Questions tagged [ethology]
The scientific study of animal behaviour, and a sub-topic of zoology.
68 questions
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Was 2023 the first time a person in California was killed in a black bear attack?
One recent article that grabbed my attention was from the San Francisco Chronicle, about a woman killed by a black bear:
A California woman was stalked by a black bear she named ‘Big Bastard.’ Then it ...
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Do chimpanzees perform lab memory tasks well by having a good memory?
A working memory test of chimpanzees, described in this BBC Earth video, shows a chimpanzee outperforming a human.
Another video shows a chimpanzee performing the test:
Young chimpanzees outperform ...
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Did a rabbit bite Justice David Souter?
In a panel discussion titled HLS in the World | A Conversation with Six Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court [partially transcribed at Harvard At 200: Justices Look Back On Their Law School Days — And ...
user16959
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Do dolphins intentionally intoxicate themselves with puffer-fish venom?
Since late 2013, outlets as serious as Smithsonian Magazine have circulated the claim that dolphins intentionally get "high" by harassing pufferfish. It is further claimed that this is a ...
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Do European deer still stick to their sides of the Iron Curtain?
I found such a claim in an article here:
http://nowiknow.com/the-thin-red-deer-line/
But that was a long time ago, especially if you’re a deer — they only live about ten or so years in the wild. ...
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Can elephants be held by a single piece of rope if they grow up conditioned to believe they cannot break free? [duplicate]
According to theunboundedspirit.com:
As my friend was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused
by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small
rope tied to ...
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Have badgers eaten coyotes?
Wikipedia claims that badgers sometimes eat coyotes:
In North America, coyotes sometimes eat badgers and vice versa, but the majority of their interactions seem to be mutual or neutral.[19] ...
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Would a ferret (or any other animal, for that matter) insist on its caregiver to handle its offspring?
There is a video of a ferret biting on someone's hand, guiding it towards a shoebox filled with kits (baby ferrets). It tends to appear alongside the claim that the ferret wants its caregiver to meet ...
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Is the "Alpha Wolf" theory debunked?
The concept of "Alpha" originates in studies of wolves and the theory that an "Alpha" wolf leads a pack.
They were very scientifically popular in the 60s/70s, and obviously dominate popular culture.
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Do roosters let hens eat first?
I recently saw this Reddit comment claiming that roosters are seen as gallant because they let their hens eat first:
In France, the Rooster is seen as a symbol of gallantry. This is
because, (...
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Do pigeons and doves refrain from mating after their lifelong mate dies?
I just came across this quote by Jerome (I don't know in what book he originally wrote it):
Even the pigeons and doves don't take another partner if their companions pass away.
I don't take Jerome's ...
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Can lions sense menstruating women?
I had an interesting chat today with a young woman from a traditional circus family, who explained she could not grow up to become a lion tamer, because lions could smell when women are menstruating ...
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Can mice find their way back to your home from 1+ miles away?
I've read on many pest control websites that if you catch a mouse in your home that they must be taken 1+ miles away, otherwise they will easily make their way back to their old home (ie. your house).
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Can chickens be hypnotized by drawing a line in front of them?
It's commonly said that if you hold a chicken's beak to the ground and draw a straight line in front of it, it will stare at the line and not move. There's no shortage of footage on youtube to prove ...
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Do dogs bite more during a full moon?
In various cultures throughout the world there is the widespread belief that animals, including companion dogs, are more likely to bite when under the influence of a full moon
http://www.dogexpert.com/...
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Do crabs exemplify "crab mentality" behaviour?
Is there any verifiable evidence that crabs, in fact, behave as if they possess "crab mentality"?
The term “crab mentality” is used to describe a kind of selfish
thinking that runs along the lines ...
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Do roaches die (naturally) on their backs? [closed]
First, a major qualifier here; by naturally, I mean not forced to die on its "stomach" (like by being stepped on). Secondly, I live in the U.S., so maybe this applies to only American roaches.
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Do Macaque monkeys steal money from wallets and use it to buy food from vending machines?
I saw this rumor on Reddit, which refers to factsanddetails.com and which doesn't indicate the information source. I saw a video of a monkey using a vending machine on College Humor, but that doesn't ...
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Do sea otters rape baby seals to death?
Popular facebook group
Nature isn’t always kind and cuddly. A study showed that sea otters
will restrain baby seals and then begin copulation; sometimes drowning
it during the 105-minute-long ...
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Can dolphins learn a symbol based language?
I recently stumbled across the following article:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1240334/Dolphins-clever-humans--treat-like-people-say-scientists.html
which makes the claim that ...
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Do male penguins search for pebbles to present to female penguins?
I came across the following unsourced claim:
When a male penguin falls in love with a female penguin, he searches the entire beach to find the perfect pebble to present to her. And when he finally ...
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Do birds eat chewing gum they think is bread?
This image popped up in my facebook feed today. The translation reads:
Did you know that:
Chewing gum thrown on the street looks like pieces of bread to birds. They try to eat it, but it gets stuck ...
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Is 94% of male giraffe sexual behaviour homosexual?
I've been trying to track down the source of a claim that research has shown giraffe exhibiting a really high rate of male homosexual relations. Going through the blog spam leads me to a site without ...
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Can an elephant be trained to be lightly leashed?
Is been claimed that the way you keep an elephant leashed is with a chain pegged to the ground which they can easily break, just since they have learned when they where younger they could not escape ...
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Does chicken manure keep cats away from garden areas?
This article mentions that chicken manure can keep cats away.
Chicken manure around established plants can also deter cats as they don't like the smell.
Is it true?
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