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.
Sealed within an eggshell, how can chicks prepare for the world into which they are about to hatch, with no obvious direct communication channel across the shell? Adult zebra finches produce distinctive high-pitched warning ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 11, 2026
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12
Our relationships with wildlife are dynamic. They can change rapidly and unexpectedly.
Ecology
Jun 11, 2026
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45
From insects to great apes, by way of birds and fish, animals communicate through an extraordinary variety of sounds. While the pitch or timbre of their vocalizations matters, rhythm may play a more fundamental role. Scientists ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 11, 2026
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9
From melodic morning choruses to territorial songs that echo through forests and grasslands, birds rely on vocalizations to communicate, attract mates and defend valuable habitat. For songbirds, these vocal displays are not ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 10, 2026
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9
Just like left- or right-handed humans, domestic dogs have a preference for their left or right paw, a trait known as laterality. This can vary depending on the tasks they perform, which has made it difficult to create a ...
Many animals live in groups. Among seabirds in particular, most species form colonies during the breeding season. Although coloniality entails costs, such as increased competition for food and disease transmission, its repeated ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 9, 2026
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22
Conservationists analyze overwhelming volumes of ecological data in their work. For example, they might need to process decades of weather data or the movements of millions of insects. Up until now, these scientists and decision ...
Ecology
Jun 9, 2026
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7
Inequality is not unique to human groups and societies. Individuals with relatively little power possess a variety of behavioral strategies to counterbalance or regulate power differences. In humans, these strategies include ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 9, 2026
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28
For decades, the short-eared dog (Atelocynus microtis) has been considered one of the least-known carnivores in Latin America, and potentially one of the least-known canids in the world. Because of its highly secretive nature, ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 9, 2026
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113
At a Maryland vineyard, Debi Persing guided her Boston terrier, Xephyr, slowly down a row of grapevines. Vineyard workers and scientists had already identified several invasive spotted lanternfly egg masses hidden among the ...
Veterinary medicine
Jun 9, 2026
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