Hermit crabs have been reported to be capable of habituation through previous research. If hermit crabs are capable of habituation, the retraction reflex should habituate to a tactile stimulus if the stimulus is not harmful to the animal. Furthermore, if the animal does habituate, the number of presentations of the stimulus required to elicit a response should increase (Hypothesis 1), the time to re-emerge from its shell after retraction should decrease (Hypothesis 2), and the magnitude in which it retracts should decrease (Hypothesis 3) as learning trials progress. Ten terrestrial hermit crabs (Coenobita clypeatus) each received strokes to its abdomen and the number of touches required for retraction, the magnitude of the retraction, and the time it took to re-emerge from its shell after retraction was recorded. The crabs that met the 40 consecutive touch criterion for habituation were Crabs 2, 11, and 14. Out of these three crabs, Crab 11 did not show any significant behavioral changes, while Crab 2 and 14 displayed a significant increase in number of touches, supporting Hypothesis 1. For Hypothesis 2, Crab 14 had a significant decrease in latency, …show more content…
Before any of these measurements were taken, however, each subject’s shell was mounted on top of a piece of clay molded to a height of around 9 cm in a specimen bowl with a diameter of 18 cm and height of 7.7 cm. The purpose of mounting the animal onto clay was to control the movement of the crab and to easily approach the exposed abdominal area with minimal secondary stimuli as possible. In order to produce a secluded environment, presentation poster boards were used to surround the area around the specimen bowl. In addition, the testing rooms were kept dark with a small amount of light coming from a
Cephalopods are known to be exceptionally intelligent by invertebrate standards and in some respects even rival “higher” vertebrates. These animals have many highly evolved sensory and processing organs that allow them to gain a greater understanding of their environment and their place within it. Due to their advanced structures, many of which are analogous to vertebrate structures, and abilities they have been widely studied. Their methods of learning have been of prime interest and many experiments have been conducted to determine the different ways in which octopuses can learn. From these experiments four main kinds of learning have been identified in octopuses: associative learning, special learning,
The picture above shows the vast difference that there can be in animals, to the right is Emerita Analoga (sand crab), and to the left is Zalophus Californianus (California Sea Lion). The sand crab is an invertebrate while the seal is a vertebrate and mammal. Invertebrates make up 90% of all an...
P6: ‘The animals behaviour and natural instinct changes in a marine park compared to in its natural habitat’ (para 3).
Throughout the animal kingdom, adaptations take place continuously and even the smallest of changes can leave a significant impact. Examples can be seen within any plant or animal. One example would include sea turtles, specifically, the Loggerhead Turtles. These turtles are native to the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans as well as the Mediterranean Sea (Deurmit L 2007). They thrive in either temperate or tropical climates and can live in a myriad of biomes (Deurmit L 2007). These biomes include the pelagic, reef, coastal, and brackish water (Deurmit L 2007). Loggerhead turtles are omnivores and can eat anything from insects to aquatic crustaceans, to macro algae (Deurmit L 2007). According to Deurmit (2007) Caretta caretta is classified into Animalia Kingdom, Chordata Phylum, Vertebrata Subphylum, Reptilian Class, Testudines’ Order,
“Taxonomically speaking, a lobster is a marine crustacean of the family Homaridae, characterized by five pairs of jointed legs, the first pair terminating in large pincerish claws used for subduing prey…. Moreover, a crustacean is an aquatic arthropod of the class Crustacea, which comprises of crabs, shrimp, barnacles, lobsters, and freshwater crayfish” (Wallace, 55). This is an example of Logos since the author uses scientific facts to convey the message he wants to communicate in an objective way. Wallace also uses logos as a persuasive device by presenting facts on the science of the lobster’s neurological system and its ability to feel pain. The Maine Lobster Promotion Council states “The nervous system of a lobster is very simple, and is in fact most similar to the nervous system of a grasshopper. It is decentralized with no brain. There is no cerebral cortex, which in humans is the area of the brain that gives the experience of pain”. Wallace counter-argues this statement by mentioning the fact that since lobsters have a simpler nervous system compared to humans, they are unable to produce their own natural opiates. “One can conclude that lobsters are maybe even more vulnerable to pain, since they lack mammalian nervous systems’ built-in analgesia, or, instead, that the absence of natural opioids implies an absence of the really intense
In many cases Savannah cats are known for being cute, furry and cuddlable but we need to respect them in their natural behavior tendencies to provide them a suitable stimulating environment. By doing so we have to encourage environmental enrichment for the physical and mental health for these Savannah’s. Having a proper environment increases these species brain activity, well-being, senses, stimuli, and relieves them from boredom. These cats tends to get physical, physiologic, and behavioral disorders for stress and lack of stimulation. It can cause these species to do urine marking, house soiling, owner directed aggression, behavioral over grooming, displacement activities and reduce comfort behavior. For Savannah cats are a cross between
1996). A study was done to examine the different parent-juvenile interactions of two different species of poeciliids: P. Monacha and P. Lucida. Individual females of the two species were place into chambers that had a mesh net to segregate it and allow juveniles to swim through and escape attack from the parent. The females were kept in these chambers as they birthed offspring and were recorded. It was found that the p. monacha females cannibalised their offspring immediately while the p. lucida females did not (Thibault 1974). The p. monacha juveniles that did escape the initial attack, swum to the bottom and through the mesh net. However, the juvenile p. lucida remained in the same section of the chamber with the female near the water
Today’s domestic house cats sure have changed and traveled far from their old wildcat ancestors across the world. Cats have traveled halfway across the world and now live around the world in various breeds and sizes. Even though they live today in their domesticated form they still retain some of the traits that their ancestors bestowed upon them. The African wildcat is believed to be the ancestor of all domestic cats, and they’re even still alive to this day. Over thousands of years of speciation, domestic house cats came to be from these wildcat ancestors.
The Florida Manatee’s popular marine species in the tropical environment of Florida are currently considered an “endangered species”. The ecology (the relationships between living organisms and their interactions with their natural or developed environment), for the manatee (trichechus manatus), requires and is generally restricted to the inland and coastal waters of peninsular Florida during the winter, when they shelter in and/or near warm-water springs, heated industrial effluents, and other warm water sites (as stated in Research Gate (1997) Hartman 1979, Lefebvre et al). The Florida (West Indian) Manatee, An Endangered Species, has no known predators other than humans; in the past, humans hunted
A big change that has occurred in the oceans all over the world is the Coral Reefs are dying and are predicted to be dead by the end of the century due to the rising acidity of the oceans caused by many different threats to marine ecosystems. Coral reefs cover less than 0.2% of our oceans but they contain 25% of the world’s marine fish species according to Endangered: Biodiversity on the brink, 2010: pg.45). If this is the case that means by the time the end of the century comes around we will have lost close to 25% of the worlds marine ecosystems.
Coral reefs, which are underwater structures created by calcium carbonate secretions, are some of the richest interdependent ecosystems on Earth. According to Wikipedia, coral reefs occupy less than 0.1% of Earth’s ocean surface, yet they provide a home for 25% of all marine species. Often referred to as the “rainforests of the ocean,” coral reefs are home to thousands upon thousands of species of plants and animals (“Coral Reef”). Not only are they an important part of ocean environments, but coral reefs are also extremely important and beneficial to humans; these reefs protect shorelines and provide countless people with food, jobs, and income sources. However, coral reefs are disappearing at an extremely alarming rate. From overfishing to pollution to sedimentation, the world’s coral reefs are in grave danger and humans must actively work to protect and restore these oceanic rainforests.
Have you ever imagined climbing on the roof? Have you ever imagined walking straight up a wall? Well if you have your dream may not be so far away with the new technology that was discovered by Gecko’s. The new technology really isn’t all that new, it was just recently discover by the human race, so therefore we consider it new, but really it has been around for millions of years. The secret to the gecko's ability to climb walls is really complex, it starts down at the molecular level, with what they call a spatula it is a nanohair that is roughly 200 nanometers wide, and tall (Robert Full 2000). The spatula is so small you cannot see it with the naked eye, but it creates a relatively strong force for it size, and that’s what keeps it climbing on the wall, and ceilings. The force that is created is a reality weak force, but because this force is so small a Gecko’s foot has hundreds of millions of these spatulas, and because of the millions of these hairs it creates a force equal too 4x107 μn which is roughly 40N per foot (Robert Full 2000). Given that seems like a minuscule amount but that is per foot that is only 100mm2 (Robert Full 2000). Think about if that only for a 100mm2 and a human foot that’s roughly 10000 mm2 that’s hundred times the force per foot that a gecko foot, so you would be producing 4000N per foot (Robert Full 2000).
HOW LIKELY IS IT THAT THESE CONSERVATION ATTEMPTS WILL PROLONG THE LIVES OF OUR COASTAL WELANDS?
Many people do keep big cats like bobcats, tigers, and lions as pets. Experts estimate that there are around 10,000 to 15,000 tigers now kept as pets or in private facilities in the US. However, what we don't know is that more and more pet tigers and other big cats end up neglected or given up to sanctuaries because their owners cannot care for them. Owners of big cats who execute their way to provide appropriate housing and diet have no problems, but there are countless others who are very mistaken in their anticipated ability to provide the proper care. For instance, their was a man who raised a pet tiger in his Harlem apartment in New York City. As a result, private posession of big cats raises risks of the welfare of the animals themselves.
Mason, Georgia, et al. “Plastic Animals In Cages: Behavioural Flexibility And Responses To Captivity.” Animal Behaviour85.5 (n.d.) : 1113-1126. Biological Abstracts. Web. 2 Dec. 2013.