reconvene in 3 years to continue to share information, ideas, and support. This 1975 international crane workshop served as the first North American cranc workshop and was followed by workshops in 1978 (Rockport, Texas), 1981 (Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming), 1985 (Grand Island, Nebraska), and 1988 (Kissimmee Prairie, Florida). In these first 5 North American workshops, proceedings were published by the sponsoring agencies …

A Reintroduction Technique For Migratory Birds: Leading Canada Geese And Isolation-Reared Sandhill Cranes With Ultralight Aircraft, William A. Lishman, Tighe L. Teets, Joseph W. Duff, William J. L. Sladen, Galvin G. Shire, Kirk M. Goolsby, Wayne A. Bezner Kerr, Richard Urbanek

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

No successful method for establishing self-sustaining populations of whooping cranes (Grus americana), particularly in a migration situation, has been proven. This research initiated development of a reintroduction technique using ultralight aircraft to lead cranes from a natal area along a desired route to a predetermined wintering site. Canada geese (Branta canadensis) were used in initial migration efforts. Ultralight aircraft and pilots successfully led 86 juvenile geese on 3 southbound migrations from Ontario to winter sites 640-1,312 kIn from the natal area. Of 16 1993-hatched geese that survived their first winter in Virginia and 35 1994- hatched …

Harts Basin, Colorado: A Spring Migration Stopover Area For Rocky Mountain Sandhill Cranes And Whooping Cranes, Melvin K. Peterson, Roderick C. Drewien

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Greater sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) from the Rocky Mountain Population (RMP) and whooping cranes (G. americana) reared by RMP foster parents were monitored during 1980-95 at a traditional spring migration stopover at Harts Basin in western Colorado. Counts during March and April 1986-93 showed that a mean of 10,656 RMP sandhill cranes stopped annually for 1 or more nights en route from their spring staging area in the San Luis Valley, Colorado, to summer grounds. More than 96% stopped between 11 March and 10 April. Count data indicated that > 50 % of the RMP stopped …

Vocalizations Of Sandhill Cranes, Stephen A. Nesbitt, Richard A. Bradley

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The structure and context of 20 vocalizations given by adult or juvenile sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) are described. Purr calls were given under various circumstances (e.g., pre-flight, feeding, aggression) and communicated information over a short distance. Flight calls, guard calls, and urtison calls were full-voiced calls that carried information over greater distances. Calls given in flight were distinguishable from other calls. Guard calls were given in several different circumstances and served multiple functions; other calls were given in very specific contexts. Beyond the basic communication of information to other cranes, vocalizations may function in mate selection and in …

Computer Simulations Of Possible Futures For Two Flocks Of Whooping Cranes, Claire M. Mirande, John R. Cannon, Kimberly Agzigian, Rozanne E. Bogart, Sarah Christiansen, Jason Dubow, A. Katya Fernandez, Dustin K. Howarth, Claudia Jones, Katherine G. Munson, Sonal I. Pandya, Gina Sedaghatkish, Kevin L. Skerl, Susan A. Stenquist, Jennifer Wheeler

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We conducted computer simulations using the program VORTEX (version 7) to project population sizes, growth rates, genetic diversity, and probabilities of extinction over the next 100 years for 2 flocks of whooping cranes (Grus americana), the Aransas/Wood Buffalo population and the experimental Florida population. Standard runs based on best estimates of demographic. genetic, and environmental parameter values were used as a baseline to which several alternative scenarios were compared. Results generally supported the conclusion of the earlier Population Viability Assessment (Mirande et al. 1991) that the AransaslWood Buffalo population will continue to grow steadily with less than a …

Use Of Dredged Material To Construct Winter Whooping Crane Habitat, Darrell E. Evans, Thomas V. Stehn

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and nearby coastal marshes serve as the winter home for the only natural flock of whooping cranes (Grus americana), In recent years shoreline erosion and the subsequent loss of wintering habitat have been observed on the refuge adjacent to the GulfIntracoastal Waterway (GIWW). In 1988 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) District, Galveston, Texas, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) entered into an informal agreement to attempt to slow shoreline/habitat loss on the refuge. Efforts to curtail habitat loss have included armoring the most erosive reaches with temporary concrete erosion control …

The Effect Of Disturbance On The Reproduction And Management Of Captive Cranes, Claire M. Mirande, James W. Carpenter, Ann M. Burke

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

A retrospective analysis of egg laying histories and observations of crane pairs at the International Crane Foundation and the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center indicates that disturbance associated with captivity has adverse impacts on captive breeding. Females on public display laid significantly fewer eggs than those off display (P < 0.05). Crane pairs moved to other pens (other than adjacent pens) or hetween facilities laid slightly fewer eggs than those birds which were not moved. although the results were not statistically significant (P = 0.188). Pen design and construction also appeared to have adverse impacts on breeding. In addition, human activities, intraspecific interactions, and rearing methods influence a bird's response to disturbance, and, therefore, these factors must also be considered in an effective crane management program. Modifying procedures to minimize disturbance, timing necessary disturbances after the breeding and molt seasons, and carefully monitoring birds for signs of stress can result in increased reproductive potential for captive, endangered cranes.