Life can be a struggle for power – not just for people but for nonhuman animals, too. An animal behaviorist explains how this quest can be more Shakespearean drama than boxing match.
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Articles on Animal behavior
Displaying 1 - 20 of 63 articles
A proposed scientific name is frenetic random activity periods (FRAPs). In rabbits, these high activity periods are called ‘binkies’. But many cat and dog-owners simply call them ‘zoomies’.
Rats are disrupting the flow of nutrients towards the sea on many tropical islands – this has consequences for fish behaviour and the wider ecosystem.
Artificial lighting from cities illuminates coastal waters and can change the physiology and behaviour of marine organisms.
Scientists use biologging devices to track animal behaviour – here are four times where it has improved our understanding of nature.
A scholar of law and humanities compares bans on dogs with any pit bull genes to “one drop” laws that once classified people with even a single Black ancestor as Black.
Friendships are formed all across the animal kingdom and the ways in which they resemble human ones may surprise you.
Plus how to train your cat to settle in its carrier in five easy steps.
Narwhals, hummingbirds and the Asian sheepshead wrasse have opened scientists’ eyes to the complexity of nature.
Dog bites are a serious public health problem but we’re going the wrong way about tackling it.
An anthropologist explains some of the many ways animals use their tails, from balancing as they walk to attracting a mate.
It is the oldest and most prolific cancer known in nature.
The recent goring of a tourist who approached within 10 feet of a bison in Yellowstone National Park is a reminder that wild animals can be dangerous and people should keep safe distances.
The miniature brains of honeybees were able to understand the concepts of odd and even, despite only having 960,000 neurons (compared to 86 billion in humans).
Researchers have discovered that great white sharks are more social than previously thought. Using specialized tags, they tracked six sharks and found that some stay close to each other when hunting.
These coordinated movements of a flock of starlings follow no plan or leader. Scientists used to think the animals must communicate via ESP to create these fast-moving blobs.
Birds will shriek and dive at each other over food, territory or mates, but only a small number of species sport actual weapons. The reason: Flying matters more for their survival than fighting.
African wild dogs are used to evading hyenas and lions. Genetic research suggests they are using the same strengths to get around human development as well.
A fundamental change in how North American zoos and aquariums are accredited supports their animal conservation and species survival work.
We discovered that the ability to be flexible and change behaviour in certain circumstances is just as important for birds as people.
Top contributors
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Emeritus Professor in Animal Behaviour, University of New England
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Principal Lecturer in Wildlife Conservation, Nottingham Trent University
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Senior Lecturer in Animal Science, Nottingham Trent University
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Lecturer in Zoology, Bangor University
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Professor Emeritus of Behavioral Pharmacology and Animal Behavior, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University
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Postdoctoral research fellow, Clemson University
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Affiliate Faculty in Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University
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Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Wyoming
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Jenny Graves is a Friend of The Conversation.
Distinguished Professor of Genetics and Vice Chancellor's Fellow, La Trobe University
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Professor, School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol
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Ecologist, Edinburgh Napier University
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Assistant Professor of Psychology, Johns Hopkins University
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Professor of Practice, Emory University
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Professor of Environmental and Forest Biology, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry
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Assistant Professor of Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, UMass Chan Medical School
