This month I meet some very polite deer who have a special way of asking for food. I discover why some plant nectars contain poisonous toxins. And in the scientific spark, I talk to Iain Couzin from the Max Planck Department of Collective Behaviour. Iain tells me what sparked his interest in becoming a scientist, and how, if his teachers had had their way, he might have been doing something entirely different. 

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Feeding a sika deer in Nara Park, Japan
Today I met the sika deer of #Nara #Japan who have learned to bow for treats. Seems to be a #sociallytransmitted #behaviour pic.twitter.com/jTedabe2hW — Dr. Hannah Rowland (@HannahMRowland) October 1, 2017 Quicklinks:

Variation and social influence of bowing behavior by sika deer (Cervus nippon) in the journal Ethology
Patty Jone' lab webpage at Bowdoin
Patty's paper on the consequences of toxic secondary compounds in nectar for mutualist bees and antagonist butterflies.
Iain Couzin's Collective Behaviour Department

This month I find out that animals should be careful when choosing a mate, picking a partner that matches them in quality, else they might face an early grave! I discover that a mutation in a taste receptor gene has helped macaques in Japan to become thieves. And in the scientific spark, I talk to Kate Umbers from the University of Western Sydney, who works on a variety of topics, mainly related to understanding the mechanisms, functions and evolution of biological colouration. She tells me what sparked her interest in becoming a scientist. 

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A Japanese Macaque munching on fruit (image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/gingiber/)
Quicklinks:

Becky Kilner's Burying Beetle Lab 
Burying Beetle paper in eLife 
Japanese Macaque taste receptor paper in PLOS One
Kate Umbers' lab page 

This month I hear how a wildlife park in Yorkshire is providing the perfect retirement setting for an old polar bear. I discover that social insects make trips to natures pharmacy to fight infections. And in the scientific spark, I talk to Patricia Brekke from the Zoological Society of London, who tells me about her research on the endangered new Zealand bird the Hihi, and what inspired her to become a scientist.

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Victor is Yorkshire Wildlife Park's polar bear.  He is one of the biggest polar bears in Europe, weighing 500Kg
Quicklinks:

Yorkshire Wildlife Park's Project Polar Bear

Ants medicate to fight disease in the journal Evolution

Patricia Brekke from The Institute of Zoology at the Zoological Society of London

This month I find out about sea ducks who enjoy a rather sophisticated fast food diet of mussels. I discover that horses horse around with lots of different facial expressions. And in the scientific spark, I talk to Johan Nilsson from the university of Lund, who researches the physiology and evolutionary ecology of birds.

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What does this face say?!
Quicklinks:

EquiFACS: The Equine Facial Action Coding System

Elisabeth Varennes' research gate page

Johan Nilsson's research page

In this episode I discover that some species of coral reef fish change colour, and they do this to grab a sneaky meal! I also find out how moths find flowers in the dark. And in the scientific spark I talk to Lucy Nash, who is commissioning editor for science at Oxford University Press.

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Copyright © N Justin Marshall/Courtesy of University of Basel
Quicklinks:
Will Feeney's webpage

Fabio Cortesi's webpage

The dottyback paper in Current Biology

Hovering hawkmoth paper in science

This month I’m joined by special guest James O’Hanlon from the Australian museum in Sydney for a deception and disguise special. James tells me about his PhD research on mantids that trick bees by mimicking flowers - or do they?! And we discuss a new paper showing that butterfly eyepsots might really be mimicking the eyes of a predator’s own predator. In the Scientific spark I talk to Marie Herbenstein, from Macquarie University in Sydney, who tells me that things might have not gone the way they have if she’d chosen a different research project!

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The owl butterfly Photo Credit: 1funny.com
Quicklinks:

James O'Hanlon's webpage

Predator mimicry, not conspicuousness, explains the efficacy of butterfly eyespots

Marie Herbenstein's webpage

This month I discover what black field crickets do when predatory lizards get too close. I find out how humans bond with their canine chums. In the Scientific spark I talk to Tristram Wyatt, from the University of Oxford, who tells me how he became fascinated in all things pheromone-y.

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Borrow my doggy-friend - Milo
Quicklinks:

Patricio Lago's webpage

Oxytocin-gaze positive loop and the coevolution of human-dog bonds

Tristram Wyatt's webpage

This month, I discover that a preference for a particular colour of food can be heritable, and I also have a chat with Niels Dingemanse from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology about how you test animal personality. In the Scientific spark, I talk to Shaun Killen, from the University of Glasgow, who tells me about his inspiration to become a scientist.

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Testing Great tit personality. Image from http://www.mpg.de/617557/pressRelease20100209
Quicklinks:

Great tits: birds with character

Artificial selection for food colour preferences

Shaun Killen's webpage

Naturally speaking podcast

This month, I find out that penguins can’t tell the difference between savoury and sweet. I also chat with Sonia Van Wijk from The Université de Sherbrooke in Quebec, Canada, about what makes a male tree swallow attractive to a female who's on the look-out for more than one partner. And in the Scientific spark, I talk to social network whizz Damien Farine, from the University of Oxford, about his path into science.

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Adelie penguins from http://animalsadda.com/adelie-penguin/
Quicklinks:

Sonia Van Wijk's Research Gate page

The penguin taste loss paper in Current Biology

Damien Farine's webpage

This month, animal arithmetic from a research group in Italy who investigated how chickens order numbers – I put Naked Scientist Graihagh Jackson through her paces. Also in the episode, Leanne Grieves from McMaster University tells me what Smooth-billed anis do in response to different types of predators. And Niels Dingemanse, from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology tells me about his Scientific Spark.

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Credit: Rosa Rugani, University of Padova

Quicklinks:
Leanne Grieves' paper on Ani in Animal Behaviour
Number-space mapping in the newborn chick resembles humans’ mental number line, in Science
Niels Dingemanse's research page

Professor Innes Cuthill from the University of Bristol describes his Scientific Spark. Danielle Klomp from the University of New South Wales, tells me about two populations of gliding lizard that have diverged in gliding membrane colouration to match the colours of their local falling leaves, and that mimicking falling leaves is an adaptation that functions to reduce predation by birds. I also find out how birds heard tornadoes coming and fled one day ahead.

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Falling leaf mimic - Bornean gliding lizard, Draco cornutus

Quicklinks:

Danielle Klomp's paper in Biology Letters

Danielle Klomp's blog

Tornadic Storm Avoidance Behavior in Breeding Songbirds - Current Biology

Innes Cuthill's Camo Lab