Larval propagation and seeding of scleractinian corals for restoration is a rapidly expanding field, with demonstrated applications to assist the recovery of declining populations on reefs. The process typically involves collecting coral reproductive material,...
Article Spotlight: Correction factors for prey size estimation from PenguCams
The use of animal-borne cameras enables scientists to observe behaviours and interactions that have until now, gone unseen or rarely documented. Researchers can now analyse prey preferences and predator-prey interactions with a new level of detail. New technology...
Article Spotlight: Integrating humanoid robots with human musicians for synchronized musical performances
The primary motivation for our research is to explore the feasibility of creating a rock band that does not rely on intricate mechanical designs. By utilizing our existing humanoid robots, which are capable of performing various instruments together, we aim to develop...
Article Spotlight: Nonadjacent dependencies and sequential structure of chimpanzee action during a natural tool-use task
To understand how these structural properties of human behaviours evolved, we can gain valuable insight from studying the sequential behaviours of nonhuman animals. Among the behaviours of nonhuman apes, tool use has been hypothesised to be a domain of behaviour which...
Article Spotlight: Among the world’s smallest vertebrates: a new miniaturized flea-toad (Brachycephalidae) from the Atlantic rainforest
This new species is distinguished from its congeners by a combination of morphological, bioacoustic, and genetic data. Despite being among the smallest frogs globally (the second smallest amphibian species), it exhibits skeletal traits typical of larger frogs, such as...
Article Spotlight: Divergent effects of short-term and continuous anthropogenic noise exposure on Western Bluebird parental care behavior
Sensory environments are rapidly changing due to increased human activity in urban and non-urban areas alike. For instance, natural and anthropogenic sounds can interfere with parent-offspring communication and mask cues reflective of predation risk, resulting in...
Article Spotlight: Relationship between tooth macrowear and jaw morphofunctional traits in representative hypercarnivores
The mammalian adult dentition is a non-renewable resource. Tooth attrition and disease must be accommodated by individuals using behavioral, physiological, and/or musculoskeletal shifts to minimize impact on masticatory performance. From a biomechanical perspective,...
Article Spotlight: Phylogenetic and taxonomic revisions of Jurassic sea stars
Contrary to prior assumptions, our results indicate that none of the Jurassic taxa investigated belong to Asteriidae or any other modern families, and instead represent stem-forcipulatids. Furthermore, our phylogenetic results suggest that Asteriidae likely originated...
Article Spotlight: Combining citizen science, phylogenetics, and bioacoustics to inform taxonomy and conservation of the Near Threatened Proceratophrys paviotii
Herein, basel on novel data gathered by citizens scientists and specialists, we contribute to the improvement of scientific knowledge and conservation of the Near Threatened Proceratophrys paviotii in order to: 1) test for the first time the phylogenetic position and...
Article Spotlight: A small venomous reptile from the Late Triassic (Norian) of the southwestern United States
Reptile feeding strategies encompass a wide variety of diets and accompanying diversity in methods for subduing prey. One such strategy, the use of venom for prey capture, is found in living reptile clades like helodermatid (beaded) lizards and some groups of snakes,...