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
The documentary Blackfish by Gabriela Cowperthwaite is a gripping documentary about orca whales in captivity at SeaWorld and other sea parks around the world that shows the disturbing effects that can be caused from having these animals in a place where they shouldn’t be.
“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
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...
The purpose of this lab was to study the response of the genus Daphnia to chemical stimuli and to examine human responses to different stimuli. A stimulus is an incentive; it is the cause of a physical response. Stimuli can have a physical or chemical change; an example of a physical change is a change in temperature and sound. An example of chemical change would be changes in hormone levels and pH levels. Muscular activity or glandular secretions are responses that occurs when stimulus information effects the nervous and/or hormone system. Daphnia is a genus; it is a small crustacean that lives in fresh water. The body of the daphnia is visible and its internal organs are clearly seen thus it was chosen for this exercise. The
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,
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
In The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister tells how a beautiful, extraordinary, yet, self-centered blue fish learns that being beautiful isn’t the key to happiness. The blue fish came to find this lesson when he lost his friends. Pfister takes a simple ocean setting and explores the consequences of an individual’s arrogance toward their peers, the process of humbling of oneself, and the tremendous reward one feels when they learn to share. The story achieves these morals by the author’s use of detailed imager and also, the influence of minor characters on the antihero in order to reveal to the audience the true thematic message; selfish actions bring true happiness.
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
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.
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.
HOW LIKELY IS IT THAT THESE CONSERVATION ATTEMPTS WILL PROLONG THE LIVES OF OUR COASTAL WELANDS?
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).
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.