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Articles on Animal behaviour

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The male bluehead wrasse defends his group of yellow females, one of whom has to step-up and take charge if he leaves. Kevin Bryant

What we learn from a fish that can change sex in just 10 days

When a male bluehead wrasse is removed from the group he dominates, the largest female changes sex, rapidly transforming ovaries into sperm-producing testes. Molecular research shows how.
Some lizards such as geckos can self-amputate their tails when threatened - these limbs can keep twitching for up to 30 minutes, creating a distraction and allowing the lizard to escape. Shutterstock

The extreme tactic of self-amputation means survival in the animal kingdom

Why do some animals amputate their own limbs? Turns out, there’s a whole bunch of reasons why this strategy has evolved.
Scientific testing has zeroed in on the advantages of a zebra’s striped coat. Tim Caro

Zebra’s stripes are a no fly zone for flies

How the zebra got its stripes is not only a just-so story, but an object of scientific inquiry. New research suggests that stripes help zebras evade biting flies and the deadly diseases they carry.
More than 620 million years of evolution separate crows from humans, but the birds show that they can plan three steps ahead. Romana Gruber

New Caledonian crows smart enough to plan three steps ahead to solve tricky problem

New Caledonian crows are famous for using tools to reach a reward. Now scientists have confirmed they can plan several steps ahead, like a chess player contemplating a series of moves.

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