by Whiting | Jul 21, 2023 | Animal signals, Behaviour, Chameleons, Visual ecology
Republished from The Conversation Martin Whiting, Author provided Martin Whiting, Macquarie UniversityInvasive species offer a rare research opportunity, as they often colonise new environments very different to their native habitat. One such species is the Jackson’s...
by Whiting | Jul 16, 2021 | Cognition, Egernia, Publications
This blog post was written by Birgit Szabo. Birgit did her PhD in the Lizard Lab, working on cognition in lizards, with a focus on behavioural flexibility. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Bern in Switzerland, working in Dr. Eva...
by Whiting | Oct 28, 2020 | Behaviour, Ecology, Global warming, Saiphos equalis
By Iván Beltrán Environmental temperature determines many important aspects of an animal’s life. In ectotherms, commonly known as ‘cold-blooded’ animals, the temperature experienced during embryonic development significantly impacts a hatchling’s physiology and...
by Whiting | Oct 1, 2020 | Behaviour, Cognition
Blog post by Sebastian Hoefer We often think of reptiles as somewhat simple – entirely driven by instinct and the basic need for survival. That is where the expression “Reptilian Brain” comes from. It is certainly true that the anatomy of the reptile brain is...
by Whiting | Sep 13, 2020 | Behaviour, Publications
Post by Isabel Damas One way invasive species can have a major impact on ecosystems, is by threatening native species, particularly through competition for resources. Animals typically use two strategies to out-compete their opponents: they can be directly aggressive...
by Whiting | Nov 4, 2019 | Conservation, Dispatches from the field, Ecology, Lab news, Lizard Lab adventures
Note, this field work formed the basis for Angela’s Masters thesis. By Angela Simms I wasn’t sure what to expect on the first night searching for the Sulawesi Forest Turtle. As little as 30 minutes into the stream walk, our local guide spots a large male perched...
by Whiting | Oct 15, 2019 | Behaviour, Cognition, Egernia, Lab news
Birgit recently gave a public lecture about her research on lizard cognition at a mini-conference “The Future of Herpetology, Inspiring Women and Forgotten Frogs: A conference promoting women’s voices in herpetology”. Watch her talk (below) and find out...
by Whiting | Aug 29, 2019 | Bluetongue lizard, Bluetongue skink, Cognition
By Birgit Szabo As children we have much to learn after we are born. We learn to walk, to talk, to develop our social skills, and when we start school we learn how to read, write and do maths. Humans, and many other animals, are considered altricial, meaning that...
by Whiting | Aug 23, 2019 | Animal signals, Anti-predator behaviour, Behaviour
The latest edition of Australian Geographic features the iconic Australian Frill-necked Lizard (Chlamydosaurus kingii). A big part of the article, written by John Pickrell, features our own Christian Alessandro Perez-Martinez! And the top of the page features his...
by Whiting | Oct 18, 2018 | Cognition, Conservation, Podarcis, Publications
Check out our new paper on social learning in the Italian wall lizard, Podarcis sicula. This work formed part of Isabel Damas’ PhD thesis, and it was a huge effort! The question of what makes an invasive species successful compared to other species, that may fail to...
