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galateainthewild.bsky.social
She/Her | BSc Animal Behaviour (Hons) 🌍 Climate and nature nerd, science communicator, editor, podcaster 🦔 Hi there Bluesky! 🦋 Let's make waves. 🌊 All opinions are my own, and subject to change as science evolves and I grow 🌱 📸: Phillip Formby | WTML
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Meet Ticket and Tailor, our Tamworth pig ecosystem engineers! 🐖🐖 They came to Heal Somerset as piglets before Christmas and we're smitten. They are brothers and never leave each other's side, always rootling around and squealing at anyone who walks by in the hope of food. youtu.be/8jmJG_3f-HQ?...

submitted 46 days ago • 1 comment

Advent Sci-Fact 24: Classical Music makes Dolphins Sociable! When played classical music, dolphins spent more time swimming in synchrony, and gently touched other dolphins more frequently! These effects would last for 20 minutes after the music stopped! Paper: tinyurl.com/22yjuzhl #SciComm 🧪🌍 🐬

submitted 68 days ago • 9 comments

Advent Sci-Fact 23: Humans can learn to echolocate! Learners, taught to echolocate in ten weeks, were able to identify the orientation of objects, navigate a virtual maze and apply the skill outside of training. Improving mobility of blind learners. Paper: tinyurl.com/2cy92ykv #SciComm 🧪 #SciSky

submitted 69 days ago • 5 comments

Advent Sci-Fact 22: Rats that drive are more resilient!🐀 Rats that were trained to drive small cars had hormones in their poop that suggest they’re more emotionally resilient! Some rats would continue to drive the cars, even when there was no reward. Paper: tinyurl.com/25vtahuz #SciComm 🧪🌍 #SciSky

submitted 70 days ago • 16 comments

Advent Sci-Fact 21: Same sex and heterosexual flamingos are behaviourally the same! Same sex flamingo pairs show the same incubation behaviours as heterosexual ones. Egg layers spends less time incubating, while partners incubate and defend the nests. Paper: tinyurl.com/2xvws6wb #SciComm 🌍🧪 #SciSky

submitted 71 days ago • 4 comments

Advent Sci-Fact 20: Skinks may return to Christmas Island! Blue Tailed Skinks, had a (mostly) successful trial reintroduction. 170 released into an “exclosure” became a population of >1k! Skinks were recaptured after invasive snakes breached the fence. Paper: tinyurl.com/24yjv5d3 #SciComm 🌍🧪 #SciArt

submitted 71 days ago • 1 comment

Advent Sci-Fact 19: Old Hummingbirds can learn new tricks! Adult Costa’s Hummingbirds sing new songs after being introduced to other hummingbirds. These songs could be a combination of their existing songs, or copy the song of the loudest bird! Paper: tinyurl.com/2cef4cf4 #SciComm 🧪🌍 #SciArt

submitted 73 days ago • 2 comments

Advent Sci-Fact 18: Herring Gulls copy human food habits! Gulls were more likely to approach and eat food if they saw a human eating it, and would express a colour preference, mimicking the human. They’re social learners, also mimicking other gulls! Paper: tinyurl.com/2bjltxo4 #SciComm 🧪🌍 #gulls

submitted 74 days ago • 3 comments

Advent Sci-Fact 17: Long-Finned Pilot Whales have many vocalisations! 40 distinct vocalisations have been recorded across two populations of Pilot Whales in the Mediterranean Sea. Sounds varied, and some occurred frequently – likely repetitive warning calls! Paper: tinyurl.com/26ok58pk #SciComm 🧪🌍 🐋

submitted 75 days ago • 2 comments

Advent Sci-Fact 16: Stressed Meerkats Pause Pregnancy! When pregnant females are evicted from their clans, they can pause pregnancy for up to 13 days, reducing stress on their body and embryo. Unlike other mammals, they do this after implantation! Paper: tinyurl.com/2bfdjncf #SciComm 🧪🌍 #physiology

submitted 76 days ago • 4 comments

Advent Sci-Fact 15: Urban Bees have Bigger Brains!🐝 Bee species that survive in urban habitats have bigger brains than those in natural environments. This may be due to a “cognitive buffer”: big brains are more flexible, better for changing habitats. Paper: tinyurl.com/28tfvq5q #SciComm 🌍🧪 #SciArt

submitted 77 days ago • 2 comments

Advent Sci-Fact 14: Mice sing in Call-and-Response! Female Alston’s Singing Mice sing more in response to male songs. Female songs are shorter and less frequent than male songs. This may play a role in courtship or help mice to identify each other! Paper: tinyurl.com/2a7cncsg #SciComm 🌍🧪 #SciArt

submitted 78 days ago • 3 comments

Advent SciFact 13: Chicks can identify objects at first sight! Chicks hatched in darkness, who imprint on an object via touch, can then identify it by sight, despite never seeing it before. Showing cross-sense recognition doesn’t rely on experience. Paper: tinyurl.com/2843demc #SciComm 🌍🧪 #cognition

submitted 79 days ago • 5 comments

Advent Sci-Fact 12: No more turtle doves? Turtle Doves have declined 63% in 50 years. They’re losing food and nesting sites and being hunted (legally and illegally). There are many ways to help! From scattering seed to cleaning feeders. Visit: operationturtledove.org #SciComm #Conservation🌍 #xmas

submitted 80 days ago • 5 comments

Advent Sci-Fact Day 11: Beaver Ponds Improve Biodiversity! Beaver Ponds in Germany host more unique species, and more species of conservation concern, than nearby river and forest habitats. The ponds had particularly high numbers of bats and birds! Paper: tinyurl.com/2b76lhqk #SciComm #SciArt 🧪🌍🦫

submitted 81 days ago • 4 comments

Advent Sci-Fact 10: Penguins Hear Underwater! Gentoo penguins have adapted to hear underwater sounds. Their hearing is more sensitive than other aquatic birds, and their responses vary by volume. They may also be impacted by human noise pollution. Paper: tinyurl.com/24o2h3ga #SciComm 🌍🧪 #SciArt 🐧

submitted 82 days ago • 4 comments

Another thing I made this year. Pigeon history!

submitted 82 days ago • 139 comments