Animal behavior is the scientific study of the observable actions, interactions, and behavioral patterns of animals, typically investigated within ethology, behavioral ecology, and comparative psychology. It encompasses mechanisms (proximate causes such as neural, hormonal, and genetic control), development (ontogeny and learning), function (adaptive value in survival and reproductive success), and evolution (phylogenetic history and divergence among taxa). Research on animal behavior quantifies activities such as foraging, mating systems, parental care, communication, social organization, and antipredator strategies, often integrating experimental, observational, and modeling approaches to understand how behavior emerges from organism–environment interactions and contributes to fitness and ecological dynamics.
Humans are not the only animals that communicate. Birds sing to attract mates, dolphins use signature whistles that identify individuals, and many primates produce complex vocalizations that help them coordinate their social ...
Evolution
Jul 24, 2026
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19
African gray foam-nest treefrogs (Chiromantis xerampelina) are common across the savannas and dry forests of southeastern Africa. Despite their unremarkable outward appearance, these small animals display some of the most ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 23, 2026
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8
Every year, thousands of tourists pile into game drive vehicles or don their hiking gear and cross South Africa's nature reserves. Binoculars and cameras at the ready, each hopes for a special encounter with Africa's wildlife—as ...
Ecology
Jul 23, 2026
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21
Orcas are known to be smart and ruthless hunters. They've been observed hunting a variety of prey, with some species, such as whales, larger than themselves. They use a wide range of strategies to hunt and kill prey, but ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 23, 2026
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2195
Just as humans exhibit right- or left-handedness, moths also have a preferred side on which they place their proboscis when inspecting a flower for nectar. This observation was made by Konstanz-based biologists in their latest ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 22, 2026
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45
Physical touch may be an important evolutionary tool to help manage social tension and keep the peace. That is according to a new study led by Durham University in the UK, analyzing behaviors of our closest ape relatives, ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 21, 2026
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47
Dogs are humans' best friends in many places across the globe. But does a dog in New York City respond in the same way as a dog in Kyoto or Buenos Aires?
Plants & Animals
Jul 21, 2026
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10
Elephants living in modern zoos are living significantly longer than they did half a century ago, according to a study published in the journal Scientific Reports. The research—led by ZSL (the Zoological Society of London) ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 21, 2026
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114
Analysis of more than 3 million toad calls from locations across Australia gives rare insights into toad breeding behavior—and offers new hope for halting their advance. James Cook University ecology researchers discovered ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 21, 2026
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8
What determines which tasks bees perform in their colony? Biologists from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) and the universities in Cologne and Frankfurt/Main have investigated the role neural activity plays in this ...
Ecology
Jul 20, 2026
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578
