Wildlife Center Classroom Series - The Wildlife Center of Virginia

Transcription

Wildlife Center Classroom Series
Wild Romance: Courtship in Wildlife
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
How about this to signal the beginning of class?
http://soundbible.com/2033-Frogs.html (Frog Calls)
Comment From Mrs. Matheson
Good afternoon, Chapin! My classes are practicing typing or mouse skills while the book fair is going on
so I might be able to check in for a little bit for class! For once, not much scrolling back!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Good afternoon and welcome to this month’s Wildlife Center Classroom Series!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Since it’s the month of February and Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, it seemed very
appropriate to focus on romance and courtship behavior in wildlife.
Comment From Brenda from Virginia
Perfect sounds for the start of this class session.
Wildlife Center Classroom Series: Wild Romance
Page 1
Chapin Hardy, WCV
Comment From sue in Maine
love the froggy call!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
We going to keep this PG by the way :)
Learning about animals and being twitter-patted (from Bambi)
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Yes! Twitterpated!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
So what is courtship behavior?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
No ideas?!?!
Comment From BarbG
trying to attract a mate
Page 2
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Thank you, Barb!
I thought it was a rhetorical question.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Ha!
Showing interest in one of the opposite gender?
Comment From rejoyce
Hi Chapin!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Courtship behavior is a behavior performed by an individual in order attract a possible receptive mate to
produce offspring and pass on one’s genes.
Comment From Sharon in Fl
Some courtship behavior is done to show the female that the male will be a good provider. Anyway it is
behavior that makes them stand out from the others.
Comment From Regina, IL
Little dances or calls
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Ahh now we are talking!
Comment From Lydia, PA ʕ ᴥ ʔ
Here! Ready for class Chapin
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Oh good! You made it!
Page 3
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Alright, how does one attract a mate in the animal kingdom? Well there are bunch of different ways and
many animals employ multiple techniques simultaneously.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
While there are species where the female courts the male in the animal kingdom, it’s mostly the males
working to attract females. So for the sake of this class, we are just going to focus on males courting
females.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Some very commonly practiced courtship behaviors include: calling, actively displaying or physical
appearance, presenting nuptial gifts such as food or a structure, and establishing a lekking site and
waiting for the opposite sex to investigate.
Comment From 33mama
Feather displays.
I know the birds in my yard sing sing sing and strut and flap (esp the bright colored males)
I had a male roadrunner bring a female a lizard as a gift!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Right!
Some birds build very fancy nests to attract a female.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Oh yes, we will touch on that!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Today we are going to explore some of these behaviors and learn about some great examples found
here in Virginia and a few outside our state lines.
Sometimes they bring gifts.
Page 4
Comment From Christa
Some mammals make loud noises or leave some scents around for a mate to find.
The male cardinals bring the females seeds to pout in her beak, It looks like they are kissing
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
So why perform courtship behaviors? Well we already know that these behaviors are done to attract a
possible mate and produce offspring.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
But you don’t want to choose or settle for just anyone, right?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Courtship behaviors help animals to not only attract a mate, but these behaviors also allow them to
determine and select the BEST possible mate or advertise that they are a good choice.
Courtship allows the female to choose the best of the best to father her offspring!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Bingo!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Think of these displays as big, public advertisements of one’s health, strength, intelligence, and ability to
survive despite all the challenges the natural world presents. It really is survival of the fittest!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Let’s delve a little deeper into those biological advertisements.
Comment From 33mama
Right. You want the best nest builder or best something!
Page 5
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
There are a number of hypotheses to why females are attracted to courtship rituals.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The first one is the good gene model.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
In the good gene model, the female watches the male and uses the courtship displays (physical or
behavioral) as an indicator on how good a mate he may be and his potential to pass on good genes that
will allow her offspring to survive and therefore pass on her genes.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Some good examples are the American Goldfinch and White-tailed Deer.
Chapin Hardy, WCV
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/American_Goldfinch-27527.jpg
Page 6
Chapin Hardy, WCV
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/White-tailed_deer.jpg
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
We’ve all seen the brightly colored yellow and black male American Goldfinch.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Female Goldfinches look for the brightest colored male when they are looking to reproduce.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
But what do the feathers tell them specifically?
I had 26 of them on my deck this morning!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Wow!
Maybe that they are healthy?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
That's part of it!
Page 7
Maybe the bright color means he's healthier and has better genes?
That they have strong genes?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Scientists think that the vibrancy of the yellow and size of the black cap indicate to potential mates his
foraging abilities, overall health, and his ability to protect.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The yellow in the bird’s feathers comes from yellow carotenoid pigments (the same found in carrots).
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
These pigments are not produced by the bird’s body and must be acquired by through their diet.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The more food the bird eats with these pigments, the brighter he will be.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
A great indicator of his foraging abilities that can be used to care for a mate sitting on a nest and
offspring!
I didn't know that!
Page 8
Chapin Hardy, WCV
arkive.org
Comment From 33mama
Interesting!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The yellow color also indicates his overall health. Scientist took samples of brightly colored males and
duller, less vibrates males and found that in the brighter males, their overall parasite load in their
systems (specifically the stomach) was significantly lower.
Very cool!
Nyger seed must have really good stuff in it because the goldfiches here empty the nyger seed feeders
daily
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Growing feathers takes energy and a stomach parasite is going to take energy away, leaving less energy
and nutrients to produce bright feathers.
Comment From tinksmom/MO
So the male in the females eyes sees that the he is not a junk food eater.
Page 9
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Exactly and that he doesn't carry have as many internal parasites!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
If the male is bright, he likely has a low parasite load due to a strong immune system – definitely a trait
that a female would want her offspring to have!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Isn’t that amazing?
Does this apply to cardinals as well? I have seen some beautiful Cardinals in my yard.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Feather health is related to diet and parasite load, so pretty much yes.
Comment From 33mama
Yes!
Yes.
Lol she doesn't want parasites!!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Now to the black cap!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The black colored cap comes from melanin pigments, which are produced by the bird.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Scientists found a correlation between the size of the black cap and the aggressiveness of males were
and how willing they were to fight for territories or mates.
Page 10
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The bigger the black cap, the more territorial and the better fighter the male Goldfinch is.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
So a brightly colored male with a big black cap is a total dreamboat to a female Goldfinch. He likely is
healthy, eats right, and can and will protect her and her offspring from intruders or predators.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
I guess in the bird world, you can judge a book by its cover.
Comment From BarbG
fantastic info to know
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Let's go back to the White-tailed Deer.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Ok so how does a doe pick out the right buck? What do you think she pays attention to?
Comment From Mary E in NC
Good afternoon, Chapin and WCV! I love your avatar and am enjoying your class!
Comment From Mary E in NC
Antlers? Size?
Comment From dj
his antlers?
How big his antlers are?
Size
I would have never guessed that the color of a bird id useful information.
Page 11
Comment From BarbG
his horns
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Oops you mean antlers! Antlers fall off and horns don't. Additional horns are made out of keratin and
antlers are made of bone.
If he's able to fight off the young bucks.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Yep, the size of the antlers and who wins when two males fight.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
A female White-tailed Deer will first look for the dominant buck in the herd. Typically the dominant male
has the largest antlers in mass and diameter.
Chapin Hardy, WCV
http://cdn.pcwallart.com/images/whitetail-deer-wallpaper-1.jpg
Comment From 33mama
They certainly are beautiful.
Every lady loves a good defender!!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
As a buck gets older, he will grow more points, but the number of points doesn’t really effect a female’s
selection.
Page 12
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The big antlers can indicate that the male is tough, strong, and has survived a long time (how else would
those antlers grow so big?) or that he has superior genetics, or he lives in high-quality areas that allow
him good nutrition and health.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
She wants a big, strong male that knows how to survive and has good genes for a mate since that will
increase the likelihood of her offspring surviving.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
You can see the reoccurring theme here.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Ok what about the other two hypotheses?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The next two hypotheses sort of run together. They are the Sensory-Bias Hypothesis and the Handicap
Hypothesis.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The Sensory-Bias Hypothesis states that males developed traits and behaviors because females had a
preference for that trait or behavior and males have adapted to accommodate those preferences.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Those preferences may not always be helpful to the survival of the male, which leads into the other
hypothesis.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The Handicap Hypothesis states that males developed the traits or behaviors as a signal to females that
they can survive despite these handicaps.
Page 13
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Can you all think of an example?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Think flashy!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
What animal is famous for being flashy?
Comment From dj
peacock
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Yes, the Peacock!
Chapin Hardy, WCV
hdwallpaperssfree.com
Comment From BarbG
peacock
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The male peacock is brightly colored, has a huge tail in which he fans out and shakes, and is very loud
Page 14
Ummmmmm...I am trying to think flashy. Bu handicapped and flashy? All I can think of is elaborate
dances or feather displays
Comment From Guest
Peacock.
Comment From 33mama
Peacock?
Comment From dj
brightly colored birds are noticed more by predators.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Yes, the bright colors make it very easy for predators to spot, the huge tail limits his ability to hide and
escape, and his call can be easily heard and lead a predator right to him.
Comment From GN
I always thought NOT paying attention to female preferences was detrimental to males.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
ha!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Basically the male peacock is a big, electric blue tub of KFC with a loudspeaker for all those predators
out there.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Yet, the females are attracted to the appearance and displays because the male is advertising that
despite all these bad yet oh so attractive traits, which limit his ability to survive, he can still survive and
do it well (and in-style).
Chapin Hardy, WCV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDvFdj-pFMc
They certainly are beautiful.
Page 15
Wow, what a beauty!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Ok that covers some theories to why animals practice courtship. Let’s move into specific courtship
behaviors!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The first behavior that I mentioned at the beginning of class was calling or vocalizations. Giving a mating
call or song can have multiple purposes such as indicating one’s location, experience, and health.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
It’s a great big world out there and animals often need to perform behaviors to communicate with their
species. A male will call out, and a female will hear and follow the sound right to the male – simple
enough.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
It’s almost like a game of Marco Polo.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
But before she follows the sound, she really takes a good listen.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Songbirds are a great example. Birds have a HUGE repertoire of notes, ranges, and songs and they learn
and perfect these calls by listening to others of their species.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
If they don’t learn the correct song or note sequence, they will not be able to communicate and attract a
mate.
Page 16
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
That’s just one more reason why you should try to reunite nestlings with their parents and leave
fledgling birds on the ground.
I love the Spring displays of bird songs I hear. So many. And I love listening to the catbirds
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
A female bird will listen for volume, but mostly for the rate and complexity of the song.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
What do you think the rate indicates?
Comment From dj
lung health?
Comment From dj
stamina
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The rate indicates health. If a bird is in good health, he will sing more frequently. It takes energy to sing
and a sick bird is going to conserve that energy and sing less often—not something a female wants in
her babies.
Rate? Strength? I know it takes alot of vocal strength to sing clearly at a fast rate for humans
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Yep!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Ok how about the complexity of the song?
Intelligence
Page 17
Comment From dj
mental acuity?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Well done!
Comment From BarbG
experience
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Yep! The more complex the song, the more experienced the bird. It also indicates his learning ability.
Smart? ability? another sign of strength and health if the song is complex
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Scientists have found a positive correlation between a bird’s song complexity and its ability to solve
novel foraging tasks.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
So in away, it indicates his intelligence. Intelligence and learning from experience are essential to an
animal’s survival—definitely something a female would like to have passed down to her offspring.
ahhh! Interesting
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
When I think of complex and varied tunes, the first bird that comes to my mind is the Northern
Mockingbird.
Page 18
Chapin Hardy, WCV
www.audubon.org
Comment From CarolinaGirl
Oh a favorite. They are so cool. I guess the more imitations the better!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The Northern Mockingbird male may learn as many as 200 songs in his lifetime and will continue to add
songs to their repertoires throughout their lives.
Comment From cwerb ʕ ᴥ ʔ ♥ ʕ ᴥ ʔ ♥ ʕ ᴥ ʔ ʕ ᴥ ʔ ♥ ʕ ᴥ ʔ ♥ ʕ ᴥ ʔ ♥ ʕ ᴥ ʔ
do guitars and drums factor in?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
HA! They are good at imitating sounds, but not that good.
Comment From Seahawk Nadine- U.P.,WA
Some courtship behaviors also serve to reduce territorial aggression between birds.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Indeed they do!
Page 19
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The typical Northern Mocking bird song is a lengthy series of song phrases that are each repeated 2-6
times. Let’s take a listen!
http://soundbible.com/332-Mockingbird-Call.html
Most definitely. I love listening to the mocking bird. Gosh they can micmic almost every song. I had a
friend who claims she even heard a mocking bird performing eagle calls
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
While male mockingbirds will sing during both the day and the night, the less dominant, inexperienced
males will sing at night.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Those guys are out competed by the males that sing louder and more complex songs, so they are forced
to sing at night and the females are less likely to be out searching for a mate.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
So until they get better, the likelihood of them attracting a lady is pretty slim. Practice makes perfect,
guys!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Alright let’s move onto displays!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Most of the time when we think of displays, we think of birds doing fancy dances like these guys ...
Chapin Hardy, WCV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L54bxmZy_NE
Oh, I have watched that vid before--from BBC, right? I Love it
Page 20
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Yes! I love David Attenborough
Comment From 33mama
Wow! I would run!
Comment From Seahawk Nadine- U.P.,WA
CRAZY!! If that was a human we would think they were crazy
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
But you probably seen a display in your own backyard and didn’t even realize it.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Here’s a clue: You may have heard of the dance, the “Bunny Hop”.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Believe it or not, Eastern Cottontails do a mating dance/display!
Chapin Hardy, WCV
Comment From GN
How I dance in my own backyard STAYS in my own backyard.
Page 21
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Probably for the safety of all of us.
bunnies are just so stinkin' cute
Really? We have bunny nests in our yard every year. But I have never witnessed the mating display
Bet there is lots of thumping!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Eastern Cottontails breed February/March through September and can have on average four to five
litters with about three to four kits in each litter.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The doe (the female rabbit) can have up to seven litters with five babies, but that isn’t as common. So
now you all know where the saying “Breeding like rabbits” comes from.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
So as a rabbit, everyone wants to eat you so reproducing and reproducing often is the key to making
sure your genes are passed, but you still want your offspring to have good genes from your mate.
bunnies build nests?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Yes, but it's more of a shallow depression in the ground that is lined with fur and soft bedding and
covered by grass.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
But how do you determine if a male rabbit is a good mate? You perform a courtship ritual.
Page 22
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Male and female Eastern Cottontails will chase each other back and forth, leap and dash, and charge
one another.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
To a lot of people, it can look like fighting.
Chapin Hardy, WCV
https://cache.lovethispic.com/uploaded_images/thumbs/165242-Everybunny-Was-Kung-Fu-Fighting.jpg
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
" ... Kung fu fighting"
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
In really, it’s the female testing if the male is fast and agile enough to evade predators.
hee hee
I will have to be on the lookout for this. They always make nests under thick evergreens in our back
yard. Lots of soft needles and debri under there for nests
Page 23
Chapin Hardy, WCV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk28__1LnZs
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Please forgive the dramatic music!
Comment From Dave in Missouri
The nerve of my work distracting me from critter cam class, I will have some scrolling back to do!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Let’s look another cool animal that displays to grab the attention of a female.
Comment From tinksmom/MOʕ ᴥ ʔ
My neighbors always have bunnies in their yard, I suppose I'd better keep watch. Fascinating!
LOL the dramatic music makes it funny.
Chapin Hardy, WCV
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The Woodcock! (Also known as the Timberdoodle)
Page 24
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
If any of you attended our online book club discussion of A Sand County Almanac, you might remember
the Sky Dance chapter.
Have never seen one of those
that bird is quite odd looking.
That beak looks longer than he is!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The Woodcock will first walk in a bobbing back and forth pattern …
Chapin Hardy, WCV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVekakNccSI
I remember the book and the description, but I have never seen woodcocks around here
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Then he will make about four or five “peent” calls and then takes to the air.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
He spirals upwards a hundred feet or more and then at the highest point will stop. He drops to the
ground in a very erratic pattern and then he flies along the ground and lands in the same spot that he
took off.
Comment From PaulaR
Lydia, you may hear them in summer in your woods...
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Then if a female arrives, he will approach her with his wings stretched upward and then if she likes him,
they will mate.
Page 25
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
If no female arrives, he repeats his calls and his dance.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Pretty neat, right? I couldn’t find a decent video online of this dance. All of them made me woozy with
all the erratic camera movement as the person tried to capture the dance in their viewfinder.
Comment From BarbG
have never seen one but remember the book story
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
But here is a diagram!
Chapin Hardy, WCV
http://miracleofnature.org/video/american-woodcock/
We must remember Mr. Peacock whe thinking about displays!!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Yep! Peacocks are fantastic examples too.
@ PaulaR--Maybe when we move to the mountain and woods yes. Cannot wait until I see what I
discover there
Page 26
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Ok, maybe you gentlemen can confirm this but we have a saying that the way to a man’s heart, is
through his stomach.
ask Dave and GN.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Well the reverse is often true in the animal kingdom.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
By presenting a food nuptial gift to a possible mate, the female is judging the male’s ability to provide
for her and her offspring. It also solidifies the pair’s bond.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The Northern Cardinal is a great example!
Chapin Hardy, WCV
Courtship Feeding in the Northern Cardinal. Photo by Linda Hartong, 2008.
I have seen this. Sweet!
Aha,I have seen this in my yard!
Comment From BarbG
I have seen that with cardinals
Page 27
Comment From Dawn in VB
The male eagle brings food to his mate.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Yep!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Sometimes, however, the nuptial food gift might even be him!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Some great examples are the Praying Mantis and the Black Widow Spider.
Chapin Hardy, WCV
http://s1.thingpic.com/images/GV/4nw87phzy1jw1rFVDFhJj7BZ.jpeg
Page 28
Chapin Hardy, WCV
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/Adult_Female_Black_Widow.jpg
Yes! That cardinal pic is what I was saying earlier Chapin. We have lots of cardinals here. I love watching
the males wooing the females with seeds in the Spring. Of course they also get into territorial battles
then too since so many spend the winter here
yaaaahhhhhh! spider!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
After a male courts a female praying mantis and is actually mating with her, the female chews off his
head, eats it, and then eats the rest of his body as nourishment so that she can lay her eggs. That’s
dedication!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The Black Widow Spider is fairly similar. The male spider carefully plucks the female spider’s web to
indicate that he is a potential mate. If he doesn’t do it correctly, she perceives him as prey.
Comment From 33mama
Yuck. We have black widows here.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
He then mates with her. After mating however, this femme fatale, kills him and then eats him for egg
laying nourishment.
Page 29
That is what I call a suicide spider.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
It's a pretty common practice in the insect and arachnid world.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Nuptial gifts can also be structures.
Praying mantis is the ultimate gift. Geez. I give my life to you.
And, that female spider sounds a little OCD.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Some structures are purely used to attract the attention of a female--such as the Bower Bird.
Chapin Hardy, WCV
Satin Bower Bird http://what-when-how.com/birds/satin-bowerbird-birds/
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Other structures such as say a nest, give the female a head start to raising her young.
You can see why she has the name of Black Widow!
Page 30
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Correct!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Let’s take a look at an animal that presents a nuptial gift that is food but also a nest! Any guesses? This is
a tough one!
is it a bird?
A gourd as a nest
oops didn't mean to send that
Wrens?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Nope!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Give up?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
It’s the Dung Beetle!
Page 31
Chapin Hardy, WCV
https://www.tes.com/lessons/AcBWzAamrnlW9A/scarabs-dung-beetles
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
When people think about Dung Beetles, they often think of these little insects rolling large balls of poop
across the African savanna.
Comment From BarbG
I saw those in South Africa-very cool
Yep!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Well the Dung Beetles aren’t just found in Africa.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
We actually have them some native species here in Virginia – 11 actually!
Ding Beetles? In Va?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Yep!
Page 32
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
One of the most vibrant is the Rainbow Scarab Beetle.
Chapin Hardy, WCV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFdw3LMwi-4
I dig, dung. Ha ha
Comment From GN
@Lydia - is a ding beetle the same as a bell weevil?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Ha!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The Rainbow Scarab Beetle is found along the eastern United States to the Rocky Mountains. Since they
are members of the Dung Beetle family, the eat dung (poop). The poop is also crucial to producing
offspring.
poop balls for gift giving...that's an interesting idea.
LOL Love the line" For a little fellow who spends his time crawling around in poop, he sure is concerned
with grooming himself"
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The male will roll as big a ball of poop he can muster and present it to a female. The size of the dung and
his ability to move it are good clues to the female of his fitness as a mate.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Then if she is impressed with his work, she’ll mate and lay one egg (just one!) in the ball.
Page 33
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
This ball provides all the food and water that the developing larva will need.
Wow! The bigger the poop ball, the better and stronger the male. I am sorry but this one has be literally
LOL
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Then either the female, or in some species, both the male and the female dig a tunnel and bury the
dung ball.
Only ONE egg?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Yep! Very unusual for insects.
Always heard of the Dung Beetle but never new anything about them most interesting!
all in all, they are pretty gross, aren't they..
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
I don't think so. I think they are really cool! Plus the groom themselves all the time and are pretty clean.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Also the American Institute of Biological Sciences reports that dung beetles save the U.S. cattle industry
alone an estimated $380 million annually.
How often does this repeat itself in a season with only one egg at a time?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The female can store sperm and produce lots of eggs and bury lots of poop balls. I'll have to look up the
average number.
Page 34
I like dung beatles--help clean the environment just as scavengers do.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
EXACTLY!
If vultures are natures cleaning crew I guess dung beetles are natures sanitation department.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The egg hatches and as the larva develops, it eats the ball. By the time the ball is completely consumed,
the larva is an adult and can follow the tunnel to the surface.
Chapin Hardy, WCV
entnemdept.ufl.edu
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Ok! On the home stretch!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The final courtship behavior I want to discuss today is establishing a lekking site.
Page 35
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
A lekking site is typically a site where males come together and engage in competitive displays to attract
the attention of a passing female.
Thanks Chapin, so she does this over and over again!
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The site has no other valuable resources for either the male or the female other than the opportunity to
find a mate. Typically the females actually seek out the males in this situation.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The advantage to this behavior is that the female doesn’t have to settle for the first male that courts her
out in the wild, and she is able to compare her options.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Once she has seen what the all the available males can offer, she makes her selection.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
HAHA!
New info to me-- lekking site
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
For the males, they have an increased chance of breeding with the multiple females that visit the lek,
which means multiple opportunities to produce offspring with their genes.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Additionally the subordinate males have a better opportunity of finding a mate since they are more
likely to be noticed by females since they are congregating around a dominant male.
Page 36
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
This behavior is typically seen in mammals and birds, but it has been noted in fish and Marine Iguanas
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The Topi (antelope) uses lekking sites.
Don't the females who find mates at a lekking site end up doing all the chick care on their own?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Yep! There is very little parental investment from the males.
What species use this site?
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
While this isn’t a native species to Virginia, one of the best studied and known examples is the Sage
Grouse.
Chapin Hardy, WCV
© Stephen Parsons
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The Sage Grouse is found in the western United States and Canada and they gather in large groups to
perform a strut display.
Page 37
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The males inflate air sacs, puff out their chests, and make woofing, popping sounds that really sound
almost fake – like popping bubbles in a cartoon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov9_72xLeF0
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
At :42, you can see a female Sage Grouse visiting the lekking site … she doesn’t seem too impressed.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Males will also display in front of other males to show off how tough and will sometimes face off with
other males by posturing or beating each other with their wings.
Comment From BarbG
very impressive but she doesn't seem impressed
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The dominant male will have the largest lekking site (usually just a small circle a few meters in diameter)
and other subordinate males will surround him. The further out you go, the less dominant the male.
Chapin Hardy, WCV
Page 38
One must be very low on the totem pole to be outside the circle.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
While all this strutting, air-sac filling strut looks strange to us, these behaviors have developed because
they have increased the quality as well as the likelihood of passing on an individual’s genes.
If I were the female I would not like this site...no investment from the males. But I guess this is not
unlike the black bear. After mating it is all up to Mom
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Courtship in wildlife is more than just calling out and doing weird dances. It’s about parental investment.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
The female, who usually is the one who raises the young, wants to give her offspring the best chance of
success. That success lies in the quality of the genes being passed down.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Courtship is just a way of advertising one’s own success and ensuring that the gene pool stays strong as
well as the continued survival of the species.
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
Alright folks, that wraps it all up! I hope you learned something new today!
Comment From GN
Very interesting class. I picked up some good tips.
By the way I love your avatar today Chapin
Comment From Guest
Who is your avatar Chapin?
Page 39
Chapin Hardy, WCV:
It's one of the 17 from 2013.
Thank you, Chapin for an informative session today.
Thank you for class Chapin. Very interesting. I did learned a few things which is always fun. Have a great
day.
Great Class!
Learned lots! Thanks Chapin!
Comment From BarbG
thanks Chapin-I learned a lot-it was great
Terrific class--learned a lot. Thanks, Chapin.
Great class. I learned a lot of new things today.
Terrific class Chapin. Very interesting and I learned new things. That is always good
Page 40

Wildlife Center Classroom Series - The Wildlife Center of Virginia

Transcription

Similar documents

An Evening of Elegance

Triloba Plum(CMYK)

institue of music welcomes new assistant director porché hardy

Redspire Flowering Pear L.E. COOKE CO

BaBa Berry Leah-Cot Aprium®

Weigh Scale Module - Hardy Process Solutions

Program - Music - Williams College

College Prep 8/23/2013 - IDEA Public Schools / Homepage

Press Release - Flowers Gallery