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Does it pay to be a lover or a fighter? It depends on how you woo females

By Guest PostJanuary 28, 2014Natureanimal, canine teeth, control of females, fall, fighter scale, john fitzpatrick, lover, male mammals, mating, new york, primates, sexual behaviours, sperm, stefan luepold, syracuse university, university, university of manchester, western australia

As mating season approaches, male animals are faced with a question that can make or break their chances at reproducing: does it pay to be a lover or a fighter? Or both?

Researchers from The University of Manchester and Syracuse University in New York working with the University of Western Australia, found that where animals fall on the lover/fighter scale depends on how much they are able to ensure continued mating rights with females.

In species where fighting for the right to mate means greater control of females, such as in the elephant seal, males invest more in weapons and less in testes size. (more…)

Size of Lunch Dictates Force of Crunch

By Guest PostFebruary 19, 2013Science3d, animal, animal bite force, animated computer model, biology letters, bite, bite strength relationship, brown university, co evolving foods, crush, crushing device, daily sustenance, ecology and evolution, ecosystem, elizabeth brainerd, eric lopresti, force, humans, jaw, length force relationship, maximum force, measure, muscle, muscle length, nicholas gidmark, nicolai konow, optimal value, phenomenon of physiology, piston activated, population, predators and prey, prey sizes, species, variable bite force, x ray markers, xray videos

Even in the same animal, not all bites are the same. A new study finds that because the force in a muscle depends on how much it is stretched, an animal’s bite force depends on the size of what it is biting. The finding has direct implications for ecology and evolution.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Many animals prefer food — snails, nuts, etc. — that must be cracked and crushed. Scientists have measured the maximum force of their impressive bites before, but a new study introduces a significant subtlety: bite force depends not only on the size and strength of the eater, but also the size of the eatee. That insight has important implications in the lives of predators and prey. (more…)

What Do Animals ‘Know’? More Than You May Think

By Guest PostDecember 11, 2011Natureanimal, animal cognition, animal intelligence, judgments, knowledge, rational creatures, rats

Rats use their knowledge to make decisions when faced with ambiguous situations, UCLA psychologists report.

“Rats often make judgments and behave as if they’re rational creatures,” said UCLA associate professor of psychology Aaron Blaisdell, a member of UCLA’s Brain Research Institute and senior author of a new study published in the December issue of the journal Psychonomic Bulletin and Review. (more…)

Mutated Gene Found in Dog Disease the Same in Humans, MU Researchers Find

By Guest PostApril 24, 2011Scienceanimal, cell function, columbia, dennis o’brien, dna test, fabiana farias, gary johnson, gene mutation, human neurological disorder, lynn steinhaus, man, martin katz, ncl, neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinosis, parkinson disease, seizures, tibetan terrier dogs, university of missouri

*Tibetian Terrier dogs could play key role in developing therapy for early-onset Parkinson’s*

COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri researchers believe both man and animal will benefit from their discovery that the same gene mutation found in Tibetan Terrier dogs can also be found in a fatal human neurological disorder related to Parkinson’s disease.

Fabiana Farias, a doctoral candidate in Area Genetics at the University of Missouri, found the mutation as part of her thesis research. Gary Johnson, associate professor of Veterinary Pathobiology; Martin Katz, professor of Veterinary Pathobiology, and Dennis O’Brien, a professor in the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, along with a host of researchers from MU’s College of Veterinary Medicine; College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) and the Mason Eye Institute, recently published the findings in Neurobiology of Disease. (more…)

Tag Archives: animal

Does it pay to be a lover or a fighter? It depends on how you woo females

Size of Lunch Dictates Force of Crunch

What Do Animals ‘Know’? More Than You May Think

Mutated Gene Found in Dog Disease the Same in Humans, MU Researchers Find