The set of actions performed by an organism within a given environment
Questions tagged [behaviour]
254 questions
78
votes
2 answers
Do animals exhibit handedness (paw-ness?) preference?
I have been observing my cat and found that when confronted with an unknown item, she will always use her front left paw to touch it.
This has me wondering if animals exhibit handedness like humans do? (and do I have a left handed cat?)
One note of…
Thomas
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66
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Do ants or other insects sleep, and if so why?
I was thinking yesterday about insects (as there was a spider in the house, and I couldn't help but think of anything else, even though they aren't insects), and I started to wonder if ants sleep?
After thinking about it for a while I decided that…
J_mie6
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34
votes
1 answer
Can beavers control the direction a tree falls?
We humans can easily control the direction a tree falls by making a number of strategic cuts, essentially creating a hinge:
This prevents trees from falling on equipment and people and sets them up in a good location for the subsequent processing…
canadianer
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25
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1 answer
Do ants really find the shortest path to a food source?
There exist many computational intelligence algorithms based on the observation that ants deposit pheromones in such a way that they find the shortest path to food sources. This logic is used to optimize computer networks.
I cant really relate to…
Nav
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24
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Why do dogs try to cover their poop?
It may seem obvious to us humans to hide our excreta, but this is not quite normal behavior for animals.
Interestingly, dogs have the habit to pee all over the place. It's know that they do so to mark their territory. So when they want to mark their…
Steven Roose
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24
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3 answers
Why do we laugh?
Why is it that the reaction we get from absurdity is laughter? Everyone does it, even babies. Is there a reason why it is our instinct to laugh when we see or hear something absurd/humorous
Small Legend
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23
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3 answers
Why do humans suffer anxiety when they view "Trypophobia trigger images"?
When you type Trypophobia Trigger Images in google, you see a variety of images with irregular lumps and bumps among some more gory images.
Many people report that these images induce phobia like symptoms of anxiety.
Why do we get anxious when…
Juan J. Stábile
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23
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2 answers
How do burrowing animals get enough oxygen?
Tree borers make a small hole in a tree. At the end of it, they chew on wood to elongate the tunnel. They digest food and grow. All this takes oxygen.
The entrance to the tunnel is generally small. Some borers plug the entrance. Even without that,…
mmesser314
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19
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1 answer
Why is yawning contagious?
Why does yawning seems to be contagious?
Is this similar to laughter being contagious or does it has a different reason?
user1897
17
votes
1 answer
Identify this giant green moth(?) with great taste?
One evening in late February I sat down to eat dinner after a day of hiking in hills around New Taipei City and discovered that someone else shared my taste in clothes. A very large green moth-like insect had landed on my pants with a green floral…
uhoh
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What is this grasshopper doing?
I spotted a grasshopper standing on a pavement with a long sting placed in asphalt. I also recorded a video of it moving:
https://youtu.be/JoDdg2yUuYo
What is it doing?
kamilazdybal
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15
votes
1 answer
Why do crabs spit?
Last year I photographed this juvenile Sally Lightfoot Crab (Grapsus grapsus) 'spitting' (click for larger view):
I thought I'd look up more information on this behavior, but couldn't find any explanation regarding its actual function. I can…
p.s.w.g
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15
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Why do flies "rub" their front legs when resting?
I've noted that every time a house fly is resting on a surface, it appears to "rub" or "scrub" its front legs in a repetitive movement. And they do it continuously. Why?
Damián Gil
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15
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2 answers
What "emotions" can a snake feel?
Short:
Thinking in particular of a Royal Python (US: Ball Python) such as some people keep as exotic companion animals, what sorts of "emotions" or "feelings" are they capable of?
Long: http://simonsnakesite.tripod.com/snakebasics.html says…
ClickRick
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Do animals suffer from "Human" mental disorders?
It is tragic, but apparently Killer whales and Dolphins can commit suicide too (e.g. here)...
This suggests they can become depressed. I wondered whether they were "clinically" depressed like many people are, and what other mental illnesses have…
hello_there_andy
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