Animal behavior research and observation

Observing animal behavior is done in a wide variety of research areas, from fundamental neurosciences to wildlife behavior studies or farm animal welfare studies. Explore a range of diverse topics in animal behavior research. From social interactions to genetic influences, gain a comprehensive understanding of animal behavior in various contexts and in various species.

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Top 5 novel object recognition articles

Novel object recognition is one of the most commonly used behavioral tests on laboratory rodents. It is also easily automated with video tracking software. Want to know how?
primate-behavior-mating

Primate behavior - cracking the nut, fur rubbing & mating behavior

Interested in primatology? Today we present to you three blog posts and a couple of interesting websites!
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Making the impossible possible – Tracking under water in the dark

European eels (Anguilla anguilla) have a life cycle in which both larvae and adults travel incredible distances. The eggs hatch in the Sargasso Sea near North America and the larvae swim all the way to Europe.
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Smelly feet and heat – how malaria mosquitoes find their hosts

It seems that mosquitoes use human body odor to locate suitable hosts, and different people smell differently to mosquitoes.
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Standing cows

Does it matter how much time a cow spends standing up or lying down? Bert Tolkamp thought that it did matter, and he proved his point by winning an IgNobel prize for his work on this.
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Tracking a wide variety of animals

Video tracking is used to track a widevariety of animal species in even more different test arenas. From insects of 1 mm on leaf discs, to monkeys in a cage, or zebra fish in an aquarium.
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To mate or not to mate? Females are less choosy when males are rare

Having a choice for a mating partner is extremely important for females, so they can be critical in choosing which male to mate with.
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Caterpillars speed up seed production in plants

Did you know that plants are not as passive as they appear to be at first sight? Although plants cannot run away when they are attacked by plant eating insects, they have several sophisticated ways to defend themselves.
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Using several behavioral tests to investigate the role of the NR1 gene in schizo

Studies of the mental disorder schizophrenia in lab animals often include behavioral tests to investigate social behavior, cognitive abilities, and motor functioning.
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Combining physiology and behavior to create a stress scale for horses

We all are familiar with stress, and how it can have an impact not only on our behavior, but on our bodies and physiology as well. Many people get stress headaches or start to feel sick if they reach high levels of stress.