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What Does An Ethologist Do?: - A Personal View-Dr. Jane M. Packard

An ethologist studies animal behavior in natural habitats to better understand biological processes and solve problems in human-animal interactions. The document provides examples of an ethologist's work studying the causes of individual differences in geese families, reproductive behavior in wolf packs, development of Weddell seal pups, and creating an ethogram of sea otter behaviors. It also discusses how the ethologist's work led to a career in conservation biology studying issues like manatee populations, illegal parrot trades, and puma attacks. The document advises students interested in these fields to take relevant courses, volunteer for projects, and develop contacts to help start their careers.

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Mala-Maria STAVRESCU-BEDIVAN
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122 views43 pages

What Does An Ethologist Do?: - A Personal View-Dr. Jane M. Packard

An ethologist studies animal behavior in natural habitats to better understand biological processes and solve problems in human-animal interactions. The document provides examples of an ethologist's work studying the causes of individual differences in geese families, reproductive behavior in wolf packs, development of Weddell seal pups, and creating an ethogram of sea otter behaviors. It also discusses how the ethologist's work led to a career in conservation biology studying issues like manatee populations, illegal parrot trades, and puma attacks. The document advises students interested in these fields to take relevant courses, volunteer for projects, and develop contacts to help start their careers.

Uploaded by

Mala-Maria STAVRESCU-BEDIVAN
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What does an Ethologist do?

-a personal view-
Dr. Jane M. Packard

Director, Ethology Lab, Wildlife & Fisheries Sciences


Associate Professor, Texas A&M University
J-Packard@tamu.edu
Two hats
ETHOLOGY CONSERVATION
• Disciplinary focus BIOLOGY
• The study of animal • Interdisciplinary
behavior in natural breadth
habitats • Biodiversity
– Cause stewardship
– Development – Animals
– Evolution – Habitat
– Function – People
ETHOLOGY
• Why study animal behavior?
– Curiosity about the diversity of life
– To better understand biological processes
– To solve problems in human/animal interactions
• Some examples of studies
– Causes of individual differences in geese
– Reproductive behavior in wolves
– Development of Weddel seals
– Ethogram of sea otters
Geese
• Within a family
of hand-reared
goslings
• How do
dominance
relations
develop?
• Do individuals
have distinctive
personalities?
Internship
• Undergrad
• With Dr. Konrad
Lorenz- a father of
ethology
• Max Plank Institute
• Seewiesen,
Germany
Answers
• Families differed
– Subtle respect
– Cowardly bully
• Distinct
personalities were
recognizable
– Intuitive
– quantitative
Decision to become a scientist
Wolves
• Doctoral studies-
captive packs
• Drs. David Mech,
ecologist & Ulysses
Seal, endocrinologist
• Ecology and
Behavioral Biology
• University of
Minnesota
Why does only 1 female breed?
Answers
• Its not
physiological
• Moms are more
attractive
• Older sisters
intimidate
younger sisters
• Same for brothers
How does weaning occur?
Arctic- Ellesmere Island
Camp below the wolf den
Answers
• 5 wks- pups leave
den
• 7-8 wks- adults
deliver solid food
• 9-10 wks- pups
suckle less
frequently
• 11 wks- weaned No conflict
pups follow adults
Wolf Denning- Yellowstone
Volunteer Observation Teams
• Linda Thurston, graduate student & Dr. Doug
Smith
• 4 packs
• 2 years
• May-June
Who cares more, Mom or Dad?
• Depends on the family, pup age & the year
• Dad feeds Mom up to 3 wks, then
• Both hunt
• Deliver
food
Weddel seals- Antarctica
• Dr. Don Siniff, University of Minnesota
Hostile environment
Pup weight gain
• 36 lbs at birth
• 300 lbs at 6 wks
• All from milk
• Food far away
Sea Otters - Alaska
Ethogram
• Dictionary
• One species
• Meaning of
action patterns
• With Chris Ribic,
Dr. Siniff
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
• What is it?
• Examples of studies
– Manatee distribution in Florida & Belize
– Illegal pet trade - parrots in Mexico
– Mexican wolf recovery
– Puma attacks in Big Bend National Park
Familiar perspective
Another way of looking at it
How many manatees in FL?
Problem- counts in murky water
Cluster at warm water sources
Manatee Distribution in Belize
• Caryn Sullivan- grad student (offshore)
• Nicole Auil- grad student (coastal)
Amazon parrots- Mexico
Illegal take from nests
Ernesto
Enkerlin,
PhD
Sustainable harvest
• Chick growth rates
• Natural diet
• Fledging success
• Protect cavities
• Enforcement problem
Wolf recovery- people problem
Puma- Big Bend National Park
• Toni Ruth, MS
• Attacks on hikers
• Chisos habitat
attractive to pumas
and humans
Puma den
Males range out of park
Fragmented islands of habitat
• Big Bend only
supports 20-30
puma
• Bringing home
lessons from
abroad
– Educate hikers
– Work with
ranchers
Interdisciplinary cooperation
Reasons to study behavior
• Fascination with diversity of nature
• To better co-inhabit the planet with other
species: positive problem solving
• To reflect on what it means to be human
How can I do this?
• Careers in behavior or Conservation Biology
– Teaching/research at universities
– Research in government labs
– Behavioral management in zoos/aquaria/parks
• Behavior in other careers
– Wildlife and refuge managers
– Government regulatory agencies
– Non-governmental conservation organizations
– Veterinary medicine- exotic and domestic
How do I get started?
• Choose appropriate courses (WFSC 422)
• Volunteer for projects (jobs boards)
• Arrange for internships (WFSC 484)
• Do an independent project (WFSC 485)
• Develop a network of contacts
• Join professional organizations (ABS, SCB,
TWS)
• Start a career binder to get a job or a position in
graduate school (WFSC 481)

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