The Greatest Lover: Beheaded Male

Posted on April 7, 2010 by u0805295

Praying mantis, Mantis Religiosa, is known for its insatiable appetite of all the hunting ogres of the insect world. They not only hunt other species for food, they also engage in sexual cannibalism where female devours male during courtship or after copulation.

Female mantis would normally seize the male and begin to eat his head and thorax. Even without a head, the male managed to clamber onto the back of the female and successfully copulate with her. With the remains of the thorax and abdomen, the male stayed attached to the female for several hours. Eventually the male would relax his clasp on the female, who finished her meal, leaving only the wings and harder pieces of chitin behind. Surprisingly, during this process the male actually showed great sexual excitement. Milius (1999) in her “Who’s Dying for Sex?” showed Michael R. Maxwell’s observation on the distinct difference in mating duration between two male praying mantises, one with a head and the other without. The former mates for 4 hours on the average while the latter can mate up to 24 hours.

WOW! So how can the headless male not be the greatest lover to the female?

Now the question is why does headless male praying mantis still able to mate?

In mantids, copulatory movements are regulated by masses of nerve tissue in the abdomen instead of the brain. Males mate more efficiently when decapitated as its head has a nerve center that inhibits mating until a female grasps it. When this nerve is removed, it resulted in a loss of control and repeated copulation occurred. Therefore, male continues to copulate while he is being devoured and perhaps, more aggressively!

To me, this is definitely a classic example in which killing the male helps to stimulate reproductive act, isn’t it?

References

Website

“Headless Males Make Great Lovers and Other Unusual Natural Histories” by Marty Crump. University of Chicago Press, 2005. URL: http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/121992.html (accessed on 1^st April 2010).

Journals

Milius, S. (1999, November 13). Who’s Dying for Sex?. Science News. 156(20): 312 – 314.

Roeder, K. D. (1935, October). An Experimental Analysis of the Sexual Behavior of the Praying Mantis (Mantis religiosa L.). Biological Bullentin. 69(2): 203 – 220.

Video

“Female praying mantis eats male after mating” by dissogtg. YouTube Channel, 9^th July 2006. URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYp_Xi4AtAQ (accessed on 1^st April 2010)

Parrots – Do they really talk?

Posted on April 7, 2010 by u0908665

Walk into the home of a parrot owner and you will likely hear a raucous “Hello” from the colourful bird. Just what is it about parrots that allow them to talk?

Parrots

Image Source: (http://www.flickr.com/photos/thenaughtyprata/2425209174/)

Parrots, also know as psittacines, “talk” as a form of communication. Parrots in the wild will learn to vocalize by mimicking the sounds of their parents and the other birds in its social group. However, a parrot in a home surrounded by human communication will view the humans as its social circle and will naturally try to communicate with them by mimicking the sounds it hears.

Unlike humans, parrots do not have vocal cords. Instead, they learn to control the movement of the muscles in their throat to direct the airflow in a way to reproduce certain tones and sounds—sometimes even human sounds! With careful training, parrots can be trained to speak words, sing, and whistle. However when they speak, they are merely mimicking words. They do not understand what they are saying at all.

So, don’t be fooled by the parrot which shrieks “Hello” when you come in, it might say the same thing when you leave!

There is no question that some parrots show signs of intelligence!

An example is the African Grey parrot named Alex. Alex can associate human words with meanings, and intelligently identify shapes, colour, number, etc. It can also produce human speech. This video below shows the intelligence of this bird!

Alex the African Grey Parrot!

Image Source: (http://www.freewebs.com/icu109/photos/alex_parrot.jpg)

Watch this intelligent parrot!

References:

‘Can parrots really talk?’ URL: http://www.bigsiteofamazingfacts.com/can-parrots-really-talk

‘Why do parrots talk?’ by Nicole Hoelscher, eHow Contributing Writer, 30 May 2009. URL: http://www.ehow.com/members/ds_nicole10159.html

“How do parrots speak so clearly and mimic so well?” By Askville.amazon.com. URL: http://askville.amazon.com/parrots-speak-mimic/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=7222240

The Inflationary Ability of the Swell Shark

Posted on April 7, 2010 by Glory

The Swell Shark (Cephaloscyllium ventriosum) is a type of shark found in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, specifically from central California down to the Gulf of California, parts of southern Mexico, and along the coast of central Chile. It can grow up to 110cm (43inches) long, and can be found resting over continental shelves and subtropical waters and can be seen as deep as 1,500 metres or as close as 5 metres below the surface.

When threatened, the Swell Shark has a curious defense mechanism. It bends its body into a U-shaped form and grabs its tail fin with its mouth. It then swallows a large amount of water, swelling its body to twice its normal size. This discourages potential predators, making it difficult for the predator to bite or remove the swell shark from a crevice. When the threat passes, the swell shark makes a dog-like bark when expelling the air. If the swell shark is caught and brought to the surface, it can also swell its body with air in the same manner as it does with water.

Click here to watch a Youtube clip of a swelling Swell Shark.

A detailed analysis of how this defense mechanism works:
“The stomach of the shark is divided into two parts – the cardiac stomach, which follows the oesophagus, and the pyloric stomach, which follows the cardiac stomach and leads into the duodenum. The cardiac stomach is the organ that inflates. As in puffer fishes, air or water is gulped into the stomach, inflating the belly region of the fish. The fluid is held in the cardiac stomach of the swell shark by a strong oesophageal sphincter anteriorly and sphincter between the cardiac and pyloric stomachs, posterio-ventrally. The pyloric stomach is flattened out during inflation. It lies, together with the spleen, between the cardiac stomach and the ventral body wall on the right side of the shark. The cardiac stomach swells out in all directions.”

References

“Biological Profiles: Swell Shark”, by Cathleen Bester. Florida Museum of Natural History Ichthyology Department. URL: http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/SwellShark/SwellShark.html (accessed on: 6 April 2010)

Copeia, Vol. 1947, No. 4, E. Clark, American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, 1947. “Notes on the Inflating Power of the Swell Shark, Cephaloscyllium uter”, pp. 278-280

Swell Shark (Cephaloscyllium ventriosum), URL: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nostri-imago/3149754860/ (accessed on 6 April 2010)

Swell Shark (Cephaloscyllium ventriosum), URL: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nostri-imago/3148924751/ (accessed on 6 April 2010)

Does SIZE matter?

Posted on April 6, 2010 by u0701788

Peafowls Mating

In the animal kingdom, sizes are important. Females tend to choose the males that are bigger in sizes as their bigger sizes represent healthier gene and therefore higher chance of survival for their offspring. Darwin’s theory of sexual selection states that nature’s extravagances are advantages in the mating game and also highlights the very nature of survival of the fittest in animal world.

Peacocks are the male members of the peafowl species, females are called peahens. Peahens are plainly-coloured unlike their male counterparts possessing large, colourful train of tail. During mating season, the peacocks will show off their long tail feathers and make loud mating calls in the presence of the peahens.

Peahens are noticed to have chosen the males for the quality of their trains by the criterion of “the quantity, size and distribution of the colourful eyespots”. If the peahen is interested in the peacock, she will then allow the peacock to mate with her. The peacocks however do not assist the peahens in hatching and raising the young. The peahens will lay her eggs and hide them in the forest, while she will smartly lay other decoy eggs in the open to distract predators. The peafowl eggs will take approximately 28 days to hatch and peachicks or the young are born fully feathered. These peachicks will be ready to fly within a week as this flying ability serves to ensure their very survival, as they get away from their predators.

Experiments have shown that offspring of males with more eyespots are bigger at birth and better at surviving in the wild than offspring of birds with fewer eyespots. Therefore is peahens’ tendency to choose the males based on the quality of their trains based on instinctive behaviour or is it a learned behaviour? Do they choose their mating partners based on their experiences and knowledge that offspring with “attractive” peacocks will have a better chance of surviving? Peacocks with big and colourful trains may eventually attract predators and these trains may prove to be a burden for the peacocks to get away. Will this new knowledge get to the peahens and make them “rethink” their choices since the “attractive” peacocks no longer survive?

“How do peacocks mate?” by Rose Kivi. eHow. URL: http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4565678_peacocks-mate.html (assessed on 3 April 2010).

“Information on peacocks” by Erin Poulson. Pagewise, 2002.URL: http://www.essortment.com/all/informationonp_rjll.htm (assessed on 4 April 2010)

“Theory of Sexual Selection – The Human Mind and the Peacock’s Tale” by Caspar Hewett, 2003. URL: http://www.thegreatdebate.org.uk/sexualselection.html (assessed on 5 April 2010)

“Peacock Mating at the Cincinnati Zoo” by yellowduckyjes16. Youtube, 30 March 2008. URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaQTlbk6phc&NR=1 (assessed on 6 April 2010)

Deep Sea Monsters: The Hagfish

Posted on April 6, 2010 by u0802110

(Photo credit: Gatsby's Monologue)

When asked to name a fearsome sea creature, common predators such as the Great White Shark and the Killer Whale come to mind. But what about the Hagfish?

What on earth is a Hagfish? The Hagfish (Myxine glutinosa) is an extant primitive creature that inhabits the cool or deep parts of all the oceans in the world. There are currently over 35 species of the Hagfishes and some can even be found in areas that are over 2400m deep¹. Hagfishes are nearly blind and they find their way with their highly developed sense of smell. can grow up to a metre long, even though some species are usually about 20cm long. While the Hagfish may look like an eel, it is actually a closer relative to lampreys and than it is to eels and fishes². Even though this little creature does not give the best of first impressions, its appearance certainly reveals nothing of what it is capable of doing.

The Hagfish consumes worms and dead carcasses from the seabed. However, it has also been documented to penetrate the gills of fish much larger than itself, and then eat them from inside out³. The Hagfish feeding behavior of the Hagfish is so unique that it deserves an article in its own right. However, in addition to its peculiar feeding habits, the Hagfish is also notorious for its defense mechanism. Unlike other sea creatures that uses common tactics such as disguise to hide from their predators or toxin to immobilise their predators, the Hagfish has a totally different way of coping with predators: Slime.

(Photo credit: Journal of Young Investigators)

When provoked, the Hagfish secretes small amounts of mucus via the hundreds of slime pores found all along its body. Once the mucus comes into contact with water, an amazing chemical reaction takes place and a few millilitres of mucus can quickly turn into a few hundred mililitres of slime. It has been documented that an adult Hagfish can produce over 20 litres of slime in just 5 to 6 minutes⁴. Predators preying on the Hagfish risk getting their gills clogged by the slime and choking to death. The hunted now becomes the hunter and can easily devour its “predator” from inside out.

Take a look at how good this small creature is at producing slime:

Fun facts:
1. The Hagfish is ranked as one of the “Top 10 Animal Gross-Outs” by Animal Planet⁵.
2. Fear Factor has used the Hagfish in one of its episodes where contestants have to transfer the Hagfish out of a glass box, all the while being submerged inside the tank of slime which the Hagfish are producing.

Fear Factor – Hagfish Transfer (YouTube)

References

[1]^ Martini, F. H. (1998) The ecology of hagfishes. Cambridge: International Thomson Publishing

[2]^ Creatures of the Deep Sea – The Atlantic Hagfish (retrieved on 06 April 2010)

[3]^ Tree of Life – Hagfishes (retrieved on 06 April 2010)

[4]^ Downing, S.W., Salo, W.L., Spitzer, R.H., Koch, E.A. (1981). The hagfish slime gland: a model system for studying the biology of mucus. Science, 214, 1143-1145.

[5]^ TOP 10 ANIMAL GROSS-OUTS : Hagfish (retrieved on 06 April 2010)

The breeding behavior of Happy feet

Posted on April 6, 2010 by u0703263

The Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species and is mainly living Antarctica. The male and female are similar in height and size: 122 cm in height and weighing anywhere from 22 to 45 kg. Their dorsal side and head are black and sharply delineated from the white belly, pale-yellow breast and bright-yellow ear patches. Like all penguins it can’t fly, instead wings stiffened and flattened into flippers for a marine habitat. They live and breed at the beginning of winter, on the fast ice all around the Antarctic continent. The total population is estimated to be about 200,000 breeding pairs. Emperor penguins can mate when they are 4 years old and can live to be 20 years of age.

(Source: Telegraph)

The penguins start courtship in March or April, when the temperature can be as low as −40 °C. A lone male will stand still and place its head on its chest before inhaling and giving a courtship call for 1–2 seconds. After that, it will move around the colony and repeat the call. Before copulation, the birds bows deeply to each other. Emperor Penguins are serially monogamous. They have only one mate each year, and stay faithful to that mate.

(Image source:http://www.zazzle.com)

Breeding pairs of emperor penguins face a problem as they don’t have breeding territories. Therefore, they defend their partnership by staying together during this period.This defense extends to their vocalizing — they remain silent until the egg is laid, so that an unpaired penguin can’t disrupt them.

Yet to keep warm and conserve energy during mating season, emperors must huddle with hundreds of other birds. Huddles form for a few hours, break up for a while and re-form again with different birds, over and over during the Antarctic winter. It’s the penguin equivalent of a mosh pit.

So how does a silent pair of emperors avoid becoming separated amid all the confusion? The answer, according toa study in The Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, is that they stick close by each other in the crowd.

(Image source: http://www2.macleans.ca)

After the female lays its egg, it transfers to the male who will incubate it, alone, for several months.The female will return to care for the chick once it hatches; at that time the male will go to the open sea to feed. The male will return in a few weeks and both male and female will tend to the chick by keeping it warm and feeding it food from their stomachs.

After 7 weeks of care, the chicks form groups called “crèches” and huddle together for protection and warmth. They are still fed by the parents. The chicks know their parents by the sound of their call. The chicks are fully grown in 6 months, which is the beginning of the summer season in the Antarctic. At this time all the penguins will return to the open sea.

(Image source: Telegraph)

REFERENCES:

Breeding Penguin Couples Stay Close in a Crowd.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/17/science/17obhuddle.html

Emperor penguins behavior

http://www.emperorpenguins.net/behavior.html

Antarctic Penguins

http://www.gdargaud.net/Antarctica/Penguins.html

Emperor penguin mates: keeping together in the crowd

http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2009/03/06/rspb.2009.0140.abstract

Emperor penguins

http://www.polarcruises.com/antarctica/articles/wildlife_4/emperor-penguins_4.htm

“A marriage of convenience” between caterpillars and ants

Posted on April 6, 2010 by u0600999

Looking at the picture on the right, one may wonder why are there ants surrounding the two caterpillars?

This is because both of them share a very special relationship known as ant-caterpillar mutualism.

In fact, there are many species of butterflies from the Lycaenidae family that associate with ants and the small, green creatures [above] are the larvae of the Miami Blue Butterfly Cyclargus thomasi bethunebakeri [left]. The Miami Blue is one of Florida’s rarest endemic butterflies and is currently listed as a ‘state-endangered’ species.

So what exactly is the relationship between the caterpillar and its ant partners?

The Miami Blue caterpillar emits semiochemicals i.e. message bearing molecules that are used as signals from a pair of tentacular organs and secretes a sugar-rich solution from its endocrine glands that has the ability to attract, appease and recruit ‘tending ants’. In return, the ants tend to the caterpillar’s needs and protect them from a variety of natural predators and parasitoids.

While Miami Blue larvae associate with several species of ants, the predominant ant species that attends to the larvae is the Carpenter Ant Camponotus floridanus. These large and potentially aggressive ants may prove to be effective in deterring predators.

The video (below) illustrates the unique acquaintance between a caterpillar and its ant counterpart.

Cost & Benefits:

From the video, one can see that the relationship between the caterpillar and its tending ants involve a complex array of chemical, tactile and audible signals. Besides the immediate benefit of having friendly ants as bodyguards, ant-caterpillar mutualism is also linked to enhanced larvae growth and development. However, certain ant species may also act as predators while the friendly ants do not always succeed in protecting the larvae. Furthermore,ant-caterpillar mutualism is not always beneficial for the caterpillars.

The production and loss of secretions to ants result in a loss of nutrients that can be put to other uses such as larvae development and pupal growth. This can cause larvae to pupate at smaller sizes, which reduces insect fitness in the long run. Yet, some caterpillars possess an ability to compensate for nutrients lost to ants although the exact mechanism is not known. One hypothesis is that tending larvae may feed more and digest food more efficiently, thereby increasing its pupal weight.

Overall, this marriage of convenience between caterpillars and ants illustrates the coming together of two very different individuals that share a common goal – survival!

Link:

Saarinen, V. Emily and Daniels, C. Jaret. “Miami Blue Butterfly Larvae (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) and Ants (Hymeoptera: Formicidae): New Information on the Symbionts of an Endangered Taxon”. The Florida Entomologist, vol. 89 (1), Mar 2006, p. 69-74. URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3496608

References:

Journals

Fraser, .M Ann, Axen, H. Annkristin and Pierce, E. Naomi. “Assessing the qualify of different ant species as partners of a myrmecophilous butterly”. Oecologia, vol. 129, 2001, p. 452-460.

Wagner, Diane. “Species-specific effects of tending ants on the development of lycaenid butterfly larvae”. Oecologia, vol. 96, 1993, p. 276-281.

Trager, D. Matthew and Daniels, C. Jaret. “Ant Tending of Miami Blue Butterfly Larvae (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae): Partner diversity and Effects on Larval Performance. The Florida Entomologist, vol. 92 (3), Sept 2009, p. 474-481.

Videos and Images

“Ant Caterpillar Mutualism” by flyconrye. Youtube, (15 Mar 2008). URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3bWqlPLpMg&feature=player_embedded (assessed on 04 Apr 2010).

“Miami Blue Butterfly”. URL: http://www.butterflyrecovery.org/species_profiles/miami_blue/ (assessed on 05 Apr 2010).

Websites

“Ants and Blue Butterflies”. URL: http://blog.wildaboutants.com/2010/01/10/ants-and-blue-butterflies/ (assessed on 04 Apr 2010).

“Camponotus floridanus”. URL: http://www4.ncsu.edu/~bsguenar/Pics%20Campo%20floridanus.html (assessed on 05 Apr 2010).

Rescue mission or deliberate murder?

Posted on April 6, 2010 by u0802754

Being a gigantic land mammal and well-known for its trumpetting sounds, elephants can hardly go unnoticed by one! They fall under the Elephantidae family and mainly in the Elephas and Loxodonta generas. There are only 3 species of elephants living today: the African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta Africana), the African Forest Elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) and the Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus). All other species and genera of Elephantidae are sadly extinct. Elephants therefore may face extinction in the future.

The gestation period of an elephant can range up to 22 months and this makes every pregnancy vital in the conservation of the elephant species. Ironically, this anxiety can be observed in elephant mothers as well! These mothers exhibit astonishing behavioural traits of kicking their new born violently till it is able to respond and stand. This has also been proven effective in saving still born babies and reviving them. The video link below illustrates this barbaric but extraordinary behaviour! A mild warning that this is not for the weak-hearted.

However, these amazing mothers have also been reported by BBC to have killed some of their young through this same gesture, a trend observed mainly in captive elephants. Experts like Mr Redmond believe that this could be because captive elephants have no one to comfort and help them through their birth unlike elephants in the wild that usually have fellow female elephants that accompany them through the process. Perhaps, this is why people lend a hand in zoos during the birth of their elephants! It has also been alternatively theorized that these elephants kill off their young intentionally due to the torturous ‘concretized conditions’ that they have to live in.

Thus, till today, it is uncertain as to why elephant mothers behave in a brutal manner upon giving birth as various factors can be at play. Although this act can either save or kill new born elephants, it is an extraordinary behavioural trait that is yet to be studied deeply on! Meanwhile, it is up to us to decide if this is an act in a rescue mission or a mother’s deliberate murder!

Secondary source:

“Allomothering among African elephants” – Volume 35, Issue 1, P C Lee, Elsevier Ltd, 01 February 1987. (Accessed on 5 April 2010).

References Used:

“Do Elephants intentionally kill their young?”, BBC News – Asia Pacific, 24 May 2007. URL : http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6686993.stm ( Accessed on 5 April 2010)
“Captive Elephant attacks her baby”, BBC News – Asia Pacific, 6 June 2002. URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/2029187.stm (Accessed on 5 April 2010)
Reproductive Behavior of the Asiatic Elephant (Elephas maximus maximus L.), John F. Eisenberg, George M. McKay and M. R. Jainudeen Behaviour, Vol. 38, No. 3/4 (1971), pp. 193-225, Brill. URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4533371

A Drama Serial Hit— ‘Planting’ Offspring In Enemy’s Care!

Posted on April 6, 2010 by u0702583

How far will you go to ensure survival of your species? The mochokid catfish, Synodontis multipunctatus, in Lake Tanganyika, Africa, are prepared to leave their young in the care of their prey—the fishes of the family Cichlidae to guarantee evolutionary victory.

1. Catfish drops egg 2. Baby catfish gobbles up cichlid young 3. Baby catfish in surrogate cichlid mother's mouth 4. Baby catfish coming out of the mouth

Source: Mouth Brooding Fish, available: http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/animals/fish-animals/spiny-rayed-fish/cichlid_movingyoung.html

The mochokid catfish, Synodontis multipunctatus, lay their eggs in the territories of the cichlids and knowing that the cichlid mother will pick them up, assuming that they are her own. She then becomes the surrogate mother to a predator. The catfish eggs hatches first and feeds on the cichlid babies. Interestingly, the cichlid mother treats the catfish as her own. (See picture above for brief illustration)

Through the extended interactions, the mochokid catfish, S. multipunctatus, probably learned that the cichlids are “extremely reliable parents” which protect their young by mouthbrooding (Tetsu, 1986)—the holding of their offspring in their mouths in face of danger, acting like a “nest and nursery”. Such cleverly exploitation by the catfish will almost warrant survival of their kind, at least in evolutionary terms.

References

Tetsu, S. (1986) A brood parasitic catfish of mouthbrooding cichlid fishes in Lake Tanganyika. Nature, 323: 58-59.

“Mouth Brooding Fish” by National Geographic. URL: http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/animals/fish-animals/spiny-rayed-fish/cichlid_movingyoung.html (accessed on 06 April 2010)

We’re Not So Different After All: Male River Dolphins Attract Females With Their “Blings”

Posted on April 6, 2010 by u0901891

We men have the tendency to show off our “swagga” with our “blings” to attract the ladies. We attempt to show our “coolness” by wearing expensive watches, Armani and those Oakley shades that we all want to have. Just as we humans want to impress the opposite sex, the adult male Amazon dolphin (Inia geoffrensis), the largest of river dolphins, also carry objects as a means of sexual display to appeal their attractiveness to the female.

These pink-as-bubblegum botos (the native term for Amazon dolphin) use their long, toothy beaks to pick up weeds, piece of wood, or clumps of grass and clay that lie on the surface of the water. The pick-up action (pun intended) is followed by the thrashing of the carried object back to the surface of the water, an action which can be seen repeated several times. The adult male botos can then be seen twirling in a circle in their own axis with their fat, bulbous foreheads and elongated beak above the water.

The Amazon dolphin is unique in that no other mammal besides modern humans and chimpanzees carry objects for sexual display. This ritualistic behavior occurs during the mating seasons in the flooded Amazonian rainforests and can only be typically seen in adult male Amazon dolphins when they are among a large group of other adult males when attempting to lure the female.

Such ostentatious behavior would often result in the rise of aggression among males, which results in “beat[ing] the hell out of each other” (research indicates that they are up to 40 times more likely to get into fights than in normal situations), snapping jaws, flippers, and tails until they are “literally covered with scar tissue.” The males’ pink color–as opposed to the female’s gray color–is believed to be from scar tissue, and since a male’s attractiveness is based on how pink he is, I guess the following remark applies to both humans and river dolphins alike: Oh, the trials of love!

Glimpse of Amazon river dolphins on Youtube

For more information that emphasizes this behavior, check out this journal link on Amazon river dolphins:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2610054/

References

Choi, Charles Q. “Dolphin Bling Gets Girls.” LiveScience. TechMediaNetwork.com, 26 Mar. 2008. Web. 03 Apr. 2010. <http://www.livescience.com/animals/080326-dolphin-carry.html>.

Jenkins, Mark. “River Spirits.” National Geographic June 2009: 98-111. Print.

Martin, A. R., da Silva, V. M. F., Rothery, P., 2008, Object carrying as socio-sexual display in an aquatic mammal. Biology Letters, 4(3): 243-245.

Photo credits

1. Alicante, Camon. 2010. Photograph. Flickr. 19 Feb. 2010. Web. 3 Apr. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/tucamon/4369638183/>.

2. Martin, Tony. 2008. Photograph. Fox News. 26 Mar. 2008. 3 Apr. 2010. <http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,341792,00.html>.

3. Green, Malu. 2008. Photograph. Flickr. 8 Apr. 2008. Web. 3 Apr. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/malugreen/3424361386/in/set-72157606302494638/>

Video credit

“The Mighty Amazon & River Dolphins -Wild South America – BBC.” BBCWorldwide Channel. 17 Feb. 2009. Web. 03 Apr. 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta35C488dnE&feature=related>

Blogging about animal behaviour (2010)

LSM1303 Animal Behaviour student posts

The Greatest Lover: Beheaded Male

The Inflationary Ability of the Swell Shark

Does SIZE matter?

Deep Sea Monsters: The Hagfish

The breeding behavior of Happy feet

“A marriage of convenience” between caterpillars and ants

Rescue mission or deliberate murder?

A Drama Serial Hit— ‘Planting’ Offspring In Enemy’s Care!

We’re Not So Different After All: Male River Dolphins Attract Females With Their “Blings”