Behavior and Ethology Commons^™

Cane Toad, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity factsheets

This factsheet provides information about the identification, biology, impact, and management of the cane toad.

The cane toad (Rhinella marina), or giant toad, is native to central and South America. It has been introduced to many countries, including northern and eastern Australia. The cane toad is a declared pest under the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 (BAM Act) in Western Australia (WA). The Western Australian Organism List (WAOL), available on the website at dpird.wa.gov.au) contains information on the area(s) in which this pest is declared, and the control and keeping categories to which it has been assigned in WA.

Rabbit Control In Urban And Semi-Urban Areas, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity factsheets

This factsheet provides information on control options for rabbits in urban and semi-urban areas in Western Australia (WA).

Rabbits cause considerable losses to agricultural and horticultural industries. They can cause serious environmental problems, such as soil erosion and degradation of native vegetation. Rabbits also compete with native fauna for food and habitat.

Rabbits may be a problem or a nuisance in urban environments where they can damage lawns and gardens, buildings, garages, and sheds. Rabbits can also damage golf courses, sports grounds, and parkland reserves.

The options for control of rabbits in urban areas are more limited than in rural …

Effects Of Retinal Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone On Reproductive Behavior And Retinal Activity In The Cichlid Fish, Astatotilapia Burtoni, Chase Anselmo

LSU Master's Theses

Many animals use visual signals to evade predators, forage for food, and communicate with conspecifics. Some animals that shift into and out of breeding stages, such as fish, can modulate their visual sensitivity to better adapt to changing internal and external conditions. Previous work in our lab demonstrated that females of the cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni have improved visual sensitivity when they enter reproductive readiness. However, little is known about how fish and vertebrates more broadly modulate visual sensitivity across their reproductive cycle. We hypothesized that the hormone and neuromodulator gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) could modulate visual sensitivity because GnRH is …

Observations Of Co-Nest Building And Spawning In Native And Non-Native Chub Species (Nocomis Spp.) In The Swannanoa River, North Carolina, Patrick Ciccotto

Southeastern Fishes Council Proceedings

Co-nest building and spawning among individuals of the native population of River Chub (Nocomis micropogon) and among those of an introduced population of Bluehead Chub (N. leptocephalus) observed in the Swannanoa River (French Broad River basin) during Spring 2024 represents the first time such behaviors have been documented between two species of Nocomis. Observations of these behaviors are described and discussed in the context of potential hybridization and the impact of introduced Bluehead Chubs in the French Broad River basin.

Feral Camel, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity factsheets

No abstract provided.

Feral Donkey, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity factsheets

Donkeys (Equus asinus) were first imported in substantial numbers to Australia in 1866 by Sir Thomas Elder. They were used as pack and draught animals in outlying areas of Western Australia (WA) until the 1930s. They were eventually replaced by the motor vehicle, and unwanted donkeys were released to the wild, where they became feral. The first record of feral donkeys is from the Kimberley in the early 1930s, but it is possible they became feral much earlier.

Blackbird, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity factsheets

The introduced common blackbird (Turdus merula) is a pest in eastern Australia. It damages commercial fruit crops and may compete with native birds. The species is prohibited in Western Australia and individuals found here are destroyed.

The Western Australian Organism List (WAOL) contains information on the area(s) in which this pest is declared and the control and keeping categories to which it has been assigned in Western Australia (WA). For more information, see our website at dpird.wa.gov.au.

Feral Goat, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity factsheets

The goat (Capra hircus) was one of the first animals to be domesticated, 8 to 10 thousand years ago. Archaeological work indicates the earliest attempts at domestication were in dry hills surrounding the Mediterranean basin. The ability of goats to utilise the coarse browse of mountainous areas made them suitable for domestication, in preference to sheep. With large-scale domestication of goats throughout the world, goats escaped and established feral goat herds on most continents. Overgrazing by goats has caused severe environmental damage, worldwide.

Goats arrived in Australia with the first fleet. They were introduced to many areas by early settlers …

Psychological And Social Well-Being Of Bony Fishes In Zoos And Aquariums, Ronald G. Oldfield, Patrick Bonano

Animal Sentience

Research on the behaviour of animals in zoos has been conducted for decades, and observations have provided information that has improved the psychological and social well-being of animals. However, research on fishes in zoos and aquariums seems to be lacking. Here, we assess the current state of research on fishes in zoos and aquariums by surveying the peer-reviewed literature. Our assessment differs from previous surveys in that we examine the taxonomic classes Chondrichthyes (sharks and rays) and Osteichthyes (bony fishes) separately. Our survey finds that bony fishes have been drastically underrepresented in zoo journals, more drastically than chondrichthyans, revealing an …

Root Lesion And Burrowing Nematodes And Their Management, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

Nematodes are common soil pests that feed on the roots of a wide range of crops in all agricultural areas of Western Australia, resulting in significant crop yield loss. Root lesion nematode can be managed but not eradicated.

This factsheet summarises the biology of the root lesion nematode (RLN, Pratylenchus spp.) and burrowing nematode (Radopholus spp.) species that damage Western Australian (WA) crops, and their diagnosis and management.

Variability In Associations Among Seabirds And Marine Mammals: Causes And Consequences, Samantha A. Monier

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Marine predators today face multifaceted stressors from changing climate to changing prey availability, and these changes are occurring at unprecedented speeds. Any alteration to a species’ environment has the potential to disrupt social networks and thus, how animals obtain and transfer information. Interspecific social interactions in the form of local enhancement and facilitation are a critical, but not yet well-understood, component of seabird foraging; of immediate concern is that anthropogenic changes may be altering the quantity and quality of positive species interactions, with consequences for the species involved.

While we know these interactions are not immutable, less is known about …

Exploring The Roles Of Physiology And Phylogeny In Novel Signal Evolution, Mia E. Phillips

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

In animal communication, signal phenotypes are shaped by a combination of selective

forces pushing for improved transmission, efficiency, and detection, and limited by

developmental constraints in signal production and reception abilities (Morton 1975; Guilford &

Dawkins 1991; Endler 1992; Davranoglou et al. 2023). These opposing forces have resulted in

communication strategies that are broadly diverse yet similar among closely related species. We

expect to see gradual changes in signal phenotypes across different clades (Harvey & Pagel

1991). Sometimes, though, the communication strategies of closely related taxa are drastically

different (Ligon et al. 2018), indicating that selection must have overcome the …

The Effects Of People, Time Of Day, And Season On Affiliative And Stereotypic Behaviors In Captive Rhinoptera Bonasus And Other Rays Across Two Human-Interactive Enclosures, Wren C. A. Newman

Theses and Dissertations

Cownose rays (Rhinoptera bonasus) are among the most common species found in aquaria, yet the impact of touch enclosures on their welfare remains largely unknown. While research on animal-visitor interactions has produced mixed results for other species, the lack of studies focusing on fish welfare poses a risk of overlooking potential welfare concerns. Therefore, we aimed to establish a baseline for cownose rays regarding stereotypic behaviors, sociality, and activity in captivity, and to examine the influence of human interaction on these behaviors. We collected over 700 hours of footage from two enclosures at Adventure Aquarium in Camden, NJ …

The Effect Of Moon Phase On Predator And Prey Activity Levels On Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, Jeff Schell, Charlotte Milling

2024 Symposium

Variation in nighttime illumination linked to moon phase has been demonstrated to affect the activity patterns of both prey and predator species. However, evidence of lunarphobia in ungulates is mixed. Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge (TNWR) in Spokane County spans 23,000 acres; features a diverse landscape of channeled scablands, wetlands, and Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa); and is situated within 20 km of the second largest city in Washington. Our objective was to assess the influence of nighttime illumination on activity levels of common mammals on TNWR by quantifying the relationship between moon phase and visitation rate at trail cameras …

The Behavioral Specialization Of African Ant-Following Birds On Dorylus Driver Ants, Patricia F. Rodrigues

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Ant-following birds, that forage on arthropods flushed by swarm raiding army ants, are an iconic phenomenon in tropical forests around the globe. Despite capturing the attention of naturalists for over a century, research on ant-following birds has largely focused on Neotropical species. Decades of research on Neotropical ant-following birds has revealed fascinating aspects of their specialization, including complex cognitive and behavioral adaptations that allow birds to locate and track nomadic army ants. Despite this breadth of research on Neotropical species, virtually nothing is known of the behavioral ecology of African ant-following birds, and it remains unknown whether they exhibit adaptations …

Records Of The Red-Bellied Snake (Storeria Occipitomaculata) In Central And Northeastern Nebraska, Taylor Lowe, Sarah M. Bailey, Dan D. Fogell, Keith Geluso

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Red-bellied Snakes (Storeria occipitomaculata) are a distinctive, small species that live in moist woodlands throughout much of eastern North America. In the Great Plains, isolated populations exist in South Dakota, Wyoming, and Nebraska. In Nebraska, the only known extant population occurs in wooded riparian habitats along the Big Bend Reach of the Platte River in southcentral parts of the state. Herein, we report on new county records of Red-bellied Snakes in Nebraska, with two observations from Merrick County along the Platte River adjacent to known populations and two observations of a new population in the extreme northeastern part …

The Role Of Sexual Network Core Groups In Disease Epidemics, Jason Janeaux

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remain an economic and social burden, non-discriminately affecting sexually active individuals worldwide. The unique transmission of STIs is dependent upon host and pathogen life histories, as well as the underlying network structure of the host population. Within a population there is a group of individuals, the core group, that maintains STI presence and helps sustain ongoing transmission both within the core group and in the surrounding population. While the presence of these core groups is well documented, the criteria for inclusion into a sexual core group is not. In this dissertation, I explore common factors that …

Microplastic Accumulation In The Marsh Periwinkle (Littoraria Irrorata), Sarah Keaton, Hannah Lukhard, Eli Windy, Manar Hasan

DePaul Discoveries

Contamination of oceans by microplastics (mm) currently poses a major threat to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems worldwide. Recent attention towards this issue has raised questions about the extent to which microplastics have accumulated in the environment, and has led to an increase in studies on the effects of microplastics in various organisms. However, levels of contamination in protected natural areas are still largely unexplored, yet can offer an important empirical perspective on the issue. In addition, little is known about the potential effects of microplastics on behavior in the field. This research was conducted within the protected ACE Basin National …

Wildlife Conservation: The Importance Of Individual Personality Traits And Sentience, Karen A. Owens, Gosia Bryja, Marc Bekoff

Animal Sentience

Individual differences in personality types within the same species have been studied much less than differences between species and populations. Personality differences are related to risk-taking and exploration, which in turn correlate with individuals' daily responses, decisions, and fitness. Bold and shy personality types can have different advantages and disadvantages under different social or environmental pressures. Analyzing personality differences has helped clarify how elk habituate to a well-populated area and how management strategies can be adapted to them. For wolves newly repatriated to Colorado, individual personality factors are likely to prove important for adapting to their new homes as well …

The Ecological Applications Of Δ17O: Validating A Novel Technique For Assessing Animal Metabolism And Water Intake, Zachary Taylor Steele

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Animals obtain water via different processes such as drinking, consuming food, and through metabolic processes like at the end of the electron transport chain when atmospheric oxygen is combined with hydrogen to form ‘cytochrome oxidase water’. Assessing animal water flux and metabolism has mainly been conducted via stable isotope analysis (SIA) of biological samples using hydrogen (²H) and oxygen isotopes (¹⁶O, ¹⁷O, and ¹⁸O; Δ¹⁷O), typically using enriched isotope tracers. However, natural abundance isotope modeling offers an approach for conducting SIA of biological samples that differs because it relies on the unique, …