Why do hens sham dustbathe when they have litter
Hens in cages perform sham dustbathing, that is they go through the behavioural sequence of dustbathing, but on the wire-floor. Such sham dustbathing is found in conventional cages and even in furnished cages which include a dustbath. Consequently, sham dustbathing behaviour cannot be explained only by the absence of litter. Three suggested explanations for sham […]
Frequency-range discriminations and absolute pitch in black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus), mountain chickadees (Poecile gambeli), and zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata)
The acoustic frequency ranges in birdsongs provide important absolute pitch cues for the recognition of conspecifics. Black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus), mountain chickadees (Poecile gambeli), and zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) were trained to sort tones contiguous in frequency into 8 ranges on the basis of associations between response to the tones in each range and reward. […]
Assessing positive emotional states in dogs using heart rate and heart rate variability
ABSTRACT Since most animal species have been recognized as sentient beings, emotional state may be a good indicator of welfare in animals. The goal of this study was to manipulate the environment of nine beagle research dogs to highlight physiological responses indicative of different emotional experiences. Stimuli were selected to be a more or a […]