Topic description and stories

Grooming

Baboons prefer to spend time with others of the same age, status and even personality

13 May 2015

Latest research shows that, within large troops, baboons spend more time grooming those with similar dominance rank and boldness to themselves...

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Neolamprologus pulcher (N. Pulcher) breed of cichlid fish used in the study

Fish born in larger groups develop more social skills and a different brain structure

07 May 2015

New research on a highly social fish shows that those reared in larger social groups from the earliest stage of life develop increased social skills...

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Brown Vs Yellow Dottyback

Colour-morphing reef fish is a 'wolf in sheep's clothing'

19 Mar 2015

The dottyback changes its colour to match surrounding damselfish species, enabling it to counter the defences of its damselfish prey by disguising...

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Three-spined sticklebacks

It’s lonely at the top: stickleback leaders are stickleback loners

02 Dec 2014

Research reveals that sticklebacks with bolder personalities are not only better leaders but also less sociable than more timid fish. The behaviour...

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Coral trout with modal of moray eel during experiment

Fish as good as chimpanzees at choosing the best partner for a task

09 Sep 2014

Latest research shows that coral trout can now join chimpanzees as the only non-human species that can choose the right situation and the right...

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Mozambique Nightjar

Secrets of animal camouflage: Video reveals how predator vision works

06 Aug 2014

How do animals see? It’s a question that vexes biologists and fascinates anyone who has watched animals go about their business: what does the world...

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‘Extreme sleepover #13’ – the wet-nursing meerkats of the Kalahari

04 Jun 2014

Reporting back from her time spent in the Kalahari Desert, PhD student Kirsty MacLeod describes the fascinating life of a gang of meerkats that...

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To boldly go – how personality predicts social learning in baboons

11 Mar 2014

Like other social animals, baboons learn from each other about which foods are best to eat. Now, researchers at Cambridge have found that how well...

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Jackdaw

The eyes have it

05 Feb 2014

Researchers in Cambridge and Exeter have discovered that jackdaws use their eyes to communicate with each other – the first time this has been shown...

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Cuckoos impersonate hawks by matching their 'outfits'

17 Oct 2013

Evolutionary trick allows cuckoos to mimic the plumage of birds of prey, and may be used to scare mothers from their nests so that cuckoos can lay...

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Meerkats

Infanticide linked to wet-nursing in meerkats

08 Oct 2013

Mothers who lose their pups to infanticide by the dominant female in a meerkat group often then provide the dominant female with a wet-nurse service...

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Research reveals how elephants 'see' the world

28 Aug 2013

Designed with middle school students, study helps to inform better practices for protecting these endangered animals.

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