Category Archives: Uncategorized

Environmental Enrichment Alters the Behavioral Profile of Ratsnakes (Elaphe) – Almli and Burghardt, 2006 Abstract: 16 sub adult rat snakes (Elaphe obsoleta), 8 in enriched conditions and 8 in standard for 8 months. Enrichment came in the form of additions to enclosures with elevated hide, and loose substrate to burrow in as well as liveContinue reading “Rat snakes benefit from enrichment”

Preferences for nesting material as environmental enrichment for laboratory mice – Van de Weerd et al. 1996 Abstract: Behavioural and psychological needs of laboratory animals generally cannot adequately be met in standard laboratory cages. Environmental enrichment, which provides a more structured environment can enhance the well-being of laboratory animals. They may perform more of theirContinue reading “Fit for the Crib? Mice Prefer Certain Nesting Material”

Aggregation and social interaction in garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis) – Morgan & Miller, 2020 Introduction:Reptiles in general tend to rely on a method or variety of interactions called cryptic sociality, in which they use chemical cues to interact with conspecifics. However this is very hard to study given its invisible in most situations. TheContinue reading “Friendship over Feeding – Young Snakes Need Friends”

From fish out of water to new insights on navigation mechanisms in animals – Givon et al. 2022 Abstract: To understand navigation systems and whether its universal, they trained fish to navigate a terrestrial environment. They call this method a domain transfer methodology and placed a fish in a tank that was set upon aContinue reading “Drivers Ed for Fish”

Evaluating Environmental Enrichment Methods in Three Zoo-Housed Varanidae Lizard Species – Waterman et al. 2021 Abstract: Little is known about reptile enrichment therefore this study observed the effects of including only scent-based enrichment and food enrichment (hanging feeders). Both types of enrichment significantly increased exploration and prolonged for 330 min post provision. There were noContinue reading “Licking Large Lizards Prefer Scent Enrichment”

Archerfish respond to a hunting robot conspecific- Brown et al. 2021 Abstract: While the unique hunting behavior of archerfish has received considerable scientific attention, the specific social cues that govern behaviors like intraspecific kleptoparasitism in the species are less understood. This paper asks whether the use of a robotic facsimile representing an archerfish can elicitContinue reading “Robots Infiltrate ArcherFish”

Behavioural plasticity across social contexts is regulated by the directionality of inter-individual differences – Guayasamin et al. 2016 Abstract: Behavioural heterogeneity of a group can alter its responsiveness, decision-making and fitness. This study observed whether pairing fish of varying personalities altered individual behavioural responses. Results were that the relative personality of the fish had anContinue reading “Fish and Peer Pressure”

Ontogeny and personality affect inhibitory control in guppies, Poecilia reticulata – Savasci et al. 2021 Introduction: The ability to control behaviour and adapting it to current situations is a well researched area. This paper specifically looks at inhibitory control which is present across vertebrates. An example of this behaviour is placing a transparent barrier inContinue reading “Developmental cognition in fish”

How well do we understand the neural origins of the fMRI BOLD signal? – Arthurs & Boniface, 2002 Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a very popular non-invasive tool used to image functionally active brain regions. They use the BOLD method which means blood oxygenation level-dependent and it relies on hemoglobin as the endogenous contrastContinue reading “Gotta Let The Brain Breathe”