Home is where the home range is: Identifying territoriality and exhibit preferences in an ex-situ group of all-male Nile crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus)
Here, the presence or absence of territoriality was evaluated in an all-male Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) group living in an ex-situ environment. Location data for each crocodile within the exhibit were collected three times per day over a two-year period, including two warm seasons and two cold seasons. A geographic information system (GIS) was used […]
Evaluation of natural resources in Bastrop, Burleson, Lee and Milam Counties
Burgeoning population growth in Texas has increased demand on the limited water resources of the state. Future exports of water from the Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer in areas of Bastrop, Burleson, Lee, and Milam counties are anticipated. In response to these activities, the TPWD compiled this inventory of natural resources data for the affected counties to help […]
Habitat Use and Structural Preferences of Captive Western Lowland Gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla): Effects of Environmental and Social Variables
Exhibit naturalism has become the architectural standard for new zoo exhibits, yet our scientific understanding of how animals interact with naturalistic environments is very limited. Given the expense incurred in building new exhibits, it is essential that more information on animal-environment interactions be obtained and that it be incorporated at the outset into exhibit designs. […]
Spatial Distribution of a Population of Texas Horned Lizards (Phrynosoma cornutum: Phrynosomatidae) Relative to Habitat and Prey
The spatial distribution of a Texas horned lizard population was quantified with respect to habitat and prey. Horned lizard spatial distribution was clustered in three specific areas, whereas ant mounds belonging to their primary prey, Pogonomyrmex barbatus, were randomly distributed in the study area. An analysis of vegetation cover relative to horned lizard spatial distribution […]
Evaluating the Conservation Mission of Zoos, Aquariums, Botanical Gardens, and Natural History Museums
Collection-based institutions—zoos, aquariums, museums, and botanical gardens—exhibit wildlife and thus have a special connection with nature. Many of these institutions emphasize a mission of conservation, and, undeniably, they do contribute directly to conservation education and conservation science. They present an exceptional opportunity for many urban residents to see the wonders of life, and they can […]
Spatial selection in captive adult female chimpanzees
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.1430130208.abs Spatial selection refers to an animal’s frequent use of certain areas of its enclosure or range. Through differential use of habitat, an individual can limit the amount of time spent in close proximity to other group members. The four adult female chimpanzees at the Tulsa Zoo were studied to determine if they used […]
Female polar bears, Ursus maritimus, on the Barents Sea drift ice: walking the treadmill
For animals in dynamic habitats, the contribution of passive (i.e. by wind or current) and active (movements by the animals themselves) displacement determines whether their space use reflects physical or adaptive behavioural processes. Polar bears in the Barents Sea undertake extensive annual migrations in a habitat that is highly dynamic because of continuous sea ice […]
Overview: Animal acoustic communication and the role of the physical environment
Scientists from many distinct disciplines often use concepts such as habitat, environment, and niche to describe among other things the physical characteristics of the communicative worlds of animals. Often these descriptions center on the physical characteristics most salient to humans’ perceptual systems. In this article, the authors advocate an approach to the description and analysis […]
Learning to Avoid Dangerous Habitat Types by Aquatic Salamanders, Eurycea tynerensis
There should be intense selection for predation avoidance mechanisms when prey live in close proximity to their predators. Prey individuals that can learn to associate habitat features with high levels of predation risk should experience increased survival if they subsequently avoid those habitats. We tested whether or not habitat learning occurred in a benthic stream […]