Comments for Biodiversity Stewardship Lab http://blogs.tamu.edu/jmpackard Wildlife & Fisheries Sciences at Texas A&M University Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:55:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 Comment on Q10.2 group foraging (UF) by Danielle Minick http://blogs.tamu.edu/jmpackard/2007/11/12/q102-group-foraging-uf/#comment-2800 Danielle Minick Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:20:36 +0000 http://blogs.tamu.edu/jmpackard/2007/11/12/q102-group-foraging-uf/#comment-2800 African wild dogs are one of the most organized group hunters in the animal kingdom. They are among the rarest mammals in Africa but they are very efficient in group hunts. They mostly feed on impala, but in a group they increase the range of their prey species available to the pack (Fanshawe 1993). Therefore, foraging in a group/pack allows for bigger prey items to be taken. However, one cost may be the amount of food available per each individual in scarce times. When prey is small, there is less amount of food for each wild dog to consume. Another benefit of foraging as a group, there is great success in making a kill compared to hunting solitary. In a group there are more dogs to find and hunt down prey more quickly while expending less energy. Other costs include being obvious. Their competitor in Africa are the hyenas, foraging in large groups are more obvious to other hunters who may steal their catch. This act is known as "kleptoparasites", in which the hyenas steal food from the wild dogs (Gorman 1998). Fanshawe, J.H. and Fitzgibbon, C.D. "Factors influencing the hunting success of an African wild dog pack." Animal behaviour. 1993, 45: pp. 479-490. Gorman, Martyn L., Mills, Michael G., Raath, Jacobus P., Speakman, John R. "High hunting costs make African wild dogs vulnerable to kleptoparasitism by hyaenas." Nature. 1998, 391: pp. 479-481. Here is a video filmed on Planet Earth, showing the group hunting tactics of African Wild dogs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6swfVakcf4 African wild dogs are one of the most organized group hunters in the animal kingdom. They are among the rarest mammals in Africa but they are very efficient in group hunts. They mostly feed on impala, but in a group they increase the range of their prey species available to the pack (Fanshawe 1993). Therefore, foraging in a group/pack allows for bigger prey items to be taken. However, one cost may be the amount of food available per each individual in scarce times. When prey is small, there is less amount of food for each wild dog to consume.

Another benefit of foraging as a group, there is great success in making a kill compared to hunting solitary. In a group there are more dogs to find and hunt down prey more quickly while expending less energy.

Other costs include being obvious. Their competitor in Africa are the hyenas, foraging in large groups are more obvious to other hunters who may steal their catch. This act is known as “kleptoparasites”, in which the hyenas steal food from the wild dogs (Gorman 1998).

Fanshawe, J.H. and Fitzgibbon, C.D. “Factors influencing the hunting success of an African wild dog pack.” Animal behaviour. 1993, 45: pp. 479-490.

Gorman, Martyn L., Mills, Michael G., Raath, Jacobus P., Speakman, John R. “High hunting costs make African wild dogs vulnerable to kleptoparasitism by hyaenas.” Nature. 1998, 391: pp. 479-481.

Here is a video filmed on Planet Earth, showing the group hunting tactics of African Wild dogs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6swfVakcf4

]]> Comment on Q10.3 solitary hunt (PC) by Toni Mason http://blogs.tamu.edu/jmpackard/2007/11/12/q103-hunt-pc/#comment-2799 Toni Mason Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:53:44 +0000 http://blogs.tamu.edu/jmpackard/2007/11/12/q103-hunt-pc/#comment-2799 Cheetahs are generally solitary hunters that utilize varying hunting techniques depending on the terrain and the intended prey. Although many people are aware that cheetahs can attain speeds up to 70 mph, they are usually unable to sustain this speed for greater than 300 meters. Their average speed is approximately 40 mph. Most cheetahs require many months of tutelage from their mother prior to hunting alone. A female will capture young prey and bring it back alive so that her 9-12 month old cubs can practice their hunting skills. In order for a cheetah to effectively capture prey, 3 hunting behaviors usually have to occur. 1. Visual contact: from atop a termite mound or tree. 2. Approaching prey: via concealment and stalking or by approaching at a slow pace. This usually is determined by the type of cover available and also by the species being hunted. 3. Chase: sprint into full speed; however, if the chase does not succeed the cheetah will have to rest prior to the next hunt. In spite of the lengthy time they spend with their mother and their inherent speed, cheetahs often lose their kills to lions and hyenas due to their strength and the fact that they generally travel in groups. Some of the above information came from prior knowledge and also from the Cheetah Conservation Fund website at: www.cheetah.org. Cheetahs are generally solitary hunters that utilize varying hunting techniques depending on the terrain and the intended prey. Although many people are aware that cheetahs can attain speeds up to 70 mph, they are usually unable to sustain this speed for greater than 300 meters. Their average speed is approximately 40 mph. Most cheetahs require many months of tutelage from their mother prior to hunting alone. A female will capture young prey and bring it back alive so that her 9-12 month old cubs can practice their hunting skills. In order for a cheetah to effectively capture prey, 3 hunting behaviors usually have to occur.
1. Visual contact: from atop a termite mound or tree.
2. Approaching prey: via concealment and stalking or by approaching at a slow pace. This usually is determined by the type of cover available and also by the species being hunted.
3. Chase: sprint into full speed; however, if the chase does not succeed the cheetah will have to rest prior to the next hunt.
In spite of the lengthy time they spend with their mother and their inherent speed, cheetahs often lose their kills to lions and hyenas due to their strength and the fact that they generally travel in groups.
Some of the above information came from prior knowledge and also from the Cheetah Conservation Fund website at: http://www.cheetah.org.

]]> Comment on Q10.2 group foraging (UF) by Ashley Guzman http://blogs.tamu.edu/jmpackard/2007/11/12/q102-group-foraging-uf/#comment-2798 Ashley Guzman Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:47:07 +0000 http://blogs.tamu.edu/jmpackard/2007/11/12/q102-group-foraging-uf/#comment-2798 Correction: Lions are one of the most well known species who hunt cooperatively. Hunting success is correlated positively with the hunting group size. So the lionesses that hunt in larger groups have more hunting success than females hunting in smaller groups. Also, the more lions in a pride, the larger amount of lions able to guard and protect a kill from scavengers. Although the costs are shown when food is scarce and feeding everyone in the pride can be difficult. "During the dry season many cubs in the area die of starvation, indicating that most lions are just mangaging to meet their minimum daily energetic-intake requirement."(Thomas caraco & Larry L. Wolf 1975: 345) Because of competition, it is speculated that lions forage in groups that provide the most food intake resources for each lion. Packer, Craig and Anna Mosser “Group territoriality and the benefits of sociality in the African lion, Panthera leo” Animal behavior Vol: 78, Issue: 2 August 2009, Pages 359-370 Thomas Caraco and Larry L. Wolf, “Ecological Determinants of Group Sizes of Foraging Lions” The American Naturalist, Vol. 109, No. 967 (May - Jun., 1975), pp. 343-352 Published by: The University of Chicago Press for The American Society of Naturalists, 1975 Correction:

Lions are one of the most well known species who hunt cooperatively. Hunting success is correlated positively with the hunting group size. So the lionesses that hunt in larger groups have more hunting success than females hunting in smaller groups. Also, the more lions in a pride, the larger amount of lions able to guard and protect a kill from scavengers. Although the costs are shown when food is scarce and feeding everyone in the pride can be difficult. “During the dry season many cubs in the area die of starvation, indicating that most lions are just mangaging to meet their minimum daily energetic-intake requirement.”(Thomas caraco & Larry L. Wolf 1975: 345) Because of competition, it is speculated that lions forage in groups that provide the most food intake resources for each lion.

Packer, Craig and Anna Mosser “Group territoriality and the benefits of sociality in the African lion, Panthera leo” Animal behavior Vol: 78, Issue: 2 August 2009, Pages 359-370

Thomas Caraco and Larry L. Wolf, “Ecological Determinants of Group Sizes of Foraging Lions” The American Naturalist, Vol. 109, No. 967 (May - Jun., 1975), pp. 343-352 Published by: The University of Chicago Press for The American Society of Naturalists, 1975

]]> Comment on Q10.4 hunting (UE) by kristin brown http://blogs.tamu.edu/jmpackard/2007/11/12/q104-hunting-ue/#comment-2797 kristin brown Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:24:26 +0000 http://blogs.tamu.edu/jmpackard/2007/11/12/q104-hunting-ue/#comment-2797 I decided to look at the hunting behaviors of the Order Cetacea. The ability to fill different niches in the aquatic world has allowed the order to diverge. Order Cetacea is split into two suborders Odontoceti, the toothed whales and Mysticeti the balenated whales. The ability to fill these different niches has allowed the whales to adapt and diverge to take advantage of a variety of different food supplies. Blue whales, from the sub order Mysticeti, are often solitary hunters or gather in very small pods that migrate long distances following and feeding on phytoplankton and krill. Humpback Whales ( Mysteceti) use a special herding tactic called bubble screening. The whales will get in a large group and drive their selected prey items by using bubbles to group them making it easier to swallow. Dolphins and Orcas are members of the suborder Odontoceti and are some of the most specialized hunters in the order Cetacea, they use complex hunting patterns and tactics including beaching themselves and prey driving in order to catch prey items. Ginsberg, Joshua R. and Clode, Danielle. Animal Behavior. Hunting. Pg 45 and 55. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology information on Blue Whales, Humpback Whales, and the Suborder Odontoceti I decided to look at the hunting behaviors of the Order Cetacea. The ability to fill different niches in the aquatic world has allowed the order to diverge. Order Cetacea is split into two suborders Odontoceti, the toothed whales and Mysticeti the balenated whales. The ability to fill these different niches has allowed the whales to adapt and diverge to take advantage of a variety of different food supplies.
Blue whales, from the sub order Mysticeti, are often solitary hunters or gather in very small pods that migrate long distances following and feeding on phytoplankton and krill. Humpback Whales ( Mysteceti) use a special herding tactic called bubble screening. The whales will get in a large group and drive their selected prey items by using bubbles to group them making it easier to swallow. Dolphins and Orcas are members of the suborder Odontoceti and are some of the most specialized hunters in the order Cetacea, they use complex hunting patterns and tactics including beaching themselves and prey driving in order to catch prey items.

Ginsberg, Joshua R. and Clode, Danielle. Animal Behavior. Hunting. Pg 45 and 55.

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology information on Blue Whales, Humpback Whales, and the Suborder Odontoceti

]]> Comment on Deer Inquiry Activity by Jane Packard http://blogs.tamu.edu/jmpackard/2008/08/18/ethogram-workbook-wfsc422/#comment-2796 Jane Packard Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:18:02 +0000 http://blogs.tamu.edu/jmpackard/2008/08/18/ethogram-workbook-wfsc422/#comment-2796 more about the assessment display, this is relevant for deciding whether parallel walk is more ancestral or derived in the cervidae: JENNINGS, D.J., GAMMELL, M.P., CARLIN, C.M. & HAYDEN, T.J. 2003. Is the parallel walk between competing male fallow deer, Dama dama, a lateral display of individual quality? ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR, 2003, 65, 1005 -1012 more about the assessment display, this is relevant for deciding whether parallel walk is more ancestral or derived in the cervidae:

JENNINGS, D.J., GAMMELL, M.P., CARLIN, C.M. & HAYDEN, T.J. 2003. Is the parallel walk between competing male fallow deer, Dama dama, a lateral display of individual quality? ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR, 2003, 65, 1005 -1012

]]> Comment on Deer Inquiry Activity by Jane Packard http://blogs.tamu.edu/jmpackard/2008/08/18/ethogram-workbook-wfsc422/#comment-2795 Jane Packard Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:07:27 +0000 http://blogs.tamu.edu/jmpackard/2008/08/18/ethogram-workbook-wfsc422/#comment-2795 To help with the evolutionary perspective about phylogenetic history: FRIČOVÁ, ., BARTOŠ, L., BARTOŠOVÁ, J., PANAMÁ, J., ŠUSTR, P., and JOZÍFKOVÁ, E. 2007. Females presence and males agonistic encounters in fallow deer, Dama dama during the rut Folia Zool. - 56(3): 253 -262 Wronski, T., Apio, T., Wanker, R., and Plath, M. 2006. Behavioural repertoire of the bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus): agonistic interactions, mating behaviour and parent -offspring relations. J Ethol (2006) 24:247 -260. To help with the evolutionary perspective about phylogenetic history:

FRIČOVÁ, ., BARTOŠ, L., BARTOŠOVÁ, J., PANAMÁ, J., ŠUSTR, P., and
JOZÍFKOVÁ, E. 2007. Females presence and males agonistic encounters in fallow deer, Dama dama during the rut Folia Zool. - 56(3): 253 -262

Wronski, T., Apio, T., Wanker, R., and Plath, M. 2006. Behavioural repertoire of the bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus): agonistic interactions, mating behaviour and parent -offspring relations. J Ethol (2006) 24:247 -260.

]]> Comment on Q12.3 bird nests (PC) by Kimberly Cornell http://blogs.tamu.edu/jmpackard/2007/11/24/q123-bird-nests-pc/#comment-2794 Kimberly Cornell Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:01 +0000 http://blogs.tamu.edu/jmpackard/2007/11/24/q123-bird-nests-pc/#comment-2794 Swifts are members of the bird Family Apodidae. As the family name Apodidae suggests, swifts have very small feet, making it hard for them to perch. Because of this, they have hard tail-feathers with spiny tips to help them brace themselves against their nesting site walls. They are cosmopolitan in distribution and nest in caves, on cliffs, in dead tree hollows, and some have even taken advantage of nesting in man-made structures such as chimneys (Camfield). Swifts have large salivary glands that enable them to use their saliva to glue their nest materials together, to attach their nests to the substrate, and also to feed their hatchlings with food balls of insects held together with saliva. Nest materials may include moss, liverwort, branches, feathers, lichen, and saliva. Some swifts will also glue their eggs to the nest with their saliva. Not all swifts use their saliva to build nests though. Swifts may build nests on ledges near or behind waterfalls, in crevices, or in caves in order to decrease a predator's accessibility to their nests. Edible-nest swiftlets (Aerodramus fuciphagus) build their nests almost entirely with their hardened saliva (Gill). These saliva nests are used in bird’s-nest soup, a delicacy in some countries. Nests are sold for up to $1225/kg. A kg equals about 2.2 lbs! Camfield, A. 2004. "Apodidae" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed November 23, 2009 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Apodidae.html Gill, F. 1995. Ornithology, Second Edition. New York: W.H. Freeman and Company. [155, 380]. Swifts are members of the bird Family Apodidae. As the family name Apodidae suggests, swifts have very small feet, making it hard for them to perch. Because of this, they have hard tail-feathers with spiny tips to help them brace themselves against their nesting site walls. They are cosmopolitan in distribution and nest in caves, on cliffs, in dead tree hollows, and some have even taken advantage of nesting in man-made structures such as chimneys (Camfield).

Swifts have large salivary glands that enable them to use their saliva to glue their nest materials together, to attach their nests to the substrate, and also to feed their hatchlings with food balls of insects held together with saliva. Nest materials may include moss, liverwort, branches, feathers, lichen, and saliva. Some swifts will also glue their eggs to the nest with their saliva. Not all swifts use their saliva to build nests though. Swifts may build nests on ledges near or behind waterfalls, in crevices, or in caves in order to decrease a predator’s accessibility to their nests.

Edible-nest swiftlets (Aerodramus fuciphagus) build their nests almost entirely with their hardened saliva (Gill). These saliva nests are used in bird’s-nest soup, a delicacy in some countries. Nests are sold for up to $1225/kg. A kg equals about 2.2 lbs!

Camfield, A. 2004. “Apodidae” (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed November 23, 2009 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Apodidae.html

Gill, F. 1995. Ornithology, Second Edition. New York: W.H. Freeman and Company. [155, 380].

]]> Comment on Deer Inquiry Activity by Jane Packard http://blogs.tamu.edu/jmpackard/2008/08/18/ethogram-workbook-wfsc422/#comment-2793 Jane Packard Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:49:06 +0000 http://blogs.tamu.edu/jmpackard/2008/08/18/ethogram-workbook-wfsc422/#comment-2793 Q: I cannot find the video clips - when I put the address into my browser, it goes to the You Tube homepage. What do I do from there?! A: 1. on YouTube home page, sign in with <span class="mh-plaintext">hoof<a href='http://mailhide.recaptcha.net/d?k=01un041-egR3Lz042lflc_5A==&c=1d5LjDaMtRAMXIQ0-8xuwMpLRMdaIXjfmgFFsMxyByQ=' onclick="window.open('http://mailhide.recaptcha.net/d?k=01un041-egR3Lz042lflc_5A==&c=1d5LjDaMtRAMXIQ0-8xuwMpLRMdaIXjfmgFFsMxyByQ=', '', 'toolbar=0,scrollbars=0,location=0,statusbar=0,menubar=0,resizable=0,width=500,height=300'); return false;" title="Reveal this e-mail address">...</a>@gmail.com</span>, hoofstock 2. pull down to [playlist] from the Dr. Hoof Stock account tab on the upper right corner. 3. choose the playlist: FR09 Red Deer 10/18 Q: I cannot find the video clips - when I put the address into my browser, it goes to the You Tube homepage. What do I do from there?!

A:
1. on YouTube home page, sign in with hoof…@gmail.com, hoofstock

2. pull down to [playlist] from the Dr. Hoof Stock account tab on the upper right corner.

3. choose the playlist: FR09 Red Deer 10/18

]]> Comment on Deer Inquiry Activity by Jane Packard http://blogs.tamu.edu/jmpackard/2008/08/18/ethogram-workbook-wfsc422/#comment-2792 Jane Packard Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:14:33 +0000 http://blogs.tamu.edu/jmpackard/2008/08/18/ethogram-workbook-wfsc422/#comment-2792 Direct link to playlist for videos on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/my_playlists?pi=0&ps=20&sf=&sa=0&dm=0&p=CDA5821B5261A1F9 Direct link to playlist for videos on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/my_playlists?pi=0&ps=20&sf=&sa=0&dm=0&p=CDA5821B5261A1F9

]]> Comment on Deer Inquiry Activity by Jane Packard http://blogs.tamu.edu/jmpackard/2008/08/18/ethogram-workbook-wfsc422/#comment-2791 Jane Packard Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:10:26 +0000 http://blogs.tamu.edu/jmpackard/2008/08/18/ethogram-workbook-wfsc422/#comment-2791 Loe, L.E. et al.. 2005. Climate predictability and breeding phenology in red deer: timing and synchrony of rutting and calving in Norway and France. Journal of Animal Ecology, 74:579-588. Georgii, B.. 1980. Home range patterns of female red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) in the Alps. Oecologia, 47(2):278-285. Berger, J.. 1989. Female Reproductive Potential and Its Apparent Evaluation by Male Mammals. Journal of Mammalogy. 70(2):347-358. Loe, L.E. et al.. 2005. Climate predictability and breeding
phenology in red deer: timing and synchrony of rutting and
calving in Norway and France. Journal of Animal Ecology,
74:579-588.

Georgii, B.. 1980. Home range patterns of female red deer
(Cervus elaphus L.) in the Alps. Oecologia, 47(2):278-285.

Berger, J.. 1989. Female Reproductive Potential and Its Apparent
Evaluation by Male Mammals. Journal of Mammalogy. 70(2):347-358.

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