Posts
January 23, 2013
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7:28 PM | The Real Catfish of Lake Tanganyika
Photo of Manti Te'o by Shotgun Spratling and Neon Tommy at WikimediaPoor Manti Te’o may just be the most gullible schlub on the planet. For those of you that haven’t heard the story, the Notre Dame linebacker and runner-up for the 2012 Heisman Trophy led his team to the BCS National Championship Game, despite (or perhaps inspired by) the tremendous personal losses he has suffered this season. Last September, Te’o learned first of the death of his grandmother, and then within hours learned
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Wright, J. (2011). CONSERVATIVE COEVOLUTION OF MÜLLERIAN MIMICRY IN A GROUP OF RIFT LAKE CATFISH, Evolution, 65 (2) 395-407. DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2010.01149.x
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7:10 PM | “Dog evolved ‘on the waste dump’” – ?
This BBC article by Jonathan Amos tells us that new evidence appears to support the ‘dogs as scavengers’ hypothesis (i.e., that the human-dog relationship evolved through a process of assimilation; dogs hung around the food generated by human settlements, so hung around human settlements and moved from a commensal to a mutualistic relationship with humans [...]
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7:00 AM | Well-Nigh Wordless Wednesday: Tortoise
Tortoise beetles are some of my very favorite beetles. There’s something about their shape that really appeals to me. Imagine my pleasure when we saw several of these in Florida during BugShot 2012: Isn’t it beautiful? It’s even kinda metallic! … Continue reading →
January 21, 2013
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11:56 PM | Zoonomastics: or, what’s in a name?
Today I’m thinking about names. As a result, I have made up a name for this blog post that is a squishing-together (‘combination’ probably would have worked, but clearly I’m feeling simple today) of ‘zoo’ (animal) and ‘onomastics’ – the study of names. I was inspired to write this by a jolt to the memory [...]
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11:42 AM | When coping is not enough
Hi Julie,Snapshot from Project: Play with your Dog's 'Wall of Contributors'I’m so pleased to hear that Project: Play with Your Dog is going well. I’ve enjoyed watching the wall of contributors grow and it’s awesome that The Bark featured the research project – but then, why wouldn't they? It’s a fantastic project!As you mentioned, I’ve been keeping busy getting organised for my presentation at next month’s RSPCA Australia Scientific Seminar. This event is held
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Yeates J. (2011). Is 'a life worth living' a concept worth having?, Animal Welfare, 20 (3) 397-406. Other: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/ufaw/aw/2011/00000020/00000003/art00009
Yeates J. (2012). Quality Time: Temporal and Other Aspects of Ethical Principles Based on a “Life Worth Living”, Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 25 (4) 607-624. DOI: 10.1007/s10806-011-9317-3
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January 18, 2013
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We all know about the “Black Dog Syndrome,” the belief that all black dogs are harder to place from shelters and rescues than dogs of other colorations. I’ll admit that when I first heard about it I didn’t question whether it was true. For one thing, when I bred Border Collie puppies I saw a strong bias for pups with white on them and against all black pups. Every once in a while a buyer would tell me that they especially loved the looks of ... Read the Rest
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12:43 AM | Jumping on the (horse-drawn) burger-wagon…
I am extremely inconsistent when it comes to my ethical principals. I am also known for sitting on the fence. Hal Herzog (a fellow anthrozoologist whose book explores this issue in its very first chapter) calls people like me “the troubled middle” and explains that we see the world in shades of grey (no, not [...]
January 16, 2013
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8:23 PM | Science Beat
Sometimes science just makes more sense with a beat.Fish Genetics: Climate Science: Sexy Reproduction: Vote for your favorite in the comments section below. And if you feel so inspired, make a video of your own, upload it on YouTube and send me a link to include in a future battle! Check out other sciency song battles at Scientist Swagger and Battle of The Grad Programs!
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SUMMARY: Meet the world's most adorable spider and watch his amazing courtship dance! Adult male Maratus volans from Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park near Sydney. This male is displaying to a female he's spotted, with large extended and elevated opisthosomal fan, and extended legs III. Image: Jürgen C. Otto and David E. Hill, 2011. One of the most common phobias in the world is arachnophobia, the irrational fear of spiders. But there is one sort of spider out there that is... Read more
Otto J.C. & Hill D.E. (2011). An illustrated review of the known peacock spiders of the genus Maratus from Australia, with description of a new species (Araneae: Salticidae: Euophryinae)., Peckhamia, 96 (1) 1-27. Other: Link
Hill D.E. (2009). Euophryine jumping spiders that extend their third legs during courtship (Araneae: Salticidae: Euophryinae: Maratus, Saitis). , Peckhamia, 74 (1) 1-27. Other: Link
Otto J.C. & Hill D.E. (2012). Contests between male Maratus vespertilio (Simon 1901) (Araneae: Salticidae)., Peckhamia, 98 (1) 1-17. Other: Link
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4:26 AM | The feeling of play
(Source)Hi there Mia,2013 is looking pretty good! I loved your recent post on motor, sensory and structural aspects of laterality in dogs. This is the type of research that gets me going. Who would think any information could come from this, and then... Tada!!!Dogs with clockwise chest whorls were more likely 'right-pawed'Feels like play Project: Play with Your Dog is going well! We’re getting loads of submissions from people across the globe, and we'll be collecting submissions through
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Horowitz A.C. & Bekoff M. (2007). Naturalizing Anthropomorphism: Behavioral Prompts to Our Humanizing of Animals, Anthrozoos: A Multidisciplinary Journal of The Interactions of People & Animals, 20 (1) 35. DOI: 10.2752/089279307780216650
Daniels D.M., Ritzi R.B.S., O’Neil J. & “Tres Scherer L.R. (2009). Analysis of Nonfatal Dog Bites in Children, The Journal of Trauma: Injury, Infection, and Critical Care, 66 (Supplement) S17-S22. DOI: 10.1097/TA.0b013e3181937925
Schalamon J. (2006). Analysis of Dog Bites in Children Who Are Younger Than 17 Years, PEDIATRICS, 117 (3) e374-e379. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2005-1451
Branson N.J. & Rogers L.J. (2006). Relationship between paw preference strength and noise phobia in Canis familiaris., Journal of Comparative Psychology, 120 (3) 176-183. DOI: 10.1037/0735-7036.120.3.176
Cottam N., Dodman N.H. & Ha J.C. (2012). The effectiveness of the Anxiety Wrap in the treatment of canine thunderstorm phobia: An open-label trial, Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research, DOI: 10.1016/j.jveb.2012.09.001
Boissy A., Manteuffel G., Jensen M.B., Moe R.O., Spruijt B., Keeling L.J., Winckler C., Forkman B., Dimitrov I. & Langbein J. & (2007). Assessment of positive emotions in animals to improve their welfare, Physiology & Behavior, 92 (3) 375-397. DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2007.02.003
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In sticking with our recent theme, “Return of the crotch,” this week I give you, Return of Priya Motupalli. Priya is an animal welfare scientist studying dairy cattle behavior and welfare. Back in 2011 she enlightened Dog Spies readers about her research investigating cow preference for different housing systems. This is her second guest blog post on Dog Spies. If you’re wondering what’s the connection between cows and dogs, read on... (Source)RECENTLY I’ve been fascinated with
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January 15, 2013
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10:23 PM | The Good, the Bad and Demodex
As you may have surmised by now, I’m interested in interactions between unlike organisms, or symbiotic relationships. These can take a variety of forms and so I thought it worthwhile to distinguish between the three main types, as referred to by biologists, naturalists and the like. It’s also worth noting here that a symbiotic relationship [...]
January 14, 2013
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Loggerhead sea turtles are master navigators, covering thousands of miles of open ocean during their lifetimes. But it all begins with a scramble to the sea immediately after hatching. Newborn turtles must find the ocean and set a bearing to the open sea. This perilous journey, upon which their life depends, requires several sophisticated sensory systems.read more
January 12, 2013
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5:34 PM | The lying game
Ah, the humble flower. Often surrounded by kin, allies and potential partners, yet always somehow alone. Straining in the wind for a gentle touch, the slightest caress, yet all around surge away as one. What happens when, every time you reach out, all others move aside? Do you dare to hope, to dream, that there [...]
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Yesterday I attended the Centre for Behaviour and Evolution conference at Newcastle University. There were many interesting talks on a wide range of subjects from the impact of pesticides on [...]
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1:28 AM | Be a Resource-Full Puppy Owner
We though we'd best follow up our joint-post about Books for Before & After you get a Puppy or Dog with some further resources. Because let's face it - you can never have enough resources to consult with a new puppy in the family! Here are some of our primary go-to places and we'd love to hear your suggestions in the comments section below - let's turn this into a great resource-full page for everyone!Mia & JulieThe Other End of The Leash ~ Patricia McConnellIn
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January 11, 2013
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9:48 PM | Safe Off Leash?
Last weekend Jim, Willie, Tootsie and I stayed in a lovely log cabin owned by friends in the woods in eastern Wisconsin. I mention that because for the first time in her nine years of life, Tootsie got to run off leash in an unfenced area off the farm. Wooo Hooo! Some people might not understand what a huge step that was for a little puppy mill dog, but I’m guessing that many of you get it completely. I was over the moon with happiness ... Read the Rest
January 10, 2013
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8:40 PM | Meet my writing companion
SUMMARY: all writers have muses, but some of them wear feathers and will do anything for a pine nut Orpheus, a seven year old male red fan parrot, Deroptyus a. accipitrinus. He likes to perch atop my desktop computer where he can lean down periodically to inspect my writing. Image: GrrlScientist, 9 January 2013. All rights reserved. This is Orpheus, one of my companion parrots. (In this picture, he's got some dried fruit or vegetables stuck on his beak.) He... Read more
January 09, 2013
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7:33 PM | The Sensory World of the Rat
The Sensory World of the Rat Just a quick one today to link you, if you’re interested, to this great little page by a Californian rat behaviourist, Anne Hanson. I make a conscious effort, whenever I think about human-animal interaction or communication, to consider how the same interaction might be perceived from the other side [...]
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3:42 PM | Animal Behavior in Science Fiction: Prey
I love a good science fiction story. The melding of quirky characters, exhilarating plots and scientific ideas is like whitewater kayaking for the brain. But as you stroll through the science fiction section of your local bookstore, you may notice the stark contrast between the plethora of books on space exploration, time travel, and robots; and the dearth of books on biological themes. That doesn’t make any sense to me, since biology is clearly the awesomest of all scientific disciplines.
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January 08, 2013
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11:22 PM | No Words Necessary
“Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far.” – Swami Vivekananda Language, it is often claimed, sets humans apart from other species. Our extensive development and application of language appear to be unmatched by any single other species. However, elements of language are found in all sorts of species. Whenever a new example is discovered [...]
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10:21 PM | Books for Before & After you get a Puppy/Dog
Whether you’ve lived with dogs since you were in the womb, or you’re first bringing a dog into the home at 46, how do you know where to turn when you’ve got a question? And everyone -- from the most experienced dogger to a first timer -- is bound to have a few questions along the way.Unfortunately, not all books are created equal, and “Googling it,” can pop out some pretty scary answers. In response to a request on our facebook page, the Do You Believe in Dog? team has put
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January 07, 2013
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5:06 PM | 2013 Decalogue by Eduard Punset
Eduard Punset is a multidisciplinary researcher well know in Spain because since 1996 he has directed and presented “Redes” a scientific Tv program based around interviews with leading scientists.He is also professor of science, technology and society at the Faculty of Economics of the Chemical Institute of Sarrià. I wanted to translate, his new year’s [...]
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12:24 AM | The Category Conundrum
We were watching an extended version of QI last night, and one of the questions was, “Which is more ‘mammaly’; a mouse or a hippopotamus?” As was discussed on the show, given a few moments thought, both are mammals, so one should not be more or less mammal than the other. However, it seems that [...]
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12:20 AM | 2,500+ Facebook likers = Tim Tam Slam
We wanted to celebate passing 2,500 likers over at our facebook page with some delicious silliness. THANK YOU all for your support, we look forward to bringing you lots more dog science (and occasional silliness) in 2013!
January 06, 2013
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SUMMARY: this is my first experiment with redesigning a meat dish into a vegetarian dish. This dish was part of the holiday feast that I prepared a couple weeks ago, and I enjoyed it so much that I have decided I want to convert it into a vegetarian dish. This is my first experiument with doing just that. The recipe I used is below the jump. I welcome your suggestions and experimental results in the comment thread. wild rice &... Read more
January 05, 2013
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Well, whine-not (sorry) start with something on a grand scale? An article in today’s news describes the success, in localised trial runs, of releasing genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes into wild populations: “You first release a few thousand males to see if they will mate, then you move to a control programme. In the Cayman Islands we [...]
January 04, 2013
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Project: Play with Your Dog -- Join us!When kids go to college, many parents have alcohol-related concerns about binge drinking or drunk driving. When I went to the University of Wisconsin-Madison -- ironically, a school known for football, cheese curds and alcohol consumption -- my mom’s biggest concern was that I would join a psychology experiment where electrodes would be attached to my body, I would be injected with Red Dye Number 3 and then infected with smallpox. Oddly enough, this
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January 03, 2013
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Happy New Year Julie! Thank you for all that great info about canine noise sensitivity and what can be done. I'm very happy to report my two dogs got through the fireworks without any obvious anxiety this year. I'm so pleased you raised the topic of laterality in dogs. Left paw preference - right paw preference - welcome to laterality! (source)Dr Lisa TomkinsYou mentioned the work of Dr Nick Branson, who I have been fortunate to work with in our
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Tomkins L.M., Thomson P.C. & McGreevy P.D. (2012). Associations between motor, sensory and structural lateralisation and guide dog success, The Veterinary Journal, 192 (3) 359-367. DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2011.09.010
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12:08 AM | My nature photos of 2012
I have started a new ‘tradition’ at home, in which I create a calendar of some photos that I’ve taken over the previous 12 months; I just finished the one for this year, so thought that I’d put up the photos that I have selected (including a couple of bonus mammal shots to round out [...]
