Amazing Animal Stories - Animal Behavior edition

A Dolphin saved the lives of two whales - yes, no kidding. As much as I can get all warm and fizzy about animals, I still tow the hard line. I try not to get too carried away with the stories of animal heroism or villainy. But this is a documented case. Watch this video by BBC Sci/Tech News about Moko the dolphin .







Crabs have personality - yeah it's true. Research in personality or individual differences in behavior is becoming quite popular. I do similar research, too. In this case, the researcher is studying the differences in how individual hermit crabs respond to stress or being flipped on their backs. Test after after, individual crabs consistently behaved similarly across tests - this indicates that an animal as a distinct behavior from other individuals -- a personality of sorts. photo credit: preciouscritters.wetpaint.com

Cheating and Corrupt Societies - of Ants! Ant colonies are comprised of only females. The Queen lays eggs and most of the eggs develop in to females. (There are males; but the queens only lay a few male eggs compared to the thousands or more female eggs. Males mate, then die. That's pretty much it for them. Let's get back to the main point.) Females can become worker ants or a few can become royal or queen ants and later set off to start their own colony. Now back to the males -- Males are rare and short-lived, but important. To up the ante seems most of the Queens come from a particularly line - Royal descendants - it seems. Certain lines of males have managed, some how, - let;s call them Royal Daddies -to pack a punch and their daughters are more likely to become queens than offspring of Average Joe males. photo credit: http://www.richard-seaman.com/