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Elevation Levels the Playing Field for Fiddler Crab Males

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    How tall is too tall? For the fiddler crab (Uca mjoebergi), a simple change in elevation can dramatically override a female’s preference for a male, as a new study by researchers at the Australian National University shows. Male … Continue reading

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Showing off stamina during courtship has its costs

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  We all know that courtship is the best time to highlight our best qualities. But for male Mediteranean field crickets (gryllus bimaculatus), saying “Look! I have stamina!” comes with a price, suggests researcher Sophie Mowles from the University of … Continue reading

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Complex Mating Signals Can Lead to Predation!

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Signal detection theory states that animals will use their own set of signals (courtship signals) to attract a mate by standing out from background interference. These set of signals can be implemented at the same time to produce complex signals. … Continue reading

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In the case of the fly, smarter males get the ladies.

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As a male amongst a crowd of receptive and unreceptive females, finding a mate to woo and carry your offspring is hard work! The common fruit fly (Figure 1), Drosophila melanogaster, must deal with this complex social scenario in addition … Continue reading

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Tu(co) Stressed?

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Let’s be honest: no one likes feeling stressed. We all know that stress can lead to the rapid ingestion of entire boxes of Oreos, unexpected emotional outbursts, and a handful of other negative consequences. But humans are not the only … Continue reading

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Do snakes have a better sense of direction than you?

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The ability to navigate our world is a skill that some people may take for granted. Imagine being abducted from your home, driven 15-20 miles away to a location you have never seen before, and being dumped on the side … Continue reading

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Examining chemical communication in harvesting ant traffic patterns during foraging

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Though they may be little, ants use a ton of cool different ways to effectively and efficiently gather food. Column foraging, the name of one of these strategies, is worth noting as one of the most impressive. According to an … Continue reading

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It’s getting hot in here: Male Alpine newts alter predator escape behaviors with changes in temperature

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The ability to effectively escape predators is an essential component of every organism’s behavioral repertoire. Responses to predator detection vary greatly between species, as well as within species, depending on various environmental factors. Recent research exploring these escape responses in … Continue reading

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Chicks use sensation of leg muscles to practice walking even before they hatch

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Chicks can do pretty amazing things. One of these things includes getting up and walking around within hours after hatching. How do they walk so well right after hatching? A new study in the Journal of Experimental Biology looked at … Continue reading

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There’s No Straight Path Home for a Pigeon in the City

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It is no secret that birds have impeccable navigational skills. Flight permits long distance-travel, and tools such as differentiating smells in the air and using an internal compass make a smooth journey to the destination. For pigeons, it turns out … Continue reading

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