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.
Scientists studying the neurology of tame foxes identified changes in a part of the brain that has previously been associated with aggression, according to a new paper that compared the brains of domesticated, aggressive ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 2, 2026
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Birds may not always take the flight path that physics suggests is the perfect landing, at the safest and lowest possible speed, using the least energy, according to new research.
Plants & Animals
Nov 2, 2026
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Sex between animals of the same sex is widespread in nature. But researchers reporting in the journal Current Biology on Nov. 2 describe an unusual partnership involving an ongoing sexual relationship between a bull and a ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 2, 2026
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In the Texas Panhandle, two livestock guardian dogs patrol a herd of cattle grazing the Rita Blanca National Grasslands. Although their singular focus is protecting the herd from would-be predators, their presence may make ...
Ecology
Oct 30, 2026
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Global change is also affecting the behavior and mobility of the ocellated lizard, a reptile typical of Mediterranean ecosystems. This species—the largest lizard on the Iberian Peninsula—could experience changes in its ability ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 30, 2026
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Generally, intra- and intersexual interactions have been considered qualitatively different processes. However, same-sex sexual behavior is widespread in the animal kingdom, challenging this assumption. Recently, a hypothesis ...
Ecology
Oct 30, 2026
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Indonesia is battling one of its most severe wildfire seasons in over a decade, as intense El Niño conditions fuel widespread drought. Some of the most severely affected areas are on the island of Borneo. Peatlands across ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 29, 2026
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Listening to the songs of endangered pygmy blue whales could help researchers identify when the animals are feeding off Western Australia's coast, improving scientists' ability to monitor their behavior and inform conservation ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 29, 2026
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A study led by Oxford University has found that seabirds flying long distances across the Atlantic can experience a mismatch between their internal body clocks and local time (the same process that leads to jet lag in humans), ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 29, 2026
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Around this time of year, elaborate decorations featuring ghosts, vampires, zombies, witches and werewolves adorn front doors, gardens and store windows across the country. But you may be surprised to hear that in the animal ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 29, 2026
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