scholarly journals How to Handle Your Dragon: Does Handling Duration Affect the Behaviour of Bearded Dragons (Pogona Vitticeps)?

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 2116
Author(s):  
Victoria R. Stockley ◽  
Anna Wilkinson ◽  
Oliver H.P. Burman
Keyword(s):  
Handling Time ◽  
Behavioural Response ◽  
Novel Object ◽  
Novel Environment ◽  
Aversive Effect ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Pogona Vitticeps ◽  
Tongue Flicking ◽  
Reduced Time

Reptiles are popular as pets and it is, therefore, important to understand how different aspects of housing and husbandry impact on their behaviour and welfare. One potential cause of stress in captive reptiles is interaction with humans; in particular, the effect of handling. However, little research on handling has been carried out with reptiles, particularly relating to the type of gentle handling likely to be experienced by pet animals. The aim of this study was therefore to determine whether the amount of time that bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps), a commonly kept pet species, experienced gentle handling induced no or differing levels of anxiety, as reflected in their subsequent behavioural response to novelty. We found that there appeared to be a mildly aversive effect of handling time on subsequent behavioural response to novelty. Longer durations of handling (5 min or 15 min) appeared to increase anxiety-related behaviour, with handled animals showing more frequent tongue flicking behaviour when they experienced a novel environment and reduced time spent in close proximity to a novel object. These results suggest that handling bearded dragons, even in a gentle way, may increase their anxiety. However, it is not yet known whether animals may habituate to handling for longer periods if provided with additional experience.

Response of western diamondback rattlesnakesCrotalus atroxto airborne sounds

2002 ◽  
Vol 205 (19) ◽  
pp. 3087-3092 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce A. Young ◽  
Amie Aguiar
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Evidence ◽  
Frequency Modulation ◽  
Stimulus Presentation ◽  
Behavioural Response ◽  
Acoustic Energy ◽  
Body Movements ◽  
Perception Threshold ◽  
Behavioural Responses ◽  
Acoustic Chamber ◽  
Tongue Flicking

SUMMARYIn order to test the hypothesis that snakes can not only perceive airborne sounds, but also respond to them, an acoustic isolation chamber was designed and constructed to perform best within the 150-450 Hz range in which snakes perceive sound. Suspended within this acoustic chamber was a steel mesh basket designed to minimize the potential for groundborne vibrations. A synthesized tone was created out of 20 different 150 ms sounds, each separated by a 50 ms period of silence; the acoustic energy of each of the 20 sounds was concentrated between 200-400 Hz, and each sound included frequency modulation. The trial stimuli were presented to western diamondback rattlesnakes Crotalus atrox at a level 5-10 dB above their perception threshold. Four significant behavioural responses were observed upon stimulus presentation: cessation of body movements, reduction or cessation of tongue flicking, rapid jerks of the head and rattling. At least one significant behavioural response was observed in 92% of the behavioural trials. This study provides the first experimental evidence that snakes can respond behaviourally to airborne sounds.

scholarly journals Personality is associated with dominance in a social feeding context in the great tit

Behaviour ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 156 (13-14) ◽  
pp. 1419-1434
Author(s):  
Nehafta Bibi ◽  
Yusheng Wei ◽  
Hongwei Xu ◽  
Jingnan Liang ◽  
Ijaz Hussain ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Context ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Parus Major ◽  
Novel Object ◽  
Novel Environment ◽  
Personality Differences ◽  
Individual Personality ◽  
Behavioural Types ◽  
Fitness Consequence ◽  
Feeding Context

Abstract Despite the growing interest in consistent individual differences in behaviour (animal personality), the influence of social context on different behavioural types remains poorly understood. The suite of correlated behaviours within and across contexts is called behavioural syndromes. Most personality studies have investigated consistent individual behavioural types and their consequences in a asocial context, however few studies have considered the influence of social context on individual behaviour. In addition, the evolutionary and ecological consequences of personality differences in social context remain unknown. In the present study, we confirm individual personality in Great tits (Parus major) using room exploration and neophobia tests. As a result of these two tests, repeatability and correlational structure of two personality traits were investigated. Additionally we assessed the extent to which personality influences dominance in a social feeding context. Great tits remained consistent in their personality traits (exploration and neophobia). Individuals who explored a novel environment faster also approached a novel object faster, while those who spent more time exploring a novel environment were also slower to approach a novel object. In a social feeding context personality was linked to dominance: with proactive individuals being more likely to be dominant. Our result provides evidence of the importance of social context in a wild population of birds and may have fitness consequence, both for focal individuals and their conspecifics.

Responses in Mice To a Novel Object

Behaviour ◽  
1981 ◽  
Vol 78 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 169-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philippe Ropartz ◽  
René Misslin
Keyword(s):  
Biological Function ◽  
Defensive Reaction ◽  
Novel Object ◽  
Novel Environment ◽  
Impoverished Environment ◽  
Familiar Environment

AbstractThe responses in mice towards a novel object depend first of all on the extent of the contrast between the object and the configuration of the background. A novel object placed in a familiar environment released avoidance and burying responses, while the same object placed in a novel environment increased contacts with it and reduced burying. However, even when it was placed in a novel environment, novel object continued to be aversive. These responses also depended on rearing: animals reared in a cage with various objects exhibited a higher number of contacts than mice reared in an "impoverished" environment. Furthermore, burying behaviour can be considered as a species - typical defensive reaction towards a novel object in mice, although these responses have probably no single biological function.

Disruption of noradrenergic transmission and the behavioural response to a novel environment in NK1R-/- mice

2007 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 1195-1204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy S. Fisher ◽  
R. John Stewart ◽  
Ting Yan ◽  
Stephen P. Hunt ◽  
S. Clare Stanford
Keyword(s):  
Behavioural Response ◽  
Novel Environment ◽  
Noradrenergic Transmission

scholarly journals Population colonization history influences behavioral responses of European starlings in personality tests

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Rodriguez ◽  
Martine Hausberger ◽  
Patricia Le Quilliec ◽  
Laurence Henri ◽  
Philippe Clergeau
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Behavioral Responses ◽  
Behavioral Flexibility ◽  
The Novel ◽  
European Starlings ◽  
Novel Object ◽  
Novel Food ◽  
Novel Environment ◽  
Migrant Birds

To understand the processes involved in biological invasions, the genetic, morphological, physiological and behavioral characteristics of invasive populations need to be understood. Many invasive species have been reported to be flying species. In birds, both invaders and migrants encounter novel situations, therefore one could expect that both groups might react similarly to novelty. Here we analyzed the behavioral responses of individuals from three populations of European starling Sturnus vulgaris: a population settled for centuries in a rural region, a population that recently colonized an urban area, and a population of winter migrant birds. We conducted a social isolation test, a novel environment test, a novel food test and a novel object test to explore their reactions towards novelty. We identified and characterized different behavioral profiles for each test. The group of migratory adults appeared to be less anxious in social isolation than the group of urban young. Urban and migrant groups entered the novel environment sooner than rural birds. Shy, bold and intermediate individuals were observed in all three groups when presented with novel food. Finally, the proportion of shy individuals which did not touch the novel object was higher than the proportion of bold individuals in the rural group. Our study emphasizes that neophilia or boldness present in migrant and invasive populations may facilitate the occupation of novel habitats. Our analysis also suggests that mixed reactions of neophobia ensure behavioral flexibility in a gregarious invasive species.

scholarly journals Do wildlife warning reflectors elicit aversion in captive macropods?

2006 ◽  
Vol 33 (7) ◽  
pp. 583 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Ramp ◽  
David B. Croft
Keyword(s):  
World Wide ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Behavioural Response ◽  
Vehicle Collisions ◽  
Road Verge ◽  
Aversive Effect ◽  
The Road ◽  
Macropus Rufus ◽  
On The Road

A goal to reduce the frequency of animal–vehicle collisions is motivating extensive research on this topic world-wide. Over the last 30 years, one popular mechanism to warn wildlife of approaching vehicles has been the wildlife warning reflector, manufactured and distributed under the brands Swareflex (Austria) and Strieter-Lite (USA). These reflectors were designed to scare deer and other ungulates from roadways at night by reflecting light from the headlights of approaching vehicles into the eyes of animals on the road verge. Robust documentation of their effectiveness has been lacking, yet there has been a push in Australia to examine their efficacy with regard to medium to large macropodids. Field trials of the reflectors are problematic and difficult to design rigorously, so we chose to examine the behavioural response of two captive macropodid species (Macropus rufus and M. rufogriseus) to the reflectors on a simulated road in order to derive some indication as to their efficacy. The behavioural response to the reflectors was negligible for both species and not consistent with an aversive effect to deter road use or crossing. We conclude that they would be of little value in our efforts to reduce the frequency of collisions of kangaroos or wallabies with vehicles in Australia.

scholarly journals Feeding Enrichment in a Captive Pack of European Wolves (Canis Lupus Lupus): Assessing the Effects on Welfare and on a Zoo’s Recreational, Educational and Conservational Role

Animals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giacomo Riggio ◽  
Chiara Mariti ◽  
Chiara Boncompagni ◽  
Simone Corosaniti ◽  
Massimiliano Di Giovanni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Canis Lupus ◽  
Individual Variability ◽  
Behavioural Response ◽  
Data Exploration ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Enrichment Programs ◽  
Novel Object ◽  
Initial Control

This study investigated the effects of two feeding enrichment programs on the behaviour of a captive pack of European wolves (Canis lupus lupus) and their correlation with both zoo visitors’ interest towards the exhibit and their overall perception of the species. Behavioural data (exploration, stereotypies, social interactions, activity/inactivity rates) were collected on four male wolves during four two-week long phases: initial control, hidden food, novel object, final control. Three observation sessions were performed daily: before, during and after feeding. Number of visitors and their permanence in front of the exhibit were recorded. After watching the wolves, visitors were asked to fill out a brief questionnaire in order to investigate their perception of captive wolf welfare, as well as their attitude towards wolf conservation issues. Despite the high inter-individual variability in their behavioural response, all wolves seemed to benefit from feeding enrichment. With regard to visitors, interest in the exhibit increased when enrichment was provided. Visitors’ perception of the level of welfare of wolves improved if they attended a feeding session, especially during the novel object phase. Visitors’ attitude towards wolf conservation issues also improved during feeding sessions, regardless of enrichment provision.

scholarly journals Behavioural Responses of Stallions to a Novel Object

2016 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 443
Author(s):  
Silvana Popescu ◽  
Eva Diugan ◽  
Daniela Oros ◽  
Caius Stepan ◽  
Liana Danci ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Behavioural Response ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Statistical Software ◽  
Novel Object ◽  
Behavioural Responses ◽  
Individual Housing ◽  
Three Stages

The aim of this study was to test the response towards a novel object in Lipizzaner and Romanian Draft stallions. In addition the effect of the object’s colour on the behavioural response of the horses was investigated. The novel object test was performed in Lipizzaner (n = 11) and Romanian Draft (n = 8) stallions, in four different stages, observing the stallions during 45 minutes in each stage (15 minute/colour ball), and assessing a series of behavioural indicators. The data were analyzed using the SPSS statistical software. There were no significant differences in the response of the horses to the novel object in the three stages, or between the different breeds. An important result was the absence of discrimination of colour differences; the stallions were behaving similarly, irrespective to the colour of the ball. Based on the obtained results it can be concluded that the stallions were receptive to the novel object, they liked the balls, and these can be used to alleviate the monotony in the periods of individual housing in boxes.

Selection of External Tags for Marking Atlantic Herring (Clupea harengus harengus)

1984 ◽  
Vol 41 (9) ◽  
pp. 1341-1348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian S. Nakashima ◽  
G. H. Winters
Keyword(s):  
Recovery Rate ◽  
Handling Time ◽  
Application Rate ◽  
Clupea Harengus ◽  
Atlantic Herring ◽  
Tag Loss ◽  
Clupea Harengus Harengus ◽  
Reduced Time ◽  
Selection Of

Of seven external tags (carlin, disc and disc, disc and dangler, anchor, short anchor, dart, streamer) applied to Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus harengus), the anchor tag is the best to use when tagging rate, recovery rate, and persistence of tagged fish in the population are considered. A high recovery rate for carlin tags was more than compensated by the higher application rate exhibited by anchor and dart tags. Anchor tagged fish had a lower sustained mortality and reduced time in setting up the tags for application compared to dart tags. Tagged herring suffered higher short and apparent long-term mortalities than the unmarked population regardless of which external tag type was applied. Long-term tag loss may have been due to tag induced mortality and/or tag shedding. Consequently, studies requiring data beyond 2 yr after release would need another type of tag. Initial mortalities of herring increased with holding and handling time for all tags tested. This result confirms that herring should be tagged immediately after capture to reduce initial mortalities.

scholarly journals Early life differences in behavioral predispositions in two Alligatoridae species

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephan A. Reber ◽  
Jinook Oh ◽  
Judith Janisch ◽  
Colin Stevenson ◽  
Shaun Foggett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Life ◽  
Comparative Cognition ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Apex Predators ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Novel Object ◽  
Novel Environment ◽  
Object A ◽  
High Predation

AbstractBehavioral predispositions are innate tendencies of animals to behave in a given way without the input of learning. They increase survival chances and, due to environmental and ecological challenges, may vary substantially even between closely related taxa. These differences are likely to be especially pronounced in long-lived species like crocodilians. This order is particularly relevant for comparative cognition due to its phylogenetic proximity to birds. Here we compared early life behavioral predispositions in two Alligatoridae species. We exposed American alligator and spectacled caiman hatchlings to three different novel situations: a novel object, a novel environment that was open and a novel environment with a shelter. This was then repeated a week later. During exposure to the novel environments, alligators moved around more and explored a larger range of the arena than the caimans. When exposed to the novel object, the alligators reduced the mean distance to the novel object in the second phase, while the caimans further increased it, indicating diametrically opposite ontogenetic development in behavioral predispositions. Although all crocodilian hatchlings face comparable challenges, e.g., high predation pressure, the effectiveness of parental protection might explain the observed pattern. American alligators are apex predators capable of protecting their offspring against most dangers, whereas adult spectacled caimans are frequently predated themselves. Their distancing behavior might be related to increased predator avoidance and also explain the success of invasive spectacled caimans in the natural habitats of other crocodilians.

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