2009 Ethology- Introducing ourselves
Learning is so much more fun when we know a little more about each other, please introduce yourself here and tell us a bit about your interests and experiences with animal behavior….
Learning is so much more fun when we know a little more about each other, please introduce yourself here and tell us a bit about your interests and experiences with animal behavior….
July 31st, 2009 at 7:33 am
Just to kick off some dialogue, here is a link to our course web page where you can learn a little more about me:
agonline.tamu.edu/wfsc422/contact.htm
The things that interest me are pretty well covered in this interview with Marc Bekoff, which is also a really nice introduction to ethological perspectives in a podcast for Skeptic magazine
http://www.batpigstudios.com/audio/Skepticality_Bekoff.mp3
P.S. if you are looking to get started on course materials, please click on the link to WFSC422/632 on the right menu bar at http://blogs.tamu.edu/jmpackard/
August 27th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
Hi! I’m Kerri, and I am a first year masters student in the new marine biology graduate program. I chose to take this ethology course because I consider myself a behavioral biologist and would like to increase my effectiveness as a researcher.
I am fascinated by behavior, from tiny single cellular, solitary organisms to vast herds of migrating deer. My specific area of interest is focused on cetaceans, particularly their behavioral responses to anthropogenic influences. I have some experience working on behavioral studies, but hope to really gain experience through my masters project.
I spent a semester interning with the Marine Mammal Research Program in Galveston, identifying dusky dolphins through dorsal fin images. Identifying individuals through ten years of back photos enabled us to create an idea of movement patterns around New Zealand in response to food, predation, temperature, human influence, and other factors. We found that individuals actually had preferences for certain areas, and would return to those areas year after year, even if it was not the most productive location that year.
I also spent a summer in Alaska working at the Alaska SeaLife Center, helping to collect research on endangered sea birds. The goal of the research was to collect data on egg laying and care, and chick hatching and rearing in order to provide an understanding of these bird’s habits. Once we understand the specific needs of these birds, care can be taken to protect them in their natural environment during such a critical time in their lives.
My masters project will be taking me to the Galapagos Islands, where I will be working on creating an ecological overview of cetaceans and their habitat. There is a knowledge gap regarding which cetaceans are in the Galapagos, when they are there, and what they are doing while they are there.
My goals for this class are to come away a better observer, to be able to better analyze a behavior, and to understand what drives animals to behave the way they do. I look forward to meeting everyone. :)
August 31st, 2009 at 9:14 am
Hey!! My name is Leslie–I’m an ESSM grad student in Houston. My interests and experiences with animal behavior? Well, I grew up on an 18,000 acre exotic game ranch and watched numerous animals interact every day of my life…so I have lots of life experience and training with animal behavior. I work for Texas Parks and Wildife full time as a Natural Resource Manager, so I also have a professional aspect to wildlife as well. I look forward to learning new things in this course.
August 31st, 2009 at 10:43 am
Hi! I’m Marissa - I’m also in my first year of the new Marine Biology grad program. I am taking this course in hopes to better understand the dynamic interactions between species and their environments.
I work at the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary as a Research Assistant. Some of my current research is with the movement of manta rays and whale sharks around the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico and Mesophotic black coral distribution. I hope to be able to apply what I learn in this course to these projects in order to better understand what influences the distribution and movements of these organisms.
Looking forward to meeting everyone!
Marissa
August 31st, 2009 at 10:55 am
Hi! My name is Ashley. Im a 5th year senior. I transfered from LSU. My first year of college was kind of ruined by Katrina and Rita so I decided to move a little more in land came to A&M. Since I was little, I’ve brought home animals I’ve saved on the side of the road (dogs, cats, squirrels, turtles, ducks, etc.) . I currently foster Australian shepards through a rescue group. Last summer I went to Carmel, California and did some whale behavioral research for 2 weeks. Also this summer I went to Arkansas to visit Turpentine Creek wildlife refuge. I love exotic cats and hope to work at a place like that once I graduate.
August 31st, 2009 at 1:15 pm
A Vagabond’s Vagaries
I am called Andrew and I am a vagabond - not in the way of your (likely) first interpretation, but rather as Arthur Compton-Rickett defined it: a man “with a vagrant strain in the blood, a natural inquisitiveness about the world beyond their doors.” I am a sailor, a cattleman, a student, a dreamer, writer, photographer, husband to my beloved Allison, and sometime poet.
As a child, born and raised in Papua New Guinea, I was extremely fortunate to be able to go on many childhood outdoor “adventures” of my own making, and at eight years of age I was exposed to ocean voyaging - a near circumnavigation of PNG. Then and there I dreamt of being a “professional” adventurer; my youthful adventure aspirations included stories and documentaries of little-known locations, activities, and wildlife. Thirty two years later the dream still tugs at my conscience.
Along the wonderful way of my life I spent many years in many countries as a cattleman and groom and became intimately aware of “my charge’s” personalities. I have, since my first memories, been intrigued by the personalities and mannerisms of all manner of creatures (except the human which I have no current interest in analyzing) and often wonder why some people have an apparent connection with certain species and others don’t. An example: dogs love me! If I am with someone and an unknown dog approaches, the dog will inevitably come to my feet and ignore the other person. And, as I recently discovered this last summer back in my home country of Australia, “domesticated” water buffalo love me as well; driving through the countryside with my wife I see a pasture containing a herd of said water buffalo. I stop the car off the road and approach the fence to view these magnificent bovines. Almost immediately a large bull comes to where I am and essentially inspects me. As he is so close I reach to give him a rub/scratch and soon he is licking me and seeking more attention so I see if he will let me hold his tongue (the contrasting texture is absolutely amazing). He does. My wife then approaches as I did and he does not like that idea one iota and runs off. I don’t understand why. Perhaps it is electrical? Perhaps it is odor? Perhaps it is my saltiness? Perhaps he knew her unfamiliarity with bovine?
I so hope I develop the knowledge and inquisitiveness through this class to not only answer my existing questions, but enable me to develop new (and perhaps more profound) questions and seek answers to them.
Ultimately I hope to use my education (BS in Ocean and Coastal Resources; Masters of Marine Resource Management commenced spring 2009), along with my education, photography and writing, to document, image, and represent research/conservation in the field with a view to bringing these projects to life for the public - to enlighten, educate, and inspire.
It is now that it begins…
August 31st, 2009 at 1:54 pm
Hi, I’m Karli. I am a Junior majoring in Wildlife and Fisheries Science. I have changed my major 4 times now. But I think I have finally found the one that is right for me. I have always been interested in animals. I really have no experience with animals other than the numerous pets I have owned. Next summer I am working for the Wyoming Forest Department, I can’t wait for that! I have no idea what I want to do after I graduate, just trying to make it through these 4 years.
August 31st, 2009 at 2:22 pm
My name is Beverly Cochran. I am a first year PhD student in the department of WFSC (this is actually my first class at TAMU), co-advised by Dr. Packard and Dr. Jeff Kopachena at TAMU-Commerce. My broad research interests are in avian ecology and behavior. In particular, I am interested in the behavior, reproductive strategies, and population dynamics of colonial-nesting species in novel, urban environments.
As a Master’s student, my research looked at maternal effect strategies in the American barn swallow (Hirundo rustica erythrogaster), including hatching asynchrony, immunocompetence, and maternal sex bias. My Master’s thesis research investigated egg size variation in the barn swallow.
My PhD research focuses on the breeding biology and control of urban great-tailed grackles (Quiscalus mexicanus). Large roosting and breeding flocks of these birds aggregate in business parking lots all over the state of Texas and costs millions of dollars in clean up and repair. There is therefore a demonstrated need for an Integrated Pest Management Plan (IPM) to control their populations. However, surprisingly little research exists on these birds in urban environements, so in order to create an IPM, our research will first focus on the basic breeding biology of the birds. Second, we will evaluate the use of a male contraceptive to hopefully limit their populations. I have so far finished a preliminary winter field season (2008-2009) as well as a summer breeding field season (2009). My next winter field season will start in October. For this project I currently also have two undergraduates as well as three graduate students.
Beside grackles, I also work as an adjunct in the Biology department at TAMU-Commerce. I teach non-majors Biology and Wildlife Management I & II, but my primary responsiblilty is advising and teaching Biology 101 for freshman majors. It is a frustrating and time consuming job, but I really enjoy it (most of the time!)
All of my research has focused on birds, and so, from this class I hope to broaden my understanding of behavior in different types of animals. I look forward to getting to know you all.
August 31st, 2009 at 3:39 pm
Howdy!
My name is Sara and I am a senior Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences. I love animals and I enjoy volunteering at youth education events to raise awareness about wildlife and the environment.
I work at the entomology department as a student worker. I am involved in a data entry and specimen sorting and preparation. I never had much interest in insects before; however, after working at the entomology department for two years I have developed an interest in working with them. I even have an insect collection that I use as an educational display at youth events. After graduating I will be completing an alternative teaching certification program to teach high school life sciences. I volunteer at various schools and public outreach events and I enjoy teaching and interacting with kids.
I don’t have much experience with animal behavior, besides interaction with the several pets I have had (lizards, turtles, snakes, dogs, guinea pigs, hamsters, and fish). I have also volunteered at an animal refuge/rehabilitation center in Dallas and worked with raccoons, opossums, squirrels and birds. It was a great learning experience. I look forward to starting this class and learning more about animal behavior.
August 31st, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Howdy!
I am Amy, a senior Wildlife and Fisheries major celebrating my final semester of undergrad. I got into this class because I have always been fascinated by animals and their mannerisms. I did not even know we had this class until I was looking for a few “fun” courses for my last semester. I am very excited to be learning this material.
I have worked for the National Park Service as a range technician. I was able to study abroad in Swaziland South African this past winter. Those where both new and interesting experiences that will help me later on in life. From plant identification to tagging and collecting specimens. Despite my experiences, I still don’t quite know what I will do with myself. I will be getting married in April which is exciting, but it means I need a job to help start my family. I do know that I would like to work with or near animals if at all possible. Though teaching is beginning to not sound too bad at this moment.
Which leads me into what I hope to take away from this class, the ability to grasp and understand animal behavior a little more. I’ve done a little volunteer work and even helped with a breeding program on a ranch near by, but aside from that(and what’s listed above) my experiences hands on with animals is a little on the sub-par side. I do hope to take away some valuable information from this class.
August 31st, 2009 at 6:54 pm
Hello,
My name is Kyndal and I am a senior Wildlife and Fisheries Science Major. I think that I decided to take this course because I do not know all that much about animal behavior and the topic sounds fun and one I think I’d like to dive into.
I grew up in the country with land to roam and wildlife to watch, so I guess you can say that I was born into a natural love of nature and I think that the majority of my experience and knowledge of animal behavior comes from just that, getting to experience wildlife in my backyard.
I also do a bit of volunteering at the Brazos Animal Shelter when I get the chance. I guess you can say I have a weak spot for pets. I have a Weimaraner of my own and getting to witness his hyper nature and my roommate’s lazy cat interact is a funny way to observe animal behavior, but a way nonetheless.
Learning about animals is what I love and as long as I can do that in this course, I will be more that satisfied. I am looking forward to a great semester with each of you.
September 1st, 2009 at 9:29 am
Hi my name is Ashley Guzman, and all my life I have been interested in working closely with animals. I am a Junior Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences major. My concentration in this department is animal behavior, which is why I am taking this course. I have changed my major three times now, but I know now that this is the right major for me.
I do not have too much experience with animal behavior, except this summer I had a wonderful internship with the carnivore department at the Houston Zoo. That was definitly a wonderful experience that taught me just how much I want to work with animals upon graduation. also, when i was younger I had an internship working at an animal emergency clinic as a veterinary assistant. That was also a wonderful learning experience. I just love animals and hope to learn more about them.
Learning about their behavior and how animals interact is something that I am incredibly interested in and hope to learn many new things in this course! I look forward to meeting all of you!
September 1st, 2009 at 1:54 pm
Hi my name is Micah and I am a graduate student in the department of Entomology. I decided to take this course to better understand the behaviors that animals exhibit and try to apply them to the insect world.
My interests are in the behavioral interactions between two species of blowflies, one introduced and predacious and the other native. I hope to better understand their behavioral interactions as both adults and immatures.
I also hope to better understand their interactions with their environment and food sources. I am excited to learn about animal behaviors and I look forward to this exciting course.
September 1st, 2009 at 5:51 pm
Howdy!
My name is Robyn Sawyer and I am a junior in the WFSC Department. My major is animal ecology with an emphasis on animal behavior. I have been looking forward to taking this class for so long and hope to learn even more about animal behavior. Animals have always fascinated me since I was young, and I usually find myself watching them and trying to learn more about their behaviors. Animals are definitely my passion and I can’t imagine having a career that didn’t involve them somehow. I am most interested in the behavior of large carnivors, particularly wolves.
While I haven’t yet participated in any internships, I did volunteer two summers ago during most sat. at a wolf and wolf/hybrid sanctuary in my hometown. I learned a lot there about saftey, preparing meals, and about wolves in general. While I didn’t get to spend much time there, I really enjoyed the experience. I am planning on dong the animal ecology study abroad in South Africa and finding a semester long internship dealing with wolves to help add to my experience level.
Can’t wait to learn even more from this class and everyone here!
September 1st, 2009 at 7:07 pm
Hello
My name is Amanda Priest. I am a senior at Texas A&M University, this year. My major is Wildlife Management with an emphasis on Animal Behavior, so I figured this class could definitely provide me with some more insight into the world of animals. I am 21 years old at this time I live in College Station, Texas. I have two dogs, both males, one is a English Bulldog named Owen who currently weighs in at a whopping 72 lbs, and the other is a German Shepard mix with sometime else, he was a stray and is only four months old, so not quite sure what else he has in him yet, but his name is Diesel. I am definitely an animal person and I am hoping to one day have an African Grey parrot, but no such luck at this time. I have two jobs so I keep myself pretty busy. I drive a motorcycle, Ninja 650, which I love to race.
I am planning to take away from this class, some more knowledge on animals and human interaction and also just to try to understand why animals behave the way they do and what is the reason behind that. I have done conducted research studies with my pet mouse, which is no longer with me. When I received him from the pet store, that I use to work at, his eyes had been completely chewed out by his siblings. So I was able, through this terrible accident, to contact several studies on how senses are heightened, when one sense is lost; along with various experiments on food preferences and the attraction to smell, based on that preference. Other wise I still have to complete an internship but not really sure what to do yet.
That about wraps it up for me, see you in class.
September 1st, 2009 at 8:33 pm
Howdy!
I’m Noel Thomas. I’m a senior and a Zoology major. I’m an international student from Singapore. For those who don’t know much about Singapore, heres a lil bit. It is in South East Asia. A tiny tiny island. About 600km sq. Takes about 50 mins to drive from east to west and about 40mins to get from north to south. I’m pretty sure some of yall out here own pastures or properties about the same size. Don’t let our size fool you though. Now, I aint gonna boast about our economy or nothing like that though. We have one of the best Zoos in the world. It uses an open zoo concept. Hardly any cages, just wet and dry moats. Anyway, the reason I brought yalls attention to where I am from and our zoo is because this was the stage for a very specific set of events, that shaped me to be who I am today.
I was born into a house with a dog. I was the first child meaning that while mum and dad were at work, I was home with my dog. Grandparents were there too of coure, looking after me. But at that time I developed this bond with my dog. Just like any little kid would with his dog. However, I believe it was something different. I found that I could relate to him in a way that no one else could. Almost as though we were one. Tony died when I was 5. I had lost my best friend and a part of myself. With his death though, the animal in me was born. Lame? I don’t think so.
When I was in sixth grade, I was part of a club called the young scientists. We got to pick which field we were going to pursue for a year long project. I immediatly jumped on Zoology. It involved doing experiments, collecting, interviewing and each task was awarded with a certain number of points. One of these assignments was to go to the Zoo and observe one animal and write a paper about it. So for the first time, at age 12, I went to the zoo, ALONE. My parents/school had no idea what they did by sending me off to the zoo that day. I spend the whole day, walking around this zoo, obviously too big for a pair of 12 year old legs looking for this animal I was going to write about. 6 o clock came and I headed to the night safari which is the night version of the zoo across the parking lot. I searched and searched till it got dark and then I found something.
I didn’t only find the topic I was going to write my paper about. I found my calling, my career and myself. Standing atop a little stone mound were a pair of timber wolves. I had never seen true beauty before that moment. That image captured me at a level I had never experienced before. I was totally amazed. I was consumed. Then, before I could digest the scene before me, one of the wolves lifted his nose and hoowwwlllled!
Many years later…….. Today I’m at Texas A&M, working on a degree in Zoology. The next step that will bring me to my wolves.
September 1st, 2009 at 8:48 pm
Hey, my name is Heather. I’m a sophomore so I feel like a little fish in a big pond. Last year I was in BIMS but I felt out of place. Once I did some research I found WFSC and felt like it was a perfect match. I have had a love for animals since I was a wee ankle bitter and would like to make a career out of my passion. I’m still trying to find my way though; I’m just one lost soul swimming in a fish bow.
September 2nd, 2009 at 8:16 am
Howdy,
My name is Jared. Im from a little town out side of Temple. Been at Texas A&M for three years and graduate in December. I love the outdoors and hunting. I started a taxidermy business when I was 12. As a taxidermist I preserve memories in the form of trophies taken by my clients. I spend alot of time in a deer blind, and get to watch animal behavior. That is about the extent of my work with animals. I did dabble with an internship in CA, at Point Reyes National park. Best summer ever! Signing off, Jared
September 2nd, 2009 at 8:18 am
Wow, I’m delighted to read these posts and get to know you better. I hope some of you will help befriend Heather so she feels a welcome part of our collaborative learning community.
September 2nd, 2009 at 8:20 am
Jared, would you be interested in helping us find a way to make a taxidermy mount of a river otter specimen? Michael and Anna are planning a survey of river otters in Brazos County because we are accumulating more local knowledge sightings, but they have not yet formally been documented this far west.
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:05 am
Howdy,
My name is Danielle but everyone calls me Dani, and I am currently a senior class of 2010 double degreeing in WFSC and Zoology. I love animals and I had always wanted to be a Vet ever since I was 4, but once I volunteered at a vet clinic and got sick on the first operation and realized that maybe a similar field would be for me. So I’m still debating between vet school, masters, or PhD. I enjoy animal diversity and researching new interesting facts on how similar animals are to humans, physiologically and behaviorally. My hobbies are softball, playing with my dog Lucky, and cleaning dead animal skulls. I’m a small town gal and am still getting used to all the crowding and traffic around here. I am currently a fawn feeder at Big Rack Ranch and also work in a Vivarium lab on campus. I am speaker chair of the Zoological Society and encourage everyone to join who loves/likes animals! =]
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:59 am
Howdy,
My name is Lauren and I am anthropology major. I am graduating this December and am super excited! I train horses and it is imperative to have some knowledge and understanding of horse behavior and tendencies to be successful. Understanding herd behavior and interactions between horses in the wild helps me to interact with the horses I train in a positive way. I have always been interested in animal behavior. I didn’t do enough research when I was choosing a degree and anthropology is my 4th major. I think a WFSC major would have been a better choice but too late now. I think I will really enjoy this class and look forward to learning all the material.
September 2nd, 2009 at 12:54 pm
I’m Amber; I don’t like my first name so I abbreviate it to the single letter M. I started off at A&M as a zoology major, but I quickly realized that it wasn’t quite what I wanted. A friend told me about WFSC and I immediately knew I had to change majors. I’m certainly glad I did! I am now a junior WFSC major with a wildlife conservation and ecology emphasis.
Animals have been my passion since even before I can remember. According to my mother, my first words were, “Look at the birds,” in reference to vultures circling overhead at Sequioa National Park. Throughout my childhood I’d bring in baby birds fallen from their nests and injured birds to my mother. When I was twelve I started volunteering at Safari’s Exotic Wildlife Sanctuary in Oklahoma; it has been a wonderful learning experience for me. I have observed and worked with many different animals including wolves, alligators, parrots, and lemurs. When I was fourteen I discovered by chance the Last Chance Forever Bird of Prey Conservancy in my home town of San Antonio. I volunteered there for a year and a half; ever since then birds of prey have been my specialty. My senior project in high school was falconry. I spent the entire school year studying every aspect of the sport and working with a licensed falconer. Unfortunately, as a college student living in a dorm, I have neither the time nor the resources to pursue my own falconry license at the moment, but I fully intend to do so in the future. Second to my interest in birds is my interest in snakes, especially venomous ones.
Up until high school I had wanted to become a veterinarian, but then I started to question that desire. I started realizing that I was more concerned with studying animal behaviour and wildlife conservation. Hence my decision to change to the WFSC major. I plan to spend my life studying and conserving endangered species around the world, hopefully encountering many adventures along the way.
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:23 pm
Hi everyone. I’m Shannon. I am a PhD student here in WFSC, working with Mike Morrison, in what I like to think of as the final stretch of my PhD; I’ve got about a year and a half left and I’m looking ot this course to a review some familiar topics and incentive to plunge further into some areas, and to prepare for my prelim exams!
I’m originally from New Jersey, did my undergrad in Rhode Island (yes, it is a state!), spent a long while being a vagbond as Andrew described, travelling around the country, often in coastal California, working on various wildlife research projects and some science education. I concur with Jared that working in the beautiful Point Reyes, CA, area is a fabulous opportunity! Then I came to A&M in 2005 to work on my Master’s and was persuaded after that to sign away my soul to go on to a PhD.
I’m interested in ecology & wildlife/habitat relationships with an eye to conservation. I am currently lucky to be working on several components of an amazing, big research endeavor studying many aspects of the ecology and management of 2 endangered songbirds that breed in Texas (ask me about getting experience doing field research-really-I hire LOTS of field technicians every year, or go to http://irnr.tamu.edu/RAMSES/ for info).
I’ve focussed my PhD research on integrating birds’ intraspecific behavioral interactions into our understanding of why birds choose to settle where they do; so I hoping to keep thinking about all aspects of behavior and how they may influence the patterns and distributions of animals we see. I’m doing this with a set of manipulative experiments that required I build some electronic audio equipment myself (which I knew nothing about), and after only a few incidents with sparks, smoke, and fire, it’s going well. I have been able to explore some of the many questions I’ve wondered about, and I come up with more everyday I spend in the field, or reading papers, or crunching data, and I have 1 more field season to collect data to answer some of these questions.
September 2nd, 2009 at 3:53 pm
Hi, I’m Caron. I graduated in December with my WFSC degree but have stayed enrolled in A&M to take some classes that I couldn’t fit into my undergrad career. I started A&M as a BIMS major wanting to go to vet school but changed my mind and my major during my junior year after taking a few wildlife electives. I currently work in a histology laboratory in the VIBS department and I am also the Technician out at A&M’s Winnie Carter Wildlife Center. I have always been interested in behavior, but became more intrigued by it after working with the different species at the Wildlife Center. I enjoy watching how they interact with each other and with us. I am still amazed how each animal seems have its own distinct “personality”. I am excited to learn what drives animals to do what they do!
September 2nd, 2009 at 4:22 pm
Howdy!
My name is Kristin Brown, I am a WFSC Major with my emphasis in Animal Behavior. I am originally from New Braunfels near San Antonio. I have always loved the outdoors and was encouraged to pursue my dreams in animal training by my family. I am blessed to have completed an internship at the San Antonio Zoo over the summer. I worked in the bird department in the Avian Reproduction Center. I found that I loved the challenge of working with birds, especially endangered species. I look forward to our class adding to my understanding of nature.
September 2nd, 2009 at 4:34 pm
Howdy!
My name is Jorge Giron, I am a WFSC major with an emphasis in animal behavior. Growing up in Houston I never really got a chance to be around a lot of animals except for the times that I went to the Houston Zoo! That’s when I realized that this would be the field for me. Currently I have been able to volunteer and work at small animal clinics, animal shelters, and luckily the Houston Zoo as my internship. I was able to have so many encounters with a variety of species, and work with amazing staff and personnel. It was really amazing to be able to see the different aspect of things that go on in a zoo and seeing the role that everyone plays within the zoo. I was able to work with dieticians, zoo keepers, curators, and veterinarians, so it was really an all around experience. Animal Behavior is by far my number one choice, and I am excited to take a class like this especially after reading about other people’s experiences, which makes me very enthusiastic to get to know others and learn from their encounters with different species. I look forward to participating in class, and figuring out what I can do to better myself as a future member of the scientific field.
September 2nd, 2009 at 5:45 pm
Hi, my name is Yvette Aguinaga. I am a wildlife and fisheries sciences major with an emphasis in animal behavior management. I love to study animals and how they behave. As for my experience, I have been training a service dog for about a year now. I have really enjoyed it and want to train animals as a career.
September 2nd, 2009 at 7:54 pm
Hey there!
I hope I am not too late to blog. Just thought I’d try it out! I am a WFSC major. I love being around animals and I am very interested in animal behavior. However, my research is in Galveston, and involves DNA barcoding to identify larval species I collect from the bay. I am looking for invasive species, and trying to photo identify invertebrate larva. This course will be different than the other courses I have taken, but I am excited about it!
On a personal note, I am married, and I have a 4-yr-old son! We live about 45 min. from Galveston. We love the being by the water, and we love animals and being outdoors! We have 2 cats and a dog; all of which are strays that we took in. We always take in strays, and at one point we had 3 dogs, 3 cats, and a bird! We recently adopted a cat that was left behind when his owners moved out of their apartment.
I hope I do well in this course. I am still trying to figure out how to use all the e-learning stuff, and I am willing to email, chat, blog, etc. with anyone about the assignments and stuff.
September 2nd, 2009 at 8:49 pm
Hey everyone! I am a jr. WFSC major with an emphasis in animal behavior, which seems to be pretty popular on this blog! I originally transferred in as a Zoology major last year but after discovering WFSC I knew it would be a better fit for me. I guess I have always loved animals. As long as I can remember we have always had pets. I hand raised my two cats that I have now, which was both time consuming yet very rewarding and when my puppy had parvo I nursed him back to health but that is pretty much the extent of my hands on experience.
Conservation, rescue and rehabilitation are probably my biggest areas of interest along with just about anything ocean oriented. I did want to be a Vet for awhile but realized that that wasn’t for me so I’m not sure yet what I want to do after graduation. What I would really love to do is join the Peace Corps and work in Africa for a few years then come back and get my PhD, but we’ll see how that works out! Other than that, I am so excited to finally be starting my more interesting upper division classes.
Good luck to everyone this semester!
September 2nd, 2009 at 10:08 pm
Howdy everyone!
My name is Lindsay Debernarde I’m a Jr. WFSC (animal behavior) & Psyc double major planning on graduating in Dec. of 2010. I’m originally from a little town in southern California right in between LA and San Diego. Fallbrook is well known for its Thoroughbred farms and its avocados so I grew up in a pretty agriculturally centered environment but lived close enough to the cities to appreciate city life as well. I have always been fascinated with animal behavior and have been Animal Planet addict ever since I can remember.
I originally planned on becoming a vet. but after being an Animal Science major for 3 semesters I decided that I didn’t want my career to be focused on cattle, sheep and hogs so I switched to animal behavior. This major is much more suited to my current career goals of using animals as therapy for handicapped children. I have worked in that industry using horse as therapy for all types of mental and physical disabilities since I was 12 and have a real passion for it and hope to expand it use of other, non-traditional therapy animals.
I am currently working on a directed studies project on all types of horse behavior with Dr. P and would love to get to know anyone who has horse experience and might be willing to brainstorm or have some input on my project.
I took comparative psyc. this summer and learned a ton about animal behavior from a psyc. perspective and am totally pumped to learn more about animal behavior from a more animal centered and evolutionary perspective! I also have been up to Fossil Rim (where our Oct. field trip is going) and absolutely love it and really think that anyone who is interested in pursueing
September 2nd, 2009 at 10:09 pm
Howdy everyone!
My name is Stephanie Garza and I am a junior Wildlife and Fisheries major with an emphasis in animal behavior. This is actually my first semester in wildlife; I was a BIMS student going for vet school but I realized I was interested more in how an animal behaves rather than what makes an animal.
I hope to one day work in a zoo, hopefully with tigers, they’re my favorite. But for now, I train gun dogs and it is a lot of fun. I’m sure what I learn in this class will teach me a lot about training dogs. I look forward to the rest of this class.
Have a great semester!
Thank and Gig ‘Em
September 2nd, 2009 at 10:13 pm
oops I accidently submitted mine before I was finished.
Anyway, I was just going to finish up and say that Fossil Rim is an amazing place and I know that anyone interested in pursuing a career in animal behavior, especially with exotics, is going to love this place. Hope ya’ll have an excellent semester!!!!
September 2nd, 2009 at 10:26 pm
Howdy,
I’m a senior wildlife and fisheries sciences major with an emphasis in vertebrate zoology. I’ll be around for another year most likely so you’ll probably see me around this amazing campus.
My love of wildlife has grown ever since my first interaction with an alligator that was loose in the neighborhood I lived in when I was 3 yrs old. My mom saw me trying to pet the 6 ft long smiling reptile in our backyard before she grabbed me and ran me back in the house.
I have so many stories of wildlife I have seen and interacted with, but my interest has been and always will be the scientific reasoning for why animals react the way they do. I feel we can learn more about our human existince from wildlife and how they have adapted to life on this earth. With everyone’s interest in climate change, the reactions of animals will tell us what we need to know.
I’m from the Houston area but have lived in many different ecosystems which have only increased my willingness to see the rest of the world.
Ending note: If I could be any animal, I’d be a falcon. Super agile, ferocious to some, but most importantly I’d have a whole sky to explore.
September 3rd, 2009 at 6:24 am
Howdy!
My name is Kimberly Cornell, and I’m a senior zoology major graduating in December. I’ve had a passion for animals since I was little and have always wanted to become a marine biologist or a veterinarian. In high school, I shadowed a vet and for some reason did not enjoy the experience as much as I anticipated. I also shadowed doctors in the O.R. and other medical fields and was able to observe some amazing operations! Finally, I shadowed a zookeeper at our local zoo for a week and fell in love with the atmosphere. I actually woke up excited everyday that week to shadow zookeepers in different parts of the zoo. Since that experience, I’ve always wanted to work at a zoo or something similar. I’m so excited about this class and what it has to offer! I only needed 5 hours to graduate this semester, but I decided to take this class and conduct research in the biology department so I’m actually taking 9 hours. Like Noel and Danielle, I’m also a member of the Zoological Society and encourage other students to join as well!
September 3rd, 2009 at 8:49 am
Howdy! I’m Heather and I’m a fifth year Wildlife and Fisheries major. That hasn’t always been my major, up until the spring semester of my junior year I was a biomedical science major. So seeing as I switched into this field of study really late in my college life I’m going to be sticking around a little longer than most. I think I’ve come to the conclusion that I want to work in a Zoo type setting when i finally graduate which will hopfully be next summer. Along with my love for animals I also have a passion for sports, which has gotten me the position of vice president of the 12th Man Student Foundation. We are the “team behind the teams” and follow Aggie with a passion. We also sell the 12th Man Towels before EVERY home game. The sales from the towels go to help our organization take students on a road trip to an out of town football game every fall. This year we are going to the Arkansas game at the new Cowboy’s Stadium. If you love sports and want to try and go with us join the 12th Student Foundation!
So enough of my sports ranting. I am really excited about this class and hope to have lots of fun taking it!
September 3rd, 2009 at 9:36 am
My name is Morriah Cowden and this course is one of the first of my three graduate courses I am taking as a DE Master’s student out of Colorado. I am completing my MS degree in Fisheries Science. I work fulltime as a Fisheries Technician for the Colorado Division of Wildlife. My experience with animal behavior most directly comes from my own household pets, but professionally, I have come to know behavior as one of the most integral elements of wildlife management. I am looking forward to understanding the more biological basis of the behavior I see in animals, so that I might one day become a better manager of wildlife.
September 4th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
Hi my name is Adrianna Trevino but everyone calls me Adri. I am currently a junior in Wild Life and Fisheries with an animal behavior emphasis. I originally wanted to be a veterinarian but I realized that it is not the only field that gets to be involved with animals. I also realized that most animals hate going to the vet and I would rather be around animals that can learn to love being with me. I am very excited to take this class especially because I get the feeling that we are going to be dealing with the K9 behavior quite a bit. I really want to work with training dogs after I graduate and I think that it is very important to get to know the history of the dog. I am currently working with a K9 search and rescue team and I am loving every bit of it. I think that it would be awesome if I could work with wolves one day but for now I will stick with their more domestic cousins the dog. I can’t wait to learn as much as possible in this class.
Hope everybody has a great semester!
September 4th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Hello!
My name is Kelsey Walker and I am a senior WFSC major graduating in May. I have changed my ‘option’ so many times I can’t remember what it is right now. However; I have never once changed my major because I have always known that I am interested in this field. I am from a town about 30 minutes north of Galveston and grew up always having pets and spending every waking hour outside. I am so thankful to have grown up in a time before video games and TV became so popular. I may have never discovered my love for the outdoors had I sat inside all day as a kid.
Anyway, I am taking this class to increase my knowledge of animal behavior and because I really like online courses. I volunteered at the Houston SPCA and Houston Humane Society in High School, and last January I went on a study abroad trip to Swaziland and South Africa. Observing animals never gets old to me.
September 7th, 2009 at 7:51 am
I’m John, and I’m 29, a non-traditional student and senior. I am a History major with a minor in Anthropology. When not working on my degree, I substitute teach for Bryan ISD and operate a small Brahman cattle ranch on the outskirts of Bryan. This course for me is out of my field of study but will have some implication to the operation of my ranch. I’ve worked with cattle my entire life and have been somewhat curious as to why an animal interacts and reacts to people in certain ways and even in different ways to different people and other animals.
I hope to gain from this course a better understanding to the behavior of not only my cattle but to the wild life that can and will eventually interact with my cattle; so that, I can attempt to forecast any dangers that may arise on my range.
September 7th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Hello everyone,
My name is Amanda Flynn, and I am a new graduate student here at Texas A&M (I was a graduate student at ASU and Texas A&M Corpus Christi before). I have always been interested in animal behavior/conservation/research, which is why I have continued my education in the biological sciences since I graduated from high school (2001). As an undergraduate, I completed an undergraduate “thesis” working in an avian biology lab, looking at carotenoid levels in the blood of house finches in reference to their immuno-response when challenged with a battery of pathogens (i.e., does brighter plumage color = better immunological fitness?). I got a bachelors in biology in 2005 from ASU, and then got stuck on a teaching tangent for a year (I got a master’s in education with an emphasis on science and mathematics in 2007 from ASU). After working with high school students for a year (that was WAY more than enough for me), I applied to Corpus Christi, where I did a master’s in biology (my thesis had to do with mollusc behavior in the presence of predators). Now I am here, and I am working with Dr. Mora and will be working with an endangered bird species, and hope to finish my ph.d by 2012.
Amanda Flynn
September 7th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
Hi, my name is Amanda. I am a Junior Wildlife and Fisheries Major with and emphasis in animal behavior. I have always wanted to do some sort of work with animals when I got older. It was just a couple years ago though when I realized I really wanted to work with big cats either lions or tigers. I would like to work at either a zoo or some sort of animal sactuary. This semester I am working at The Winnie Carter WIldlife Center by the vet school. It is my second week and I love it. Since I was a freshman I have wanted to take Mrs. Packard’s class, and I can’t wait to understand animal behavior more.
September 7th, 2009 at 8:45 pm
Howdy! My name is Waldo. I’m a senior Wildlife and Fisheries Major with an emphasis on Animal Behavior. I have had an interest in animals since before I can remember. They have always had a special place in my heart. I find animals just so fascinating, and what I find most interesting is their behavior. So, naturally I’m taking this class to learn more. After school here at A&M, I hope to continue on to Dallas Theological Seminary to pursue a job in ministry. Even though my future career has nothing to do with what I’m studying at the moment, I hope to use what I’ve learned so far to teach the next generation how to better appreciate our co-inhabitants of this earth.
September 9th, 2009 at 9:18 pm
Howdy everyone! I am also a Heather (I think there are three of us in the class); a senior, WFSC major - Animal Behavior emphasis, getting set to graduate in December. I was originally planning on becoming a veterinarian, but chemistry and I did not get along. At all. Especially O-chem. But that’s in the past! Looking on the bright side (or sour grapes), I’d prefer to work with animals that are conscious, and not mad/scared about going to the vet. :)
September 23rd, 2009 at 11:34 am
Hi
I am Laura Gaines. I am a Wildlife major with emphasis on animal behavior. Like Dani, I have a passion for animals and have always wanted to a vet. After many years working at vet clinics I also have an issue with fainting. I even trained myself to recognize the warning signs of fainting, so that when I was assisting in surgery I would catch myself and begin to stare at an object until it passed. I have now grasp the reality, that I will never over come it like I have thought for many years, I can only control it. I have always been very interested in animal behavior. My cat is a great subject to watch, which is why I want to understand more of whats really going on.