Biological and environmental factors as sources of variation in nocturnal behavior of giraffe
Upon a drastic decline of the giraffe population in the wild, conservation efforts and therefore the role of zoos have become more important than ever. With their unique opportunities, zoos provide excellent conditions to study animal behavior, expanding the knowledge about the giraffe’s behavior repertoire and their ability to adapt. This study therefore examined the […]
A behavioural study of sleep patterns in the malachite sunbird, Cape white-eye and fan-tailed widowbird
The function of sleep in birds is poorly understood, even though birds spend a large part of their lives sleeping. Sleep behaviour in passerine birds has not been looked at as extensively as that of nonpasserine birds. We looked at the sleep behaviour of three passerine birds occurring in southern Africa, namely the malachite sunbird, […]
Can sleep behaviour be used as an indicator of stress in group-housed rats (Rattus norvegicus)?
We assessed the value of sleep behaviour as a novel measure of stress in group-housed animals. We observed, non-invasively, sleep behaviour in 144 group-housed rats, and related it to other physiological and physical indicators of stress and welfare. Sleep frequency and duration correlated negatively with adrenal weight, and positively with bodyweight gain, and final bodyweight. […]