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Ferrying, the behaviour in which waterbirds transport their offspring on their backs while in the water, is a captivating behaviour that wildlife photographers and filmmakers frequently highlight in calendars, wildlife documentaries, magazines and nature photography books. In the avian research sphere, however, only a handful of studies have investigated this behaviour, leaving much remaining to be understood about its evolution. One pattern that appears to emerge at a cursory glance is that the species that ferry tend to also be diving species. We sought to build a dataset of species that ferry and compare its occurrence to five ecological factors: diving, coloniality, territoriality, parental care type, and clutch size. Finally, we found that ferrying has originated at least four times within Anseriformes and has also been lost in two separate lineages of waterfowl. We suggest that a variety of avian life history factors may have influenced the evolution of ferrying behaviour and should be the focus of future research on this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modern zoo relies on the persistence of genetically and physiologically healthy populations of endangered species, which is enabled through breeding programmes globally and regionally. Many species commonly held in zoos are poorly studied in the wild, leading to a lack of in-depth knowledge surrounding breeding behaviours and subsequent parental behaviours and early life development of young. Knowledge of this information is critical to make informed management decisions which promote successful rearing of young in zoos. While the critically endangered Sumatran tiger is popular in zoos, rates of cub survival in the first 5 months are lower than 50%, highlighting the need for scientific evidence driving management decisions. This study monitors nursing and cub grooming behaviours in a first-time mother Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) and her cubs throughout four stages of cub development. The social proximity of cubs and dam were recorded to describe social interactions within the group throughout cub aging. A series of Friedman tests and post-hoc tests found significant decreases in both cub grooming (c2 (3, N = 96) = 14.20, p < 0.01) and nursing (c2 (3, N = 96) = 25.77, p < 0.001) behaviours between the birth and weaning of the cubs, as well as within different phases of cub development between those times. Cub-to-cub proximity was maintained from birth to weaning, with cubs spending significant amounts of time in close proximity (within one adult body length) of each other (c2 (3, N = 96) = 15.231, p = 0.001) throughout the study. The dam was found to spend significantly less time with the cubs as they reached weaning age (c2 (3, N = 96) = 27.88, p < 0.001). These results are thought to be the first of their kind to detail timings of cub development and early life socialisation, providing evidence for timing of first food provision to young and promote the provision of space for the dam to spend time away from the cubs, while allowing the cubs to become confident, mobile, and independent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Problem behaviours are a leading cause of relinquishment of pets. Clinical animal behaviourists (CABs) have to make behavioural assessments and give advice to help owners address problem behaviours. CABs use information presented about a case to make an assessment, which in turn guides their recommendations, but little is known about how CABs make an assessment from the information presented. This study explored this process, particularly in relation to fear and frustration, two emotions that frequently contribute to problem behaviours and can present in superficially similar ways (e.g., as aggression). Interviews with CABs explored their perception of fear and frustration and how they differentiate these in practice. Interviewees generally agreed on the nature of fear; however, there was little consensus about frustration, and many struggled to explain how the two could be differentiated. Typically, personal judgement and intuition were used when making an assessment, with a range of flaws being apparent in their reasoning. This work not only highlights the current inconsistencies in the use of terminology but also issues with the processes used to make an assessment. Therefore, there is clearly a need to develop consensus definitions and a consistent framework for the assessment of emotions in clinical behaviour practice to help pets with problem behaviours. Fear and frustration are two emotions thought to frequently contribute to problem behaviour, often leading to relinquishment. Inferring these emotions is challenging as they may present with some similar general signs, but they potentially require different treatment approaches to efficiently address the behaviour of concern. Although behavioural assessment frameworks have been proposed, it is largely unknown how clinical animal behaviourists (CABs) assimilate information about the emotional state of an animal to inform their behavioural assessment. In other fields (such as both in human and veterinary medicine), the use of intuition and gut feelings, without the concurrent use of an assessment framework, can lead to higher rates of error and misdiagnosis. Therefore, this study used semi-structured interviews of ten CABs and qualitative methods to explore the ways they conceptualise, recognise and differentiate fear and frustration in dogs. Although interviewees perceived fear and frustration as negative affective states that lead to changes in an animal's behaviour, there was little consensus on the definition or identification or differentiation of these emotions. The use of a scientific approach (i.e., hypothesis-driven and based on falsification of competing hypotheses) for behavioural assessment was highly variable, with individual assessment processes often characterised by tautology, intuition, circular reasoning and confirmation bias. Assessment was typically based on professional judgment, amalgamating information on interpretation of communicative signals, motivation, learning history, breed, genetics and temperament. Given the lack of consensus in the definition of these states, it is clearly important that authors and clinicians define their interpretation of key concepts, such as fear and frustration, when trying to communicate with others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Flight is a fundamental characteristic for the majority of bird species, but how well is this behaviour catered for when birds are housed in managed populations under human care? Zoo enclosure design and animal care practices often balance natural behaviour performance and what is feasible in a human-made environment. As zoos focus more on animal welfare, enclosures should be evaluated to ensure they provide adequate space, natural habitat features, and opportunities for natural behaviours. This paper highlights the need for a better understanding of behaviours, using flight in bird as the core example, and recommends posing and then answering directed questions to gather evidence for improved enclosure design to provide for what birds need to do. We call for changing "best practice" guidelines to "better practice guidelines" to emphasise continuous improvement in animal care based on evidence and regular reassessment, and to encourage all stakeholders in zoos to regularly consider the impacts of housing and husbandry on animal behaviour and welfare. Zoo enclosure design, and housing and husbandry protocols, will always be a compromise between what a species has evolved to do and what is possible to offer in a human-created environment. For some species, behaviours that are commonly performed in the wild may be constrained by husbandry practices that are used for ease or aesthetics or are accepted conventions. As zoos place more emphasis on positive animal welfare states, zoo enclosures should be scrutinised to check that what is provided, in terms of useful space, appropriate replication of habitat features, and maximal potential for natural behaviour performance, is relevant to the species and individuals being housed. For some species, zoos need to grapple with tough questions where the answer may not seem immediately obvious to ensure they are continuously improving standards of care, opportunities for the performance of species-typical behaviours, and advancing the attainment of positive welfare states. Determining the importance of flight, for example, and what this behaviour adds to the quality of life of a zoo-housed bird, is an important question that needs addressing to truly advance aviculture and how we determine bird welfare. This paper provides questions that should be answered and poses measures of what flight means to a bird, to provide evidence for the development and evolution of zoo bird housing. If we can devise some way of asking the animals in our care what they need, we can more firmly support decisions made that surround enclosure design, and housing decisions. Ultimately, this means gathering evidence on whether birds like to fly (e.g., from birds in training or demonstration activities) by applying mixed methods approaches of behavioural analysis, data on wild ecology, qualitative behavioural assessment, and cognitive bias testing to develop a robust suite of tools to address avian welfare considerations. Avian welfare scientists should attempt to define what meaningful flight is (i.e., flight that truly suggests a bird is flying) in order to support guidelines on aviary dimensions, space allowance, and welfare outputs from birds in both flighted and flight-restricted populations, and to determine what is most appropriate for an individual species. Changing the term "best practice" husbandry guidelines to "better practice" husbandry guidelines would instil the importance of regular review and reassessment of housing and management suitability for a species to ensure such care regimes remain appropriate. With an increasingly welfare-savvy public visiting zoos, it is essential that we seek more evidence to support and justify how birds are kept and ultimately use such evidence to enact changes to practices that are shown to infringe on avian welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strategically enriching the environment of zoo felids to encourage innate behaviors is essential to good welfare. To investigate how engagement differs among sensory-based enrichment, six items representing tactile (firehose log, Jolly Eggs), visual (mirror, movie), and olfactory (cinnamon, cologne) sensory categories were offered to three adult cheetah siblings. Each item was offered four times: twice during daytime hours and twice overnight (≥5 h/occasion). Static video monitoring was used to investigate engagement frequency and duration for each item and to observe grooming behaviors. Cheetahs engaged with visual enrichment more frequently (p < 0.05) and for greater (p < 0.05) periods than other items. Allogrooming occurred most frequently (p < 0.05) when the movie was provisioned at night. Tactile enrichment was only modestly engaged, with fewer but longer engagements (p < 0.05) at nighttime than at daytime. Autogrooming frequency did not vary among enrichment items but was greater (p < 0.05) at night than day. These findings showed that zoo cheetah responses to sensory enrichment items differed based on type and time of day. Visual stimuli were favored, whereas olfactory stimuli were generally ignored. This illustrates the benefit of diverse sensory-specific enrichment strategies. Such dynamic strategies can help overcome the challenge of individual preferences to encourage engagement reflective of the animal's natural behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elevated feed stalls with feeding place dividers allow cows to eat undisturbed, improve barn hygiene and reduce ammonia emissions. The structural and technical design of this feeding area varies in practice. The aim of the observations in 15 dairy farms with newly built or remodelled dairy barns was to shed light on the use of feeding areas in connection with the different structural and technical designs. An observation period outside the main feeding times was selected. It was found that in the period between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., the elevated feed stalls with partitions after every second feeding place were predominantly used by individual cows. The platforms were rarely soiled. Although the structural and technical designs were realised differently, there were only minor differences in terms of function. Further studies should be carried out to develop specific recommendations for the harmonisation of platform lengths and feeding table partitions, which are currently still lacking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While wildlife tourism may impact the animals it targets, it plays a critical role in public education and conservation awareness. Understanding changes in animal behaviour in response to tourism activities can inform the trade-offs between negative impacts and socioeconomic benefits. There are public claims that cage-diving activities may condition white sharks, Carcharodon carcharias , to interact with boats, and may potentially increasing risk of shark bites. We tracked the fine-scale movements of 73 white sharks in relation to cage-diving boats using acoustic telemetry between 2018 and 2022 at Neptune Islands, Australia, to investigate associative behaviour and factors potentially influencing residency and time spent in proximity to the cage-diving boats. White sharks spent gradually less time near cage-diving boats throughout their residency at the tourism site. This behaviour was consistent across individuals, years, sexes and sizes. Sharks, however, resumed their natural behaviours (i.e. initial amount of time near the cage-diving boats) each time they returned to Neptune Islands, suggesting that the observed habituation (i.e. loss of response to the stimulus used to attract sharks) did not last for long periods. These trends support the lack of long-term learnt behaviour of white sharks increasingly interacting with boats. Our results indicate that current management strategies such as regulating the number of days the industry can operate at the site and the amount of food-based attractant used, and reducing the amount of bait consumed can limit associative behaviour between white sharks and boats, while enabling continued opportunities for white shark tourism. Understanding how wildlife associate with humans can help ensure that best practices are in place for both the targeted animals and the people involved, particularly in the case of threatened and potentially dangerous species. • Shark responses to food-based attractant and tourism boats were reduced within days. • Natural behaviour resumed each time sharks returned to the tourism site. • Reduction in time near boats was consistent across sharks, years, sexes and sizes. • Residency varied across individuals but not time, supporting no long-term effects. • Current management and limited consumption of baits prevents conditioned behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate forage production and ingestive behavior of Morada Nova sheep in an intensive system with capim-tamani grass in both monoculture and silvopastoral irrigated systems in the Semi-arid region. Eighteen adult sheep, approximately 3 years old, with an average body weight of 26.8 ± 4.3 kg, were allocated to treatments with capim-tamani grass cultivated in monoculture and in silvopastoral systems with Caatinga trees. The experiment followed a completely randomized complete block design with two plots and three replications. Forage production, consumption, and behavioral activities were the assessed variables. The animals remained in the pasture daily between 6 am and 6 pm. No effects of the monoculture and silvopastoral systems were observed on the structural and productive characteristics of the capim-tamani grass pasture. There were also no observed effects on body condition score, consumption, and disappearance rate of dry matter (DM) and other nutrients in both systems. However, there was an interaction between the time animals spent under shade in monoculture and silvopastoral systems. In general, the animals spent more time under shade where there were trees, except during the period between 2 pm and 4 pm, when the times were similar. On average, the animals spent approximately 15.6% (equivalent to 1.87 h) of their total time in the artificial shade available in the monoculture system, whereas in the silvopastoral system, they remained under natural shade for approximately 40% (five and a half hours) of their time spent in the pasture during the day. The grazing frequency in both systems was approximately 70% (8.4 h) in relation to the total time spent in the pasture. The capim-tamani grass pasture managed intensively with sheep in the silvopastoral system showed similar forage production and consumption compared to the monoculture system. There was a positive influence of trees on the duration of solar radiation exposure to the animals throughout the day. The results support the need to provide shade for sheep, as well as to promote these sustainable systems in semi-arid regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zoo enclosure design, and housing and husbandry protocols, will always be a compromise between what a species has evolved to do and what is possible to offer in a human-created environment. For some species, behaviours that are commonly performed in the wild may be constrained by husbandry practices that are used for ease or aesthetics or are accepted conventions. As zoos place more emphasis on positive animal welfare states, zoo enclosures should be scrutinised to check that what is provided, in terms of useful space, appropriate replication of habitat features, and maximal potential for natural behaviour performance, is relevant to the species and individuals being housed. For some species, zoos need to grapple with tough questions where the answer may not seem immediately obvious to ensure they are continuously improving standards of care, opportunities for the performance of species-typical behaviours, and advancing the attainment of positive welfare states. Determining the importance of flight, for example, and what this behaviour adds to the quality of life of a zoo-housed bird, is an important question that needs addressing to truly advance aviculture and how we determine bird welfare. This paper provides questions that should be answered and poses measures of what flight means to a bird, to provide evidence for the development and evolution of zoo bird housing. If we can devise some way of asking the animals in our care what they need, we can more firmly support decisions made that surround enclosure design, and housing decisions. Ultimately, this means gathering evidence on whether birds like to fly (e.g., from birds in training or demonstration activities) by applying mixed methods approaches of behavioural analysis, data on wild ecology, qualitative behavioural assessment, and cognitive bias testing to develop a robust suite of tools to address avian welfare considerations. Avian welfare scientists should attempt to define what meaningful flight is (i.e., flight that truly suggests a bird is flying) in order to support guidelines on aviary dimensions, space allowance, and welfare outputs from birds in both flighted and flight-restricted populations, and to determine what is most appropriate for an individual species. Changing the term “best practice” husbandry guidelines to “better practice” husbandry guidelines would instil the importance of regular review and reassessment of housing and management suitability for a species to ensure such care regimes remain appropriate. With an increasingly welfare-savvy public visiting zoos, it is essential that we seek more evidence to support and justify how birds are kept and ultimately use such evidence to enact changes to practices that are shown to infringe on avian welfare.

Strategically enriching the environment of zoo felids to encourage innate behaviors is essential to good welfare. To investigate how engagement differs among sensory-based enrichment, six items representing tactile (firehose log, Jolly Eggs), visual (mirror, movie), and olfactory (cinnamon, cologne) sensory categories were offered to three adult cheetah siblings. Each item was offered four times: twice during daytime hours and twice overnight (≥5 h/occasion). Static video monitoring was used to investigate engagement frequency and duration for each item and to observe grooming behaviors. Cheetahs engaged with visual enrichment more frequently (p < 0.05) and for greater (p < 0.05) periods than other items. Allogrooming occurred most frequently (p < 0.05) when the movie was provisioned at night. Tactile enrichment was only modestly engaged, with fewer but longer engagements (p < 0.05) at nighttime than at daytime. Autogrooming frequency did not vary among enrichment items but was greater (p < 0.05) at night than day. These findings showed that zoo cheetah responses to sensory enrichment items differed based on type and time of day. Visual stimuli were favored, whereas olfactory stimuli were generally ignored. This illustrates the benefit of diverse sensory-specific enrichment strategies. Such dynamic strategies can help overcome the challenge of individual preferences to encourage engagement reflective of the animal’s natural behaviors.

Abstract The application of supervised machine learning methods to identify behavioural modes from inertial measurements of bio-loggers has become a standard tool in behavioural ecology. Several design choices can affect the accuracy of identifying the behavioural modes. One such choice is the inclusion or exclusion of segments consisting of more than a single behaviour (mixed segments) in the machine learning model training data. Currently, the common practice is to ignore such segments during model training. In this paper we tested the hypothesis that including mixed segments in model training will improve accuracy, as the model would perform better in identifying them in the test data. We test this hypothesis using a series of data simulations on four datasets of accelerometer data coupled with behaviour observations, obtained from four study species (Damaraland mole-rats, meerkats, olive baboons, polar bears). Results show that when a substantial proportion of the test data are mixed behaviour segments (above ~ 10%), including mixed segments in machine learning model training improves the accuracy of classification. These results were consistent across the four study species, and robust to changes in segment length, sample size, and degree of mixture within the mixed segments. However, we also find that in some cases (particularly in baboons) models trained with mixed segments show reduced accuracy in classifying test data containing only single behaviour (pure) segments, compared to models trained without mixed segments. Based on these results, we recommend that when the classification model is expected to deal with a substantial proportion of mixed behaviour segments (> 10%), it is beneficial to include them in model training, otherwise, it is unnecessary but also not harmful. The exception is when there is a basis to assume that the training data contains a higher rate of mixed segments than the actual (unobserved) data to be classified—such a situation may occur particularly when training data are collected in captivity and used to classify data from the wild. In this case, excess inclusion of mixed segments in training data should probably be avoided.

On the basis of current growth trajectories, pasture-based dairies of the future are likely to be bigger, have higher stocking rates and feed more concentrate to cows. This review uses the five-domains framework to consider risks to the welfare of dairy cows in these larger intensified pasture-based production systems. The factors considered in this review can be broadly categorised as (1) emerging welfare risks that can be managed, (2) emerging welfare risks that require research to be managed, or (3) persisting and/or exacerbated welfare risks. First, large herds could be subject to welfare risks associated with more stock per labour unit, longer milking times and longer distances walked to and from the dairy. To counter this, the time that cows in large herds spend off pasture can be reduced by splitting the herd into several more manageable groups, and animal-monitoring technologies can help identify health challenges with a reduced stockperson to animal ratio. Cow body condition and productivity can be maintained at high stocking rates by improving pasture production and feeding a higher proportion of concentrate. The risk of ruminal acidosis may then be reduced by appropriate transition feeding regimes and rumen buffers. Second, ensuring social stability and reducing competition may become difficult as herd sizes increase and feeding becomes more intensive. The resulting variability in feed intake, increased agonistic behaviour and social stress present emerging risks to cow welfare. Research is needed to better understand the social behaviour of cows in large intensive pasture-based herds, and how the design of the pre-milking area, the feeding pad and pasture feeding regimes (i.e. quantity and timing of pasture allocation) can improve accessibility for more vulnerable animals. Finally, intensive pasture-based dairies of the future will continue to face welfare challenges relating to lameness, mastitis and cull-cow management, whereas risks due to environmental exposure may be exacerbated by the removal of shelterbelts to facilitate irrigation. These require continued efforts in research (e.g. ways of incorporating shelter into intensive grazing systems), development (e.g. pathway to market for aged beef) and extension (e.g. improved record keeping and benchmarking of lameness and mastitis). Pasture-based dairies of the future are likely to be bigger, have higher stocking rates and feed more concentrate. This review uses the five-domains framework to consider risks to the welfare of dairy cows in these larger pasture-based systems. Risks to cow welfare are broadly categorised as (1) emerging welfare risks that can be managed, (2) emerging welfare risks that require research to be managed, or (3) persisting and/or exacerbated welfare risks. Suggestions are made for future research, development and extension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Boldness – defined as the propensity of individuals to take risks – is a key research area within animal behavioural studies, significantly affecting adaptive strategies, habitat selection, foraging behaviour, reproduction, dispersal, and other crucial survival behaviours. Despite the extensive study of personality traits like extraversion and curiosity across various animal species, data on wolves (Canis lupus), particularly on the subspecies level, remains sparse. This study aims to bridge this gap by examining boldness and its associated personality traits in different wolf subspecies (Canis lupus lupus, Canis lupus arctos, Canis lupus lycaon) (n = 23), and wolf‐dog hybrids (n = 10), utilising novel object interaction tests and validated questionnaires previously applied to wild canids. Our results show significant differences in boldness as well as in related personality traits between taxa, both between pure wolves and wolf hybrids, with significantly higher boldness of North American subspecies. The inter‐subspecies differences were more significant than the differences between groups or at the individual level, suggesting that subspecies ecology and historical selection pressure in subspecies history might have caused long‐lasting adaptations in Canis lupus ssp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding interactions within and between species is crucial to ecological research. However, for cetaceans such interactions can be difficult to observe in the field. Photographs offer an opportunity to study intra‐ and inter‐specific interactions, by capturing 'snapshots' of their occurrence over space and time. At‐surface and underwater photographs of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) inhabiting Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve (PPMR), Mozambique, were used to examine evidence of interactions with other dolphins, predators and ectoparasites. Intra‐specific scarring levels significantly differed by sex and age class, with males displaying more scarring than females. Similarly, adults had more scarring than juveniles or calves. Shark bites significantly differed in their distribution across dolphin body areas, with the dorsal side being more frequently wounded than the ventral side. The presence of barnacles was exclusive to fluke, dorsal and pectoral fins, and showed strong seasonal trends. Overall, this study demonstrates the value of photographs for examining marine ecological interactions. It provides the first insights regarding dolphin social behaviour, predation risk and health for this population. These in turn will support future research into the population dynamics and conservation of the PPMR dolphins, which is urgently required in the face of locally increasing anthropogenic pressures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Classical assessments of new fish feeds are anthropocentric, focusing mainly on growth. Although this methodology is accurate, it does not consider the fish' perspective. This study aimed to investigate the behavioural responses and feed preferences of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) through a self-selection trial using self-feeders. Both species were offered three feeds: a control (PD) commercial-like feed and two diets (ORG1 and ORG2) formulated with different inclusions of alternative ingredients to address some of the current environmental concerns and/or ethical issues often associated with commercial formulations. Three groups of tilapia with an average weight of 163.0 g ± 4.3 g (mean ± SD) and four groups of seabreams with 174.7 g ± 27.0 g were tested. Tilapia exhibited a preference for ORG2 (46.5%), influenced by the sensory properties of the feed and post-ingestion signals. Seabream did not show a preference for any feed. These findings highlight the effectiveness of self-selection experiments in allowing fish to express their feeding behaviour and preferences. Therefore, this approach should be considered in the initial screening and design of new aquaculture feeds and ingredients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Road transport systems kill millions of animals on every inhabited continent each year, and thousands of human lives are lost. Odour repellents (ORE) are a WVC mitigation measure which have been extensively applied across central Europe to prevent or minimise the number of ungulate–vehicle collisions (UVCs). OREs aim to increase the vigilance of ungulates near roads and therefore change their behaviour in areas where vehicle collisions may occur. Despite many scientific papers on the topic of odour repellent effectiveness, a lack of behavioural studies means there is still little understanding of the mechanism of ORE functionality. OREs are applied as an area repellent, so their effectiveness is influenced by multiple factors, and constantly discussed by both academics and the lay public. This paper summarises the state of knowledge about application and effectiveness of odour repellents in road ecology, and suggests research questions to fill information gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural experiments provide remarkable opportunities to test the large-scale effects of human activities. Widespread energy blackouts offer such an 'experiment' to test the impacts of artificial light at night (ALAN) on wildlife. We use the situation in South Africa, where regular scheduled blackouts are being implemented, to highlight this opportunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge of vertebrate territoriality and spatial use is a topic of great interest in the study of animal behaviour and conservation biology. Investigating the plasticity of territory boundaries, the shape of territories and how territories can be modified depending on their owners is important to deepen our knowledge of the behaviour of territorial species. We analysed the variation and tested the similarity of the distribution area of individuals from the same territory between 2015 and 2021, using data from 51 Bonelli's eagles (Aquila fasciata) from 22 different territories, tagged with GPS/GSM transmitters in eastern Spain. We calculated the percentage of overlap between the territories of the same individual in different years using the 95% kernel density estimator. We also analysed the changes in territory size and shape following the replacement of territory owners either by a single individual or by the whole pair. Our results show that territories retain the same shape and extent regardless of the occupying members, and that their boundaries change little over time. Identifying and maintaining large eagle territories, regardless of their owners, is therefore key to ensuring the long‐term recovery of these threatened species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animal behaviour and welfare research are part of a wider endeavour to optimize the health and wellbeing of humans, animals and ecosystems. As such, it is part of the One Health research agenda. This article applies ethical principles described by the One Health High Level Expert Panel to animal behaviour and welfare research. These principles entail that animal behaviour and welfare research should be valued equitably alongside other research in transdisciplinary and multisectoral collaboration. It should include and promote a multiplicity of marginalized voices, including those of animals, and it should apply and describe a harmonious balance between human—animal-environment interactions. Lastly, it should describe how humans need to change behaviour, adopt sustainable solutions and recognize the importance of animal welfare and the integrity of the whole ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weather is defined as the current state of atmosphere in a particular place and time. There is well-known effect of weather on men, especially related to their health problems. In ancient Greece and Rome, then in European tradition, the idea that animal behavior can be read as prediction for ongoing changes in weather, was broadly present. During those times birds were also used in divination as messengers of Gods will. More scientific outlook on weather effects on animal behavior was gradually established from XVII century. This paper contains overview of current, weather-related, studies of various animals: insects, lower vertebrates, domesticated mammals and birds. In each group the changes of weather have certain, specific impact on animals behavior, particularly obvious in migratory birds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of supervised machine learning methods to identify behavioural modes from inertial measurements of bio-loggers has become a standard tool in behavioural ecology. Several design choices can affect the accuracy of identifying the behavioural modes. One such choice is the inclusion or exclusion of segments consisting of more than a single behaviour (mixed segments) in the machine learning model training data. Currently, the common practice is to ignore such segments during model training. In this paper we tested the hypothesis that including mixed segments in model training will improve accuracy, as the model would perform better in identifying them in the test data. We test this hypothesis using a series of data simulations on four datasets of accelerometer data coupled with behaviour observations, obtained from four study species (Damaraland mole-rats, meerkats, olive baboons, polar bears). Results show that when a substantial proportion of the test data are mixed behaviour segments (above ~ 10%), including mixed segments in machine learning model training improves the accuracy of classification. These results were consistent across the four study species, and robust to changes in segment length, sample size, and degree of mixture within the mixed segments. However, we also find that in some cases (particularly in baboons) models trained with mixed segments show reduced accuracy in classifying test data containing only single behaviour (pure) segments, compared to models trained without mixed segments. Based on these results, we recommend that when the classification model is expected to deal with a substantial proportion of mixed behaviour segments (> 10%), it is beneficial to include them in model training, otherwise, it is unnecessary but also not harmful. The exception is when there is a basis to assume that the training data contains a higher rate of mixed segments than the actual (unobserved) data to be classified—such a situation may occur particularly when training data are collected in captivity and used to classify data from the wild. In this case, excess inclusion of mixed segments in training data should probably be avoided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sensory lateralisation, defined as the separation of functions for processing information from the sensory organs between the hemispheres of the brain, is a variable characteristic of the nervous system influenced by external factors. The plasticity of lateralisation is an important factor influencing the assessment of lateralisation on individual and population levels. We tested the influence of sunlight and time of the day on the visual lateralisation of Greater White-fronted Geese Anser albifrons when following their partners. Most of the individuals showed no preference to observe a partner with one of their eyes. Among the lateralised birds, a significant prevalence of right-eyed individuals was revealed. The highest proportion of lateralised individuals was observed in cloudy conditions. Direct sunlight, particularly in the morning, interfered with the emergence of visual lateralisation. Thus, the effect of sunlight and time of the day on lateralisation in birds should be taken into account when evaluating lateralisation in field observations and experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Play is a suite of apparently non‐functional, pleasurable behaviours observed in human and non‐human animals. Although the phenomenon has been studied extensively, no adaptationist behavioural theory of how play evolved can be supported by the available evidence. However, the advancement of the extended evolutionary synthesis and developments in systems biology offer alternative avenues for non‐adaptationist physiological hypotheses. I therefore propose a hypothesis of play, based upon a complex ACh activity that is under agential control of the organism, whereby play initiates ACh‐mediated feedforward and feedback processes which act to: (i) regulate metabolic processes; (ii) form new ACh receptors via ACh mRNA activity; (iii) mediate attention, memory consolidation and learning; and (iv) mediate social behaviours, reproduction and embryonic development. However, play occurs across taxa, but does not occur across all taxonomic groups or within all species of a taxonomic group. Thus, to support the validity of the proposed hypothesis, I further propose potential explanations for this anomaly, which include sampling and observer biases, altricial versus precocial juvenile development, and the influence of habitat niche and environmental conditions on behaviour. The proposed hypothesis thus offers new avenues for study in both the biological and social sciences, in addition to having potential applications in applied sciences, such as animal welfare and biomedical research. Crucially, it is hoped that this hypothesis will promote further study of a valid and behaviourally significant, yet currently enigmatic, biological phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stigmergy, the indirect communication between agents of a swarm through dynamic environmental modifications, is a fundamental self-organization mechanism of animal swarms. Engineers have drawn inspiration from stigmergy to establish strategies for the coordination of swarms of robots and of mixed societies of robots and animals. Currently, all models of stigmergy are algorithmic, in the form of behavioural rules implemented at an individual level. A critical challenge for the understanding of stigmergic behaviour and translation of stigmergy to engineering is the lack of a holistic approach to determine which modifications of the environment are necessary to achieve desired behaviours for the swarm. Here, we propose a mathematical framework that rigorously describes the relationship between environmental modifications and swarm behaviour. Building on recent strides in continuification techniques, we model the swarm and environmental modifications as continua. This approach allows us to design the environmental modifications required for the swarm to behave as desired. Through analytical derivations and numerical simulations of one- and two-dimensional examples, we show that our framework yields the distribution of traces required to achieve a desired formation. Such an approach provides an adaptable framework for different implementation platforms, from robotic swarms to mixed societies of robots and animals.

The modern zoo relies on the persistence of genetically and physiologically healthy populations of endangered species, which is enabled through breeding programmes globally and regionally. Many species commonly held in zoos are poorly studied in the wild, leading to a lack of in-depth knowledge surrounding breeding behaviours and subsequent parental behaviours and early life development of young. Knowledge of this information is critical to make informed management decisions which promote successful rearing of young in zoos. While the critically endangered Sumatran tiger is popular in zoos, rates of cub survival in the first 5 months are lower than 50%, highlighting the need for scientific evidence driving management decisions. This study monitors nursing and cub grooming behaviours in a first-time mother Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) and her cubs throughout four stages of cub development. The social proximity of cubs and dam were recorded to describe social interactions within the group throughout cub aging. A series of Friedman tests and post-hoc tests found significant decreases in both cub grooming (χ2 (3, N = 96) = 14.20, p < 0.01) and nursing (χ2 (3, N = 96) = 25.77, p < 0.001) behaviours between the birth and weaning of the cubs, as well as within different phases of cub development between those times. Cub-to-cub proximity was maintained from birth to weaning, with cubs spending significant amounts of time in close proximity (within one adult body length) of each other (χ2 (3, N = 96) = 15.231, p = 0.001) throughout the study. The dam was found to spend significantly less time with the cubs as they reached weaning age (χ2 (3, N = 96) = 27.88, p < 0.001). These results are thought to be the first of their kind to detail timings of cub development and early life socialisation, providing evidence for timing of first food provision to young and promote the provision of space for the dam to spend time away from the cubs, while allowing the cubs to become confident, mobile, and independent.

Aerial imagery and video recordings of animals are used for many areas of research such as animal behaviour, behavioural neuroscience and field biology. Many automated methods are being developed to extract data from such high-resolution videos. Most of the available tools are developed for videos taken under idealised laboratory conditions. Therefore, the task of animal detection and tracking for videos taken in natural settings remains challenging due to heterogeneous environments. Methods that are useful for field conditions are often difficult to implement and thus remain inaccessible to empirical researchers. To address this gap, we present an open-source package called Multi-Object Tracking in Heterogeneous environments (MOTHe), a Python-based application that uses a basic convolutional neural network for object detection. MOTHe offers a graphical interface to automate the various steps related to animal tracking such as training data generation, animal detection in complex backgrounds and visually tracking animals in the videos. Users can also generate training data and train a new model which can be used for object detection tasks for a completely new dataset. MOTHe doesn't require any sophisticated infrastructure and can be run on basic desktop computing units. We demonstrate MOTHe on six video clips in varying background conditions. These videos are from two species in their natural habitat-wasp colonies on their nests (up to 12 individuals per colony) and antelope herds in four different habitats (up to 156 individuals in a herd). Using MOTHe, we are able to detect and track individuals in all these videos. MOTHe is available as an open-source GitHub repository with a detailed user guide and demonstrations at: https://github.com/tee-lab/MOTHe-GUI.

Social aggregative behaviour may have evolved in marine isopods to aid hunting, and help the animals protect themselves from predation. This social behaviour could have assisted some isopod species to make the evolutionary transition from marine to terrestrial environments, as aggregative huddling of isopods on land reduces desiccation when out of water. To determine if the common pill-bug Armadillidium vulgare demonstrates social behaviour, groups of animals were filmed for 60 min in an arena that contained a binary choice of two shelters. This experiment was directly repeated with the same specimens three more times in the same day and this series of four experimental runs was replicated a total of 10 times with a different group of animals for each of the 10 series. In most cases, the majority of specimens chose one of the two identical shelters at random, and congregated under this winning shelter. The amount of animals that congregated under the winning shelter, however, significantly decreased over the four consecutive runs, whereas the amount of animals that congregated under the losing shelter significantly increased with prior experience. These data indicate that A. vulgare is a social animal but this social behaviour can decrease with exposure to the novel environment. This attenuation in social behaviour may serve to decrease the drive to join the larger of the two groups in an area where a danger from predation has not been encountered and allow experienced animals to explore new terrain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extent to which sows show pronounced nest-building behavior (NBV) on available materials prepartum seems to have an influence on selected parameters in the context of farrowing. In the present study, the NBV of 770 purebred Landrace sows kept in farrowing crates was examined in relation to the course of birth (GV) and the number of piglets born dead (TGF) per litter. The sows were offered jute sacks (JS) and the NBV was assessed using the auxiliary trait "occupation with the JS". The suitability of NBV as a selection trait was examined addtionally. Using a scoring scheme from 1 (no interest in JS) to 5 (JS torn), the NBV of the sows was scored at three points in time: 2 days ante partum (a.p.), one day a.p. and on the day of birth, whereby 3,643 observations were evaluated. The JS were mostly (56.2% of the observations) manipulated by the animal in the hanging state (grade 2). Statistically significant correlations in the low range were determined between NBV and GV as well as the number of TGF per litter. Including the trait NBV of sows in breeding programs is difficult due to the estimated low heritabilities of h2 = 0.02 (h2 = 0.00 to h2 = 0.08) and the lack of standardization. In addition, there are only low phenotypic correlations with the target traits GM and TGF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human life and existence are intertwined with a few domestic animals. One of the most important animals of this kind is the cow. Cows play a vital role in daily activities. Most of the people in India consume cow's milk as one of their major nutrients. Monitoring the health of a cow's everyday life is quite challenging. After infertility and mastitis, lameness is typically ranked as the third most economically significant health issue in dairy herds.Lameness are caused due to genetics, lack in nutrition i.e. a diet deficient in essential nutrients such as biotin, which can lead to hoof problems. Due to geographical environments like cows kept in wet, muddy conditions are more likely to develop hoof problems. This investigation analyses the typical characteristics of cow behavior, and a Smart Cow Health Monitoring System (ScHeMoS) using IoT is proposed to identify the cow's health through the data obtained from Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, including position, body temperature, stability, acceleration, and animal feed. IoT is combined with Deep learning (DL) technique to monitor and diagnose animal health. We used the Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) network to predict cow lameness by capturing the body temperature and other parameters, which will aid in predicting their illness. The accelerometer values are stored so that it will further help to determine which cow is lame and which is pregnant or regular and could be intimated to the care takers in the farms. We utilised a self collected dataset to perform the investigation. By implementing this system, we achieved 92.45% accuracy and 0.92 as F1 score. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The temperature and humidity index (THI) is one of the most critical environmental factors, because it affects the body's thermoregulation and the overall productivity of goats. The study aimed to identify the relationship between the behavioural reactions of goats of different breeds and changes on the temperature and humidity index in the premises. The study used methods of time slices and recording of behavioural manifestations of goats. It was found that with a THI of 69-74%, the intensity of animal movement was high, but when the THI increased to 81%, activity sharply declined. After an extended stay in THI of 75-81%, goats find it quite challenging to restore average activity indicators. The animals were in the comfort zone (THI = 69-74%) and showed a moderate to weak approach to the feed table. With THI of 75-81%, goats showed interest; however, they did not consume feed. Animal rest positively correlates with such indicators as THI, r = from +0.40 (Saanen) to +0.49 (Alpine); movement in the pen, r = +0.62 and +0.66; approach to the feed table r = +0.32 and +0.31; and urination r = +0.16 and +0.12, respectively. A sharp increase in the rest frequency was detected at 76-81% THI. After normalising THI, animals also rested more frequently, which may be a consequence of heat stress. At the optimal level of THI (up to 74%), the frequency of goat rest decreased over a long period of time. A positive statistically insignificant correlation was established between THI and animal movement in the pen, r = from +0.19 (Saanen) to + 0.39 (Alpine). The movement of animals in the pen positively correlates with feed consumption, r = from +0.30 (Saanen) to +0.34 (Alpine), and negatively with the rumination process in animals, r = from -0.23 (Alpine) to -0.68 (Saanen). It was found that goats of the Saanen breed are more dependent on THI than the Alpine breed. The study's results should be considered when regulating the microclimate on premises for dairy goats and male goats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Growing up in an impoverished environment can profoundly affect brain development and cognitive abilities in animals. Most studies have looked at the effects on adults and we know little about how it impacts the early stages of cognitive development in fish. We studied zebrafish larvae, which are routinely reared in bare containers where they experience reduced sensory stimulation. We aimed to see if providing them a more enriched environment would have an effect on their cognitive abilities and behaviour. Larval zebrafish from the enriched treatment had better performance than controls in a number discrimination task but did not differ when required to discriminate two areas. In both experiments, larvae from the impoverished treatment showed a reduced locomotor activity. When essayed in a preference test, recently hatched larvae showed a marked preference for an enriched environment over an empty one. A better understanding of these effects is crucial for the welfare of captive zebrafish populations as well as for the quality and reliability of research on larval zebrafish. The effects of an early impoverished social or physical environment on vertebrate neural development and cognition has been known for decades. While existing studies have focused on the long-term effects, measuring adult cognitive phenotypes, studies on the effects of environmental complexity on the early stages of development are lacking. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) hatchlings are assumed to have minimal interaction with their environment and are routinely reared in small, bare containers. To investigate the effects of being raised under such conditions on development of behaviour and cognition, hatchlings housed for 10 days in either an enriched or a standard environment underwent two cognitive tasks. The results were mixed. Subjects of the two treatments did not differ in performance when required to discriminate two areas. Conversely, we found a significant effect in a number discrimination task, with subjects from impoverished condition performing significantly worse. In both experiments, larvae reared in impoverished environment showed a reduced locomotor activity. Given the effects that enrichment appears to exert on larvae, a third experiment explored whether hatchlings exhibit a spontaneous preference for more complex environments. When offered a choice between a bare setting and one with objects of different shapes and colors, larvae spent over 70% of time in the enriched sector. Deepening these effects of an early impoverished environment on cognitive development is crucial for the welfare of captive zebrafish populations and for enhancing the quality and reliability of studies on larval zebrafish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Feral cats are a significant threat to wildlife in Australia and globally. Current feral cat management techniques have limitations that can result in wary, remnant individuals persisting in the landscape and reducing overall pest control efficacy, thus there is a need for additional innovative management techniques. Aims: This research aimed to identify whether the Mata Hari Judas technique could be applied to female cats (queens) in situ as a means of attracting and assisting the capture of feral cats. Methods: Three queens were induced into prolonged oestrus and contained in enclosures (vennels) in situ with traps attached to capture attracted feral cats. Two vennel treatments were trialled, one housing a Mata Hari Judas queen (queen vennel) and another using auditory and olfactory lures from a Mata Hari Judas queen (faux queen vennel) to compare the attractiveness of the two treatments at three study sites. Camera traps and soil plots were used to monitor and compare cat activity surrounding the vennels prior to, during and after the presence of a Mata Hari Judas queen or her lures. Key results: Both vennel treatments attracted multiple feral cats of both sexes, and each trapped one male cat, demonstrating proof of concept for this technique. The queen vennel was significantly more attractive than the faux queen vennel, as demonstrated by higher frequency of cat detections and the duration of time feral cats spent at this vennel. Comparisons between monitoring periods and when the vennels were active showed significant differences in the frequency of cats attracted to the area, further supporting that both the queen and her lures were attractive to cats. Conclusions: This research is the first instance where Mata Hari Judas queens have been successfully used in situ to attract and capture feral cats. Future studies should aim to assess this technique in a controlled area with a known cat population to allow for a direct comparison of efficacy with more traditional feral cat management methods. Implications: With further refinement, the use of Mata Hari Judas queens in situ could provide an efficient technique for removing remnant cats. Feral cats are a significant threat to Australia's wildlife, and innovative management techniques are needed to capture remnant individuals that persist following traditional management actions. This study aimed to assess whether a female cat in prolonged oestrus could attract and help capture feral cats in situ. Proof of concept was achieved, and with further refinement, this technique could be significant for feral cat management. Photograph by Abby Dennien. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing body of evidence has linked mental health to the gut microbiome. This has led to the investigation of the gastrointestinal tract as a possible source of novel treatments and probiotic supplements for depressive disorders. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the antidepressant effect of a multi-strain probiotics against lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced depression in rats. Twentyfour male Wistar rats were randomly grouped into four groups of 6 animals each. Groups 1 and 2 received vehicle (distilled water, 10 mL/kg), group 3 received a probiotic cocktail (10 mL/kg), while group 4 received fluoxetine (10 mg/kg). All treatments were administered orally for seven consecutive days. One hour after treatment on day seven, LPS (0.85 mg/kg, i.p.) was given to all the animals except group 1 animals. Twenty-four hours later, all the animals were subjected to behavioural tests [Forced Swim Test (FST), Sucrose Splash Test (SST), and Open Field Test (OFT)]. Thereafter, the animals were sacrificed, and brain samples were collected for bioassay of central pro-inflammatory mediators; tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a), interleukin-6, and interleukin-17 (IL-6 and IL-17) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The LPS significantly increased immobility of rats in the FST and decreased grooming in the SST which is indicative of depressive-like behaviours. These behaviours were significantly attenuated by probiotics compared to control. LPS caused marked increase in TNF-a, IL-6, and IL-17 concentration in the hippocampus. The elevated cytokine levels were attenuated by pretreatment with probiotics. Therefore, probiotics exhibited antidepressant-like activity which may be due to the inhibition of neuroinflammatory signalling pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on an exploratory study of maternal-filial relationships of Pantaneiro sheep naturalised to the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul and focuses on the importance of the behaviour of ewes and lambs between parturition, first suckling and weight at weaning. The average duration of lambing was 18 min, and 65% of the sheep were lying down; 48.8% of the sheep tended their lambs 15–30 min before the first suckling, while 73% of lambs initiated contact with the mother through vocalisation 10 min after birth. The lambs’ birth weight was 4 ± 0.6 kg, and they were weaned at 42 days with an average weight of 12.9 ± 2.2 kg. To conclude, the data gathered during the study can help us better comprehend the adaptive traits of sheep that belong to the Pantaneiro genetic group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interspecific foraging associations (IFAs) are biological interactions where two or more species forage in association with each other. Climate‐induced reductions in Arctic sea ice have increased polar bear (Ursus maritimus) foraging in seabird colonies, which creates foraging opportunities for avian predators. We used drone video of bears foraging within a common eider (Somateria mollissima) colony on East Bay Island (Nunavut, Canada) in 2017 to investigate herring gull (Larus argentatus) foraging in association with bears. We recorded nest visitation by gulls following n = 193 eider flushing events from nests during incubation. The probability of gulls visiting eider nests increased with higher number of gulls present (β = 0.14 ± 0.03 [SE], p <.001) and for nests previously visited by a bear (β = 1.14 ± 0.49 [SE], p <.02). In our model examining the probability of gulls consuming eggs from nests, we failed to detect statistically significant effects for the number of gulls present (β = 0.09 ± 0.05 [SE], p <.07) or for nests previously visited by a bear (β = −0.92 ± 0.71 [SE], p <.19). Gulls preferred to visit nests behind bears (χ2 = 18, df = 1, p <.0001), indicating gulls are risk averse in the presence of polar bears. Our study provides novel insights on an Arctic IFA, and we present evidence that gulls capitalize on nests made available due to disturbance associated with foraging bears, as eiders disturbed off their nest allow gulls easier access to eggs. We suggest the IFA between gulls and polar bears is parasitic, as gulls are consuming terrestrial resources which would have eventually been consumed by bears. This finding has implications for estimating the energetic contribution of bird eggs to polar bear summer diets in that the total number of available clutches to consume may be reduced due to avian predators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a Raspberry Pi‐based camera system that is portable, robust and weatherproof, with a close‐up focus (2.5 cm). We show that this camera system can be used in remote locations with high rainfall and humidity. The camera has an Infrared LED light to film in dark places and can continuously record up to 21 days (504 h). We also describe how to make concrete artificial shelters to mount the camera in. One of the great strengths of this shelter/camera set‐up is that the animals choose to take up residence and can then be filmed for extended periods with no disturbance. Furthermore, we give examples of how shelters and cameras could be used to film a range of behaviours in not only many small cryptic amphibian species but also other small vertebrates and invertebrates globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Understanding interactions within and between species is crucial to ecological research. However, for cetaceans such interactions can be difficult to observe in the field. Photographs offer an opportunity to study intra‐ and inter‐specific interactions, by capturing ‘snapshots’ of their occurrence over space and time. At‐surface and underwater photographs of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) inhabiting Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve (PPMR), Mozambique, were used to examine evidence of interactions with other dolphins, predators and ectoparasites. Intra‐specific scarring levels significantly differed by sex and age class, with males displaying more scarring than females. Similarly, adults had more scarring than juveniles or calves. Shark bites significantly differed in their distribution across dolphin body areas, with the dorsal side being more frequently wounded than the ventral side. The presence of barnacles was exclusive to fluke, dorsal and pectoral fins, and showed strong seasonal trends. Overall, this study demonstrates the value of photographs for examining marine ecological interactions. It provides the first insights regarding dolphin social behaviour, predation risk and health for this population. These in turn will support future research into the population dynamics and conservation of the PPMR dolphins, which is urgently required in the face of locally increasing anthropogenic pressures.

Abstract Boldness – defined as the propensity of individuals to take risks – is a key research area within animal behavioural studies, significantly affecting adaptive strategies, habitat selection, foraging behaviour, reproduction, dispersal, and other crucial survival behaviours. Despite the extensive study of personality traits like extraversion and curiosity across various animal species, data on wolves (Canis lupus), particularly on the subspecies level, remains sparse. This study aims to bridge this gap by examining boldness and its associated personality traits in different wolf subspecies (Canis lupus lupus, Canis lupus arctos, Canis lupus lycaon) (n = 23), and wolf‐dog hybrids (n = 10), utilising novel object interaction tests and validated questionnaires previously applied to wild canids. Our results show significant differences in boldness as well as in related personality traits between taxa, both between pure wolves and wolf hybrids, with significantly higher boldness of North American subspecies. The inter‐subspecies differences were more significant than the differences between groups or at the individual level, suggesting that subspecies ecology and historical selection pressure in subspecies history might have caused long‐lasting adaptations in Canis lupus ssp.

Habitat fragmentation has become a serious threat to amphibian populations worldwide. Concrete anti-seepage, widely applied in waterway construction, has posed a threat by causing amphibians to easily fall into concrete irrigation channels and struggle to escape. However, our understanding of the impact of irrigation channels on frog movement and survival remains limited. In this study, we evaluated the effects of concrete-lined irrigation channels on the escape ability of a common Chinese frog (Pelophylax nigromaculatus). We also analyzed the correlation between the morphology and locomotion ability of the frogs, tested the impact of irrigation channel slope gradient and substrate material on their escape ability, and proposed an optimized design for frog ramps to assist trapped frogs in escaping. The results showed that the frogs have easily fallen into these channels and encountered difficulties in escaping during field activities. As body size was positively related to the frogs’ ability to climb the slope of irrigation channels, the design parameters of the frog ramps should focus on the movement ability of the frogs. The maximum climbing gradients for most frogs on concrete, reverse slope (the protruding structure is placed in the opposite direction of the channel slope), grass and crushed stone are 40°, 50°, 60° and 65°, respectively. Based on experimental tests of the ability of the frogs to climb on various slopes and substrates, we suggest that the slope gradient of concrete irrigation channels should be less than 40°. The findings offer references for scholars and engineers to improve ecological engineering designs of irrigation channels throughout the world.

Abstract Background Energy demands associated with pregnancy and lactation are significant forces in mammalian evolution. To mitigate increased energy costs associated with reproduction, female mammals have evolved behavioural and physiological responses. Some species alter activity to conserve energy during pregnancy and lactation, while others experience changes in metabolism and fat deposition. Restructuring of gut microbiota with shifting reproductive states may also help females increase the energy gained from foods, especially during pregnancy. The goal of this study was to examine the relationships among behaviour, gut microbiota composition, and reproductive state in a wild, non-human primate to better understand reproductive ecology. We combined life history data with > 13,000 behavioural scans and 298 fecal samples collected longitudinally across multiple years from 33 white-faced capuchin monkey (Cebus imitator) females. We sequenced the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene and used the DADA2 pipeline to analyze microbial diversity. We used PICRUSt2 to assess putative functions. Results Reproductive state explained some variation in activity, but overall resting behaviours were relatively stable across pregnancy and lactation. Foraging was less frequent among females in the early stage of nursing compared to the cycling stage, though otherwise remained at comparable levels. Maximum temperature was a strong, significantly positive predictor of resting, while social dominance had a small but significantly negative effect on resting. Ecological variables such as available fruit biomass and rainfall had a small but significantly positive effects on measures of foraging time. Gut microbial community structure, including richness, alpha diversity, and beta diversity remained stable across the reproductive cycle. In pairwise comparisons, pregnant females exhibited increased relative abundances of multiple microbial ASVs, suggesting small changes in relation to reproductive state. Reproductive state was not linked to differential abundance of putative metabolic pathways. Conclusions Previous data suggest that activity budget and the gut microbiome shifts considerably during reproduction. The present study finds that both activity and gut microbial communities are less associated with reproduction compared to other predictors, including ecological contexts. This suggests that behavioural flexibility and gut microbial community plasticity is contrained by ecological factors in this population. These data contribute to a broader understanding of plasticity and stability in response to physiological shifts associated with mammalian reproduction.

We used GPS tracking to monitor the grazing patterns of Brown Swiss and Alpine grey lactating cows on an alpine summer pasture (2038 m a.s.l.; SD = 146) in the Dolomites. The pasture (171 ha) was managed with a continuous grazing system (0.52 LU/ha) with morning and evening milking in the barn, guided grazing during the ‘day’, and free grazing at ‘night’. GPS positions were collected from 8 Brown Swiss multiparous and 9 Alpine Grey (4 primiparous and 5 multiparous) cows every two minutes. We inferred behaviours (grazing, resting, walking) from movement metrics, activity sensors and direct behavioural observations. After excluding milking periods, the cows grazed for 8 h/d, rested 10–11 h/d, and walked for 1.5/d. Grazing extended into late evening after milking, and resting prevailed throughout the ‘night’ until the morning milking. When grazing and resting, cows mainly used grasslands as the preferred habitat, but forest and sparse shrub were also used remarkably without consistent negative or positive selection. The pasture use was highly heterogeneous, with higher animal loads close to the barn, especially at night, and in areas with gentler slopes. Alpine Grey primiparous cows were less limited by slope and distance from the barn in their movement but were more selective in habitat use than multiparous cows. Differences between multiparous cows of the two breeds were less marked. Further studies should help understand the internal and external drivers of cattle grazing patterns to devise management practices combining animals’ productivity and welfare with the conservation of the grassland ecosystem services.

Fear and frustration are two emotions thought to frequently contribute to problem behaviour, often leading to relinquishment. Inferring these emotions is challenging as they may present with some similar general signs, but they potentially require different treatment approaches to efficiently address the behaviour of concern. Although behavioural assessment frameworks have been proposed, it is largely unknown how clinical animal behaviourists (CABs) assimilate information about the emotional state of an animal to inform their behavioural assessment. In other fields (such as both in human and veterinary medicine), the use of intuition and gut feelings, without the concurrent use of an assessment framework, can lead to higher rates of error and misdiagnosis. Therefore, this study used semi-structured interviews of ten CABs and qualitative methods to explore the ways they conceptualise, recognise and differentiate fear and frustration in dogs. Although interviewees perceived fear and frustration as negative affective states that lead to changes in an animal’s behaviour, there was little consensus on the definition or identification or differentiation of these emotions. The use of a scientific approach (i.e., hypothesis-driven and based on falsification of competing hypotheses) for behavioural assessment was highly variable, with individual assessment processes often characterised by tautology, intuition, circular reasoning and confirmation bias. Assessment was typically based on professional judgment, amalgamating information on interpretation of communicative signals, motivation, learning history, breed, genetics and temperament. Given the lack of consensus in the definition of these states, it is clearly important that authors and clinicians define their interpretation of key concepts, such as fear and frustration, when trying to communicate with others.

Humans are increasingly passing pathogens to animal populations, imperilling endangered species such as chimpanzees and gorillas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Movement is a key part of life for many animals. However, a number of temporal constraints, from changes in light and temperature to varying risks of predation, limit not only where animals can move, but also when. Such constraints are likely to be most pronounced when animals must make large displacements, as is the case when individuals disperse. However, little is known about how dispersers overcome temporal constraints on movement, despite significant implications for the success of dispersal. We outline a general framework for identifying the strategies animals use to achieve large displacements in the face of constraints on when and how to move, which we predict should follow one of three patterns: increasing their movements during those times when they typically move more, uniformly across the day, or when they previously moved least. Using high-resolution GPS tracking of dispersing and resident vulturine guineafowl, Acryllium vulturinum , we show that dispersers expressed the greatest increases in movement at the same times of day that they moved most prior to dispersing. Our results suggest that individuals face the same ecological constraints during dispersal as they do in daily life and achieve large displacements by maximizing movement when conditions are most favourable. • During dispersal, individuals often displace over increased distances. • Ecological constraints typically limit animal movements to certain times of the day. • We test three hypotheses for how animals should achieve greater daily displacements. • Dispersing birds increased movement more at times of day they previously moved most. • Constraints on movement persist even for seasonally dispersing species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Architect and advocate of speculative posthuman ecological design Steven Hutt offers new thoughts on the integration of wildlife into our architectures and cities. Awareness of the 'feral' as a design tool, the push and pull between indigenous and non‐indigenous species, and even old ideas of colonialism are all agents in this new posthuman landscape. There are many aspects of this often anti‐ anthropocentric worldview across a variety of scales. Might zoo animals one day be able to decide how we look at them and observe their habits? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]