Invader danger: Lizards faced with novel predators exhibit an altered behavioral response to stress
Animals respond to stressors by producing glucocorticoid stress hormones, such as corticosterone (CORT). CORT acts too slowly to trigger immediate behavioral responses to a threat, but can change longer-term behavior, facilitating an individual’s survival to subsequent threats. To be adaptive, the nature of an animal’s behavior following elevated CORT levels should be matched to the […]
Behavioral effects of an immunocontraceptive vaccine on eastern fox squirrels
Managing pest species in urban and suburban areas is challenging, and contraception may provide a socially acceptable and effective management option for many species. The immunocontraceptive vaccine, GonaCon, effectively inhibits reproduction in many species of wildlife, but the behavioral effects are not yet well understood. Contraceptive-induced changes in behavior could raise animal welfare concerns and […]