Many thanks to the Nutrition Advisory Group of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums for featuring our feral cattle body condition scale in the NAG Body Condition Scoring Resource Center (nagonline.net/body-conditi...) More information is available in open access at: doi.org/10.1016/j.jt...

New paper alert!! Excited to announce our latest feral cattle paper ‘Sex and spatial proximity affect ungulate behavioral synchrony’ is out today open-access in PeerJ @peerj.bsky.social by myself, Kate Flay, @tania-perroux.bsky.social and @amcell.bsky.social (1/6) peerj.com/articles/213... #zoology

new, in press: Are individual differences in social behaviour a cause or a consequence of endoparasite infection in feral cattle? www.researchgate.net/publication/... led by @tania-perroux.bsky.social #AnimalBehaviour via @asab.org

This paper on what is native, or not, puts the finger right at the spot: it is no black or white but many categories in between. Especially with #climatechange species are on the move and nothing is set in stone.

Mean and maximum temperatures of the eye and nose tip were highly repeatable and precise, but minimum temperatures were too variable to be useful. 🔽🐐 #AnimalWelfare #AnimalEmotions

I am reposting this with a working link: www.survey-xact.dk/LinkCollecto...

Feral cattle in subtropical Hong Kong grow paler coats in the wet season and much darker coats in the dry season, the first documented seasonal coat colour change in cattle. 🐂🔽

🚨New PhD opportunity🚨 Understanding sheep foraging decisions under heat stress conditions Location: Adelaide University Contact: [email protected] Details: stephanleu-ecology.com/phd-opportun... Application deadline: 17 May 2026

This is the most specific job I have ever seen sharing it on the off chance one of you know someone who: - Is UK based - Looking for flexible, part time work - Has an academic/research background - Wants to build a research grants program - Loves hedgehogs 🦔🦔🦔

new from us: "Impact of meteorological variations and provisioning on the body condition of feral cattle in a subtropical climate" led by @tania-perroux.bsky.social - www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Lynxes that soak food for their cubs First time documented in predators. females Lynxes (Toledo, Spain) submerge their prey for up to 60 seconds. They do this in the summer; it helps them transport water, and seems to be a cultural practice (paper) bigcatrescue.org/conservation...

For 2+ years I have monitored the body condition of 262 feral cattle across 12 herds in Hong Kong.... and the results are now accepted for publication in the @thermal-biology.bsky.social sky.social 😊 Our study is accessible in Open Access: doi.org/10.1016/j.jt...

I NEED HELP! Please take this quick, meaningless 19 question survey so I can get data for my students to learn stats! I did a similar version a few months ago but missed an important question type. Even if you did the old one, please do it again! Please circulate widely!

With funding from WAI, Maristela Martins de Camargo of @uspoficial.bsky.social is developing a non-invasive saliva sample collector that can be used to study a range of species in the wild. Learn more 👇️

Love this new piece from @bittelmethis.bsky.social honoring rats. They deserve much more respect and care than they're allotted. Featuring @beebrookshire.bsky.social and rodentologist Bobby Corrigan More from the article & my thoughts in this 🧵 #RatsHaveRights 🐀 🩶

Why do we see sex-biases in tool use in some primate groups but not in others? Read my 2nd PhD chapter, #openaccess in American Journal of Primatology (doi.org/10.1002/ajp....) for an exploration of this question in an unique island system where white-faced capuchins use stone tools. A 🧵 (1/8)

🦎Check out this new study by Ioanna Gavriilidi of @uafunmorph.bsky.social. 🦎 Taking personality into account, the team showed how lizards with higher spatial cognition scores exploit the thermal heterogeneity of their environment but with less accurate thermoregulation. 📖 doi.org/10.1016/j.jt...

3-year Independent Post-doc in Animal Behavior based at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama! Three positions, each including salary & a research budget. Applications due April, 15th. DM if you are interesting in developing a project with us! stri.si.edu/academic-pro...

Culture was assumed to be unique to humans, but recent scientific discoveries have revealed that it's in fact widespread in the animal kingdom. This #PhilTransB issue is the first to present a comprehensive picture of the science & implications of this: royalsocietypublishing.org/rstb/issue/3...

New research finds #AI paired with expert #validation enhances monitoring of the Eurasian #lynx zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... #wildlifemonitoring #cameratraps @conservresearch.bsky.social @amcell.bsky.social @elissazcameron.bsky.social @wileyecology.bsky.social

Intraspecific dietary variation in #raccoondogs related to genetic variation, sex, and environmental differences zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... #mesocarnivores #fecalDNA #dietanalysis @conservresearch.bsky.social @elissazcameron.bsky.social @amcell.bsky.social

Who is making jokes at scientific conferences? Which type of joke land? To find out, we collected quantitative data on jokes at 14 scientific conferences – now published OA in @royalsociety.org ProcB: doi.org/10.1098/rspb... w/ @rcorreia.bsky.social @andreasantangeli.bsky.social and more

🌍 Global Translocation Study – call for contributors 🐾 We’re compiling post-release movement data from translocated, reintroduced, relocated & rehabilitated vertebrates worldwide. Interested in taking part? Quick survey below 👇 tinyurl.com/global-trans... Feel free to pass it on to colleagues 😊

📰✨ Our Feature Paper of the Month! ✨📰 This month's highlight: "Vocalisations in farm animals: A step towards positive welfare assessment" by Karin Laurijs, Elodie Briefer, Inonge Reimert, and Laura E. Webb. 📖 Read more: doi.org/10.1016/j.ap...

‼️Published @royalsociety.org Open Science‼️ "From rugged isles to managed pastures: morphological changes in Soay sheep (Ovis aries) metacarpal bones following anthropogenic translocation" @hcaatedinburgh.bsky.social 🐑🐏 doi.org/10.1098/rsos... @soaysheep.bsky.social

The Ecology & Behaviour conference is still looking for a new French organizing team for a future edition. An inclusive, international & free conference run by early-career researchers, let’s keep it alive! 👉 Get in touch with us and check the website: ecobhvr2025.sciencesconf.org

Our new paper (with @biotay.bsky.social) is out and on the cover story of @currentbiology.bsky.social !!!! Veronika, a Carinthian mountain cow flexibly uses a “multi-purpose tool” to scratch herself. A video and more information will follow in the comments. www.cell.com/current-biol...

She uses the bristled end of a deck brush on her back and hindquarters, using repeated place-and-pull motions. For more sensitive areas such as the belly flap, udder, and anal region, she switches to the stick end, using careful, repeated poke-and-lift movements. See video link: youtu.be/bAk4PFEuWKQ

It seems that cats vocalize more when greeting men than women (4.3 meows compared to 1.8 in the first 100 seconds). This could be because women tend to pay more attention to them. (blog) phys.org/news/2025-12... (paper) onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Canids seem to be the routine lovers, reusing their travel routes more than felids. This shapes hunting, encounters, and even disease spread. Insights from 1,239 GPS-tracked carnivores, including the Arctic foxes we track on Bylot Island 🧪🌿🌎🌐🦊. Read in the latest PNAS at bitly.cx/TxI2

From nocturnal swimmers to blind cavefish, a hidden circadian rhythm guides when they seek warm or cool waters—revealing a surprising universality in how fish tell time 🐟🕰️ www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

🚨 New Publication on Feral Water Buffalo 🐃 🐃 in Animal Behaviour [Also my 1st publication in AB 😊] @asab.org @asabeducation.bsky.social Adaptive behavioural strategies to seasonal challenges by a semiurban feral ungulate W/ @amcell.bsky.social Kate Flay & Hannah Mumby doi.org/10.1016/j.an...

and here we are, #EvOCRO webpage is live (and alive) It took days, weeks actually, to build it. There isn't that much in it yet, simply because we are getting started! Social media channels will also be added, so you can follow us practically anywhere. #MSCA evocroproject.github.io

🐼 Pandas, 🦁 lions, 🐢turtles … get the spotlight while less cute species quietly vanish. charisma driven conservation is not just flawed, it can be harmful. If we want real biodiversity, we must look beyond the photogenic. journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...

Interested in #biodiversity monitoring using #acoustic methods? Our latest article presents a large (>1.5TB) #ecoacoustic dataset recorded on the island of #Cyprus. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or are interested in collaborating on this dataset! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Join us in June for the ATBC Annual Meeting in Yunnan, China, hosted by the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden! Proposals now open for sessions & workshops.

After the Ngogo chimpanzee group killed 21 members of neighboring groups and expanded their territory by 22%, female birth rates more than doubled and infant survival increased sharply—showing clear fitness benefits from intergroup killing. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/TKmf50XuPjY

PLEASE SHARE 🚨🚨 6-month RA position available at the Univ. of St Andrews to work with Sue Healy (@cogwild.bsky.social), Simone Meddle (@simonemeddle.bsky.social) and I on the behavioural neuroendocrinology of early reproduction in zebra finches. tinyurl.com/577cx9tj Deadline: 03/12/2025 ⬇️

You are invited to the buffalo project meeting (online) on November 26th at 4 PM Hong Kong Find out about social science and behavioural ecology research on Hong Kong feral water buffalo. www.hkbuffaloresearch.org/research-hig... for free registration. Or use the QR code on the attached flyers.

The earliest mature debate about animal consciousness occurred around 1900 and centred on the insects. We cover this rich history in this new article, as well as some more recent developments on the topic: royalsocietypublishing.org/.../10.../rs...

🧠 What?! A meeting just on disgust?! Yes!! 📍 @iast.fr, France | 🗓 Dec 4–5, 2025 💥 Keynotes by Paul Rozin @upenn.edu, @cr-amo.bsky.social, Philip Powell @sheffielduni.bsky.social & Cindy Kam 🌍 From Psychology to Politics, Biology & beyond 🎓 Abstract submissions until Aug 31: forms.gle/QBmkUB3aLDjY...

🐃🐦 Interested in how feral buffalo & cattle affect bird communities in Hong Kong? Join our research team (@amcell.bsky.social, Prof. Kate Flay & me) at CityU HK through the DAAD RISE Paid Internship for German students. Apply: shorturl.at/LvDe3 | Ref: HK_BI_0704| |📧: [email protected]

Another one from my thesis. Our study shows that color and vision play important roles in predator–prey interactions but also points out some data limits. peerj.com/articles/20103

Rising global heat and humidity are pushing our bodies to their limits, and new research dives deep into how heat acclimation reshapes our cells—especially our mitochondria—to better handle the heat and keep us performing strong. 🔥 Check it out! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Giant icons and lesser kin: Chinese public perception of panda welfare at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding buff.ly/x6B5AMw | #BiologyLetters #Behaviour #EnvironmentalScience #Pandas

Join us (November 26th 4 PM Hong Kong Time) for our final project meeting (online) about the Hong Kong feral water buffalo 🐃 project. Check out www.hkbuffaloresearch.org/research-hig... for free registration or scan QR code on the poster. We welcome everyone!! @amcell.bsky.social

Happening today! See you later (4pm HK time, 9am UK time and 10am central European time) to hear George tell us about who cattle lick when they are free to form their own social bonds 😃 and I will tell you about cattle faecal samples... and more!

I'm v excited to be recruiting a PhD student to work on badger behaviour and ecology! Starting date is March 2026; see the ad here, or message me for more details: www.gregalbery.me/s/March-2026...

#BiologyLetters Diagnostic ultrasound imaging is vital in veterinary medicine, but how do different scanners perform? This study evaluates the use of of three ultrasound scanners on bottlenose dolphins. royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/... #developmentalbiology

Happening in 1 week: October 23rd, from 4 to 5.30pm Hong Kong time (UTC+8) or 10 to 11.30 Central European time (UTC+2)! Still time to register using the QR code on the poster below 😄 Looking forward to sharing the outcome of my four years of PhD research on the Hong Kong feral cattle 🐂