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.
On a high Norwegian plateau in late May, patches of bare ground begin to appear through the snow, and with them arrive some of Europe's most approachable birds. Eurasian dotterels breed on exposed mountain ridges and Arctic ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 2, 2026
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As climate warming pushes many species toward cooler environments, high-elevation areas are expected to play an increasingly important role in biodiversity conservation. A new study by the Great Hollow Nature Preserve & Ecological ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 2, 2026
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7
New research from the University of St Andrews has developed a novel hypothesis of how firelight was critical to the evolution of sophisticated storytelling.
Evolution
Sep 1, 2026
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26
The temporal structure of speech rhythms resembles that of the communication signals of numerous animal species. This is shown by a study conducted by a research team from the Leibniz Center for General Linguistics (ZAS) ...
Evolution
Sep 1, 2026
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72
Despite protections, blue whales remain endangered, primarily because of the risk of collisions with ships. MBARI's Blue Whale Observatory uses a suite of technologies to study these animals and their primary food source, ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 31, 2026
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124
The Tasmanian tiger hunted more like a fox than its fearsome namesake, according to a new UniSC biomechanics study of predatory animals across the globe. The University of the Sunshine Coast-led research, published in BMC ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 31, 2026
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22
It started with a simple message: "This is the year to do something small for something huge." Now, 17 years later, the Whitsundays region has some of the best protection in the world for migrating humpback whales.
Plants & Animals
Aug 28, 2026
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28
Coral reef fish that are exposed to motorboat noise grow up smaller and less able to dodge predators, new research shows. Scientists played either boat noise or natural reef sounds to a species from the Great Barrier Reef ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 28, 2026
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22
When Ashley Dayer was walking on the beach with her 8-year-old son recently, he stopped her before she got too close to a group of shorebirds. "Momma, stop. We have to walk around the shorebirds," he told her. Dayer smiled. ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 28, 2026
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7
Eagles are symbols of hunting prowess. Known as top predators wherever they live, they are often assumed to kill as their primary mode of obtaining food. However, a new study published in the Journal of Raptor Research reports ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 28, 2026
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