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A novel, skeletal reconstruction of Archaeopteryx skeleton follows Heilmann's (1926) tradition in being based primarily on osteological evidence and free phylogenetic and functional preconceptions. Although the connection between the sternum and ribs remains unknown, a combination of positional and comparative evidence speaks for the presence of cartilaginous sternal ribs. The reconstructed rib cage is compatible with some levels of the airsac ventilation mechanics. The reconstructed segmental position (relative to the vertebral column) of the shoulder girdle at the level of 11th or 12th vertebra agrees with evidence from both modern birds and theropods. The wing must have been largely folded in the resting position, but the geometry and mechanism of wing folding remain conjectural. In its gait and stance, Archaeopteryx was more similar to the modern birds than to the theropods.
Morphometric variation of the common shrew Sorex araneus Linnaeus, 1758 was studied in the Łęgucki Młyn/Popielno hybrid zone in north-eastern Poland. The shrews of both races and their hybrids were measured. Seventeen cranial and external measurements in 105 young shrews were analysed. Based on the results of canonical analysis and multidimensional scaling we propose a hypothesis on morphometric differences between hybrids and non-hybrids. They may involve three skull parameters: length of the upper and lower dental series, and the length of the upper row of molariform teeth.
Stereotypic behavior is treated as an essential indicator of animals’ welfare. The occurrence of this behavior stems from the dissonance between the conditions in which they are kept and those preferred by the animals and fulfilling their biological needs. The contemporary studies concerning this behavior involve both definitions and classifications of basic concepts associated with these types of disorders. The majority of those definitions characterizes stereotypic behaviors as being invariant, repetitive and with no obvious goal or function. The criteria are often equivocal or their meaning imprecise. The variety of forms and types of this behavior indicates that different types of stereotypes are the result of different disturbances in interactions between an animal and its environment. Difficulties to classify the types of stereotypical behaviors are the result of the equivocality of the criteria, thus one form can often be classified to many types. Some among the few classifications focus more on the frequency and intensity of symptoms, others on causes. Here we present a review of various definitions with the criteria being used to describe this abnormal behavior.
In the study conducted in Poland (2007–2009) data on animal welfare were collected using questionnaires based on the Five Freedoms concept. The ranking of keeping conditions was created, based on the total count of evaluation points for each enclosure. The behaviour was scanned with all-occurrences recording up to 6 hours per enclosure. Each location was visited three times giving the total number of 342 observation hours. Occurrences of stereotypic behaviours were observed in all individuals in the amount ranging from 0.5 to 88.3% of observation time. The results showed a significant difference in time devoted to stereotypies in relation to species (P=0.04). Brown bears (Ursus arctos) were more likely to perform stereotypic behavior than Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus). There was a significant correlation between space and stereotypies (r=−0.43, P=0.03). A lower level of stereotypic behavior accompanied higher values of space variable. The correlation between the level of stereotypies and the overall assessment of the keeping conditions was r=0.58, statistically significant for P≤0.05.
The occurrence of stereotypies in animals is primarily related to (i) internal states induced by the captive environment or other external stimuli that continuously trigger or motivate specific behaviours, (ii) situations in which the environment causes a state of chronic stress that influences the path from the cortex to the basal ganglia promoting and sequencing a behaviour that results in a lack of proper inhibition and (iii) an experience in early ontogeny that influenced the development of the central nervous system, causing inappropriate sequencing and a lack of inhibition with effects visible even in adult life. Such features of stereotypic behaviour as its repetitiveness, a gradual loss of variability and increasing predictability might be related to positively reinforcing opioid effect, environment predictability or synaptic priming. Consequences of stereotypies are various and depend on their causes and the types of stereotypic movements. They might influence the physical state of the animal, handicapping its social interactions, but also decrease anxiety and ability to react to external stimuli. Stereotypies and their consequences are strictly related with other welfare indicators and are unequivocally treated as a symptom of abnormality.
Little is known about sexually-oriented behaviors unrelated to reproduction in non-human mammals. Fellatio has been observed in a number of mammals, including bears, but the role and cause of this behavior remains unclear. We investigated the mechanisms and determinants of regular and persistent fellatio in two captive male brown bears, both orphaned as cubs. The roles of the males, one as the provider and the other as receiver of fellatio, never changed during the observation period. Humming vocalizations used by suckling bear cubs, were clearly audible during 18 fellatio acts, suggesting that the providing bear retained infantile behavior. To our knowledge, this constitutes the first study of this behavior in bears. Bear cubs suckle their mothers for milk, bonding, and comfort for at least the first year of their life. Orphaned bear cubs may suckle own or their sibling’s body parts as a substitute for nipples. Forced premature weaning and subsequent deprivation of proper and sufficient stimulation of the suckling reflex can result in teatsearching behavior persisting into adulthood. Our data suggest that the fellatio behavior observed in the captive bears may have emerged from frustrated suckling reflex in individuals orphaned as cubs.
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