The Thoughtful Animal

A Flyer Makes It Official

Time for a Nap [Photo]

Well, I've gone and submitted my dissertation to my committee.Like this San Diego Zoo polar bear, I intend to hibernate through the weekend. And then, we prepare the defense.

Ronan Fights Back! Scrappy Sea Lion Might Reclaim the Title of First Non-Human Mammal Dancer

Two weeks ago, I wrote about a new study by Peter Cook and colleagues from the Pinniped Lab at the University of California, Santa Cruz. In their study, Cook claimed that Ronan the California sea lion was the first non-human mammal to show evidence of "rhythmic entrainment," or the ability to synchronize the movements of his body with an external rhythm...

Is Meat-Eating A Conservation Tactic?

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about wildlife conservation psychology, especially in light of last month’s TEDxDeExtinction event.

Ronan the Sea Lion Dances To The Backstreet Boys. So What?

Ronan is the name of a the California sea lion ( Zalophus californianus ) who can bob her head in time to music. She apparently dances to Boogie Wonderland , and the Backstreet Boys song Everybody ...

A Photo Safari at the San Diego Zoo

#PHD2013 is getting closer and closer. In the meantime, here are some more portraits of San Diego Zoo residents, following on from last week's post.Here's an angolan colobus monkey, with some bits of breakfast stuck to its face.An African Grey Parrot, a conspecific of the famous Alex.A menacing Steller's Sea Eagle, the best of all of Steller's birds, according to John McCormack...

This Is The Best Animal Photo I Have Ever Taken

Longtime readers of this blog know that I like to take photos, and I primarily take them of two types of subjects: nighttime cityscapes, and animals.

The Thoughtful Animal, Now With More MIND

Changes are afoot around here! Six new blogs were launched today, which when combined with the previously-existing Sci Am psychology and neuroscience bloggers, form the new Scientific American MIND Blog Network.What does it mean for this blog?...

Animating Anthropomorphism: Giving Minds To Geometric Shapes [Video]

The brain has a problem. Information can only enter it through sensory apparatuses: the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin. And the information that enters the brain is fairly simple.

The Wilder Side of Sex

My latest piece for BBC Future is now up, and it focuses on how the things we may think of as odd, gross, or strange when it comes to human sexual practices are perhaps entirely normal for other species...