The Animal Communication text chapters gave a nice review of behavior optimization and other things we learned in Behavior last semester. Unfortunately I have trouble keeping myself focused when I’m trying to read a review of things I’ve already learned. That’s the main reason it took me a couple of days to blog about the reading; it wasn’t difficult material, but it was hard to make myself focus while reading. However, I’m sure it will provide good background information for my next reading.
The main idea of animal signaling as presented by this book is to use information transfer to maximize benefits and minimize costs for the sender and / or the receiver. In some cases both benefit. In other cases such as eavesdropping or deceit / manipulation, the sender or receiver does not gain fitness from the information transfer. Amazon mollies deceive the males they mate with into providing sperm for no direct increase in fitness. Predatory female fireflies deceive males of other species into coming close enough to be eaten. Bats eavesdrop on the mating calls of Tungara frogs to get a meal.
My next entry will focus on the red Animal Signals book.
Unrelated zoology thought: What causes a squirrel to have sparse fur on its tail? I’ve noticed that the squirrels around Gittinger Hall are more likely to have partially bald tails or very short hair on their tail. I’ve considered mange, but if I recall correctly that affects the entire body, not just the tail. I’d like to know if it’s a genetic disorder or an acquired disease… And if the high concentration of cigarette smoke around that building has anything to do with it.
