The study of animal behaviour.
Questions tagged [ethology]
282 questions
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What does "nesting failure" mean?
According to the Wikipedia article on swans, swans are mostly monogamous but may sometimes separate, particularly after a "nesting failure". What "nesting failure" may mean is not entirely clear to me. Does it mean that they they have literally…
math4tots
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The "truce of the watering hole" -- is it completely discredited?
In short, the idea comes from Kipling that animals observe a sort of truce around watering holes and prey animals do not have to be on guard (as much?) from predators in the vicinity.
I have read that this is false, that predators might even wait…
releseabe
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Larynx descent in male and female deer
Male red deer (Cervus elaphus) and Male Fallow deer (Dama dama) have a descended larynx, presumably for size exaggeration - to attract mates and intimidate other animals.
Does this descent occur after sexual maturation?
Do females of these species…
tom
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3
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Are there animals who do things just for pleasure like humans?
In a debate my father said that only humans do things that are not directly linked to survival(painting, playing musical instruments, singing etc). He said that this is because we are "special" and not like other animals on the planet.
I said that…
Artmal
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Why do cats like enclosed spaces (e.g. boxes) so much?
A recent article doesn't reach a firm conclusion, but offers two possible explanations.
Hiding is a behavioral strategy of the species to cope with
environmental changes and stressors.
It keeps the cat at a comfortable temperature.
user1205901 - Слава Україні
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Lions protecting girl in Ethopia -- how plausible is it that they understood situation?
Several years ago we read of a girl who was apparently threatened by humans being protected by lions who chases off the males and stayed with the girl. Explanations like, "her crying resembled that of a cub" etc. were invoked.
Why is it so hard to…
releseabe
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Why do turtles ride on alligators?
I often see pictures of turtles riding alligators, I even saw that in a zoo once, but why do they do that?
Is it some sort of camouflage technique for the turtles? And why doesn't the alligator get it off?
Lorine
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Flight trajectory of domestic pigeons on sudden noise
In places where people feed pigeons, its a common sight to see them fly off suddenly when there is a sudden disturbance.
When they do, there is an interesting pattern that these birds follow.
Say there is a huge noise in the surrounding, all the…
Polisetty
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Do swarm of the same species attack each other?
What happens when two swarms find each other?
For example: When a swarm of bats, of the same species, go through another bat swarm. Do the bats attack one another or they simply merge into a bigger swarm?
Zarkos
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Territorial behavior in humans?
Do humans exhibit territorial behavior like other primates? I have seen people sometimes stare at others -- notably males -- and then physical fights spontaneously turn up. Is this territorial? It seems it either goes two ways: One person looks at…
Shy Cake Band
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Species that murder their own counterparts when put in captivity
Mary Midgley writes in her book, Beast and Man (p. 54 in this eBook: https://goo.gl/3NnhtP):
Lorenz gives chilling examples from roe deer and doves, in both of which species stronger members will slowly murder weaker ones if kept in captivity with…
Jon Riel
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Do animals exist (for example ostriches, chimps, etc.) that develop the need to mate with humans if they are soley raised and socialized by humans?
I just watched a German talk show "Nachtstudio" with the title "Die Graugans und der Mensch" (Gosling and People) about the legacy of the famous ethologist and Nobel Prize winner Konrad Lorenz (https://youtu.be/hLkWhGieZvQ). All the participating…
user1146332
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Can solitary animals show extroverts traits?
So far as it is known there are solitary animals and social animals.
Does introversion exist among nonhuman primates? says that there are introverts among social animals:
Recent studies have identified extraversion/introversion in great apes,…
Artmal
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Which animal species are known not to murder (a targeted attack leading to death) members of their own species?
Is there any evidence to suggest that some animal species do not murder (a targeted attack leading to death) members of their own species? If so, which are the relevant species?
O0123
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Do animals follow tactics?
Are animals able to plan hunts, give tasks if they do it in groups and fulfil it adapted to the current situation? Do they use unique tactics for special circumstances (e.g. based on experiences) or they just act from instincts?
Zoltán Schmidt
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