The
Search for Animal Inventors
How innovative are other species?
Researchers studying animals'
capacity to innovate are focusing on birds and—we are not making this
up—guppies.
References:
Kroodsma, D.E., et al. 1999. Sedentary life style of Neotropical
sedge wrens promotes song imitation. Animal Behaviour 57(April):855.
Laland, K.N., and S.M. Reader. In press. Foraging innovation is inversely
related to competitive ability in male but not female guppies. Behavioral
Ecology.
Laland, K.N., and S.M. Reader. 1999. Foraging innovation in the guppy.
Animal Behaviour 57(February):331.
Lefebvre, L., et al. 1997. Feeding innovations and forebrain
size in birds. Animal Behaviour 53(March):549.
Further Readings:
Fragaszy, D.M., and E. Visalberghl. 1990. Social processes affecting
the appearance of innovative behaviours in capuchin monkeys. Folia
Primatologica 54:155.
Sources:
Sarah T. Boysen
Ohio State University
Department of Psychology
048 Towshend Hall
1885 Neil Avenue Mall
Columbus, OH 43210
Bennett G. Galef Jr.
McMaster University
Psychology Department
Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1
Canada
Sandra L. Gaunt
Ohio State University
Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology
1735 Neil Avenue
Columbus, OH 43210-1293
Donald E. Kroodsma
University of Massachusetts at Amherst
Department of Biology
Amherst, MA 01003
Kevin N. Laland
University of Cambridge
Sub-Department of Animal Behaviour
Madingley, Cambridge CB3 8AA
United Kingdom
Louis Lefebvre
McGill University
Department of Biology
1205 Avenue Docteur Penfield
Montreal, Quebec H3A 1B1
Canada
Joseph R. Mobley Jr.
University of Hawaii, West Oahu
Psychology Department
96-129 Ala Ike
Pearl City, HI 96782
Doug Nelson
Ohio State University
Department of Zoology
1735 Neil Avenue
Columbus, OH 43210-1293
From Science
News, Vol. 155, No. 23, June 5, 1999, p. 364.
Copyright © 1999, Science Service.
