The Spot-billed Pelican(Pelecanus philippensis),a near threatened bird and one of eight pelican species in the world,can be found only in South and Southeast Asia over an area between 129000 and 181000 km 2 with stron...The Spot-billed Pelican(Pelecanus philippensis),a near threatened bird and one of eight pelican species in the world,can be found only in South and Southeast Asia over an area between 129000 and 181000 km 2 with strongholds in India,Sri Lanka,southern Cambodia and coastal areas of Sumatra.In India,it is presently distributed in southern and northeastern India with concentrations in Andhra Pradesh,Tamil Nadu,Karnataka and Assam states.An ethogram of the Spot-billed Pelican was presented and as many as 25 individual behaviors grouped under nine different categories were described:resting,alert,comfort/maintenance,locomotion,foraging,antagonistic,sexual,chick care and foraging,and vocalizations.Descriptions of behaviors of the Spot-billed Pelican in this paper would be immensely useful while preparing conservation and management plan for the species present both in the captive and wild condition.展开更多
Organisms inhabiting arid environments face challenges to obtain dietary water.To prevent desiccation,some organisms possess unique adaptations to harvest water from infrequent and unpredictable rainfall,including sev...Organisms inhabiting arid environments face challenges to obtain dietary water.To prevent desiccation,some organisms possess unique adaptations to harvest water from infrequent and unpredictable rainfall,including several squamates(snakes and lizards).While most squamates consume precipitation as it pools in the environment,a small number engage in behaviors to enhance water collection by capturing precipitation from their own skin,referred to as rain-harvesting behavior(RHB).Details of this behavior remain unclear,particularly the sequence of behaviors associated with RHB.We developed a method to simulate rainfall to observe RHB in prairie rattlesnakes(Crotalus viridis)in situ and recorded 72 events in 94 snakes,the most robust sampling of RHB to date.Using video analysis,we describe the postures and kinematics of RHB and develop the first illustrated ethogram of this behavior for any vertebrate.Our results demonstrate that RHB contains fixed and variable patterns useful in cross-species comparisons and in exploring proximate causes of the behavior.In addition,we describe novel features of RHB including suspended head drinking,body levering,and drinking from neighboring snakes.Our results reveal RHB to be an intricate suite of movements and actions,some of which allude to acute sensory abilities of these animals that warrant further study.Furthermore,observations of RHB at dens and rookeries suggest a potential,novel benefit of snake aggregation is the formation of large,communal surfaces for rain harvesting.We suggest that the extremely elongated body plan of snakes may be well-suited for a rapidly deployed,modular rain-harvesting system effective at capitalizing on fleeting rainstorms characteristic of arid ecosystems of the world.展开更多
2007年3～12月,对四川竹巴笼自然保护区的矮岩羊(Pseudois schaeferi)进行了行为谱工作的研究,建立了矮岩羊行为谱及其PAE(posture,act and environment)编码系统。研究分辨和记录了矮岩羊的11种姿势,83种动作和118种行为,还区别了各种...2007年3～12月,对四川竹巴笼自然保护区的矮岩羊(Pseudois schaeferi)进行了行为谱工作的研究,建立了矮岩羊行为谱及其PAE(posture,act and environment)编码系统。研究分辨和记录了矮岩羊的11种姿势,83种动作和118种行为,还区别了各种行为在雄性、雌性和幼体之间的相对发生频次以及发生季节。展开更多
基金Trichy-1 for academic support throughout the studythe Department of Science and Technology (SERCFasttrack Young scientist Scheme),India for fundingthe Tamil Nadu Forest Department for granting me the required permission.
文摘The Spot-billed Pelican(Pelecanus philippensis),a near threatened bird and one of eight pelican species in the world,can be found only in South and Southeast Asia over an area between 129000 and 181000 km 2 with strongholds in India,Sri Lanka,southern Cambodia and coastal areas of Sumatra.In India,it is presently distributed in southern and northeastern India with concentrations in Andhra Pradesh,Tamil Nadu,Karnataka and Assam states.An ethogram of the Spot-billed Pelican was presented and as many as 25 individual behaviors grouped under nine different categories were described:resting,alert,comfort/maintenance,locomotion,foraging,antagonistic,sexual,chick care and foraging,and vocalizations.Descriptions of behaviors of the Spot-billed Pelican in this paper would be immensely useful while preparing conservation and management plan for the species present both in the captive and wild condition.
文摘Organisms inhabiting arid environments face challenges to obtain dietary water.To prevent desiccation,some organisms possess unique adaptations to harvest water from infrequent and unpredictable rainfall,including several squamates(snakes and lizards).While most squamates consume precipitation as it pools in the environment,a small number engage in behaviors to enhance water collection by capturing precipitation from their own skin,referred to as rain-harvesting behavior(RHB).Details of this behavior remain unclear,particularly the sequence of behaviors associated with RHB.We developed a method to simulate rainfall to observe RHB in prairie rattlesnakes(Crotalus viridis)in situ and recorded 72 events in 94 snakes,the most robust sampling of RHB to date.Using video analysis,we describe the postures and kinematics of RHB and develop the first illustrated ethogram of this behavior for any vertebrate.Our results demonstrate that RHB contains fixed and variable patterns useful in cross-species comparisons and in exploring proximate causes of the behavior.In addition,we describe novel features of RHB including suspended head drinking,body levering,and drinking from neighboring snakes.Our results reveal RHB to be an intricate suite of movements and actions,some of which allude to acute sensory abilities of these animals that warrant further study.Furthermore,observations of RHB at dens and rookeries suggest a potential,novel benefit of snake aggregation is the formation of large,communal surfaces for rain harvesting.We suggest that the extremely elongated body plan of snakes may be well-suited for a rapidly deployed,modular rain-harvesting system effective at capitalizing on fleeting rainstorms characteristic of arid ecosystems of the world.
文摘2007年3～12月,对四川竹巴笼自然保护区的矮岩羊(Pseudois schaeferi)进行了行为谱工作的研究,建立了矮岩羊行为谱及其PAE(posture,act and environment)编码系统。研究分辨和记录了矮岩羊的11种姿势,83种动作和118种行为,还区别了各种行为在雄性、雌性和幼体之间的相对发生频次以及发生季节。
