{"id":175,"date":"2020-07-08T15:59:22","date_gmt":"2020-07-08T19:59:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cmast.ncsu.edu\/?page_id=175"},"modified":"2020-11-19T13:51:51","modified_gmt":"2020-11-19T18:51:51","slug":"animal-behavior","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cmast.ncsu.edu\/people-at-cmast\/seals-price\/animal-behavior\/","title":{"rendered":"Animal Behavior"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
The animal care teams at the North Carolina Aquariums are dedicated to keeping our animals as healthy as possible, and also to their overall wellness. I use animal behavior to help inform the staff about how animals are spending their time, how they interact with other animals, and where they like to hang out. To do this, I use ZooMonitor<\/a>, a software app developed by Lincoln Park Zoo to survey animal behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The male sand tiger shark at the NC Aquarium Pine Knoll Shores swims in his normal pattern. Did you know the spots in the side of sand tiger sharks can be used to individually identify them? To learn more, see my Spot A Shark research page<\/p>\n\n\n\n NC State CMAST students have helped develop and conduct behavior surveys for sharks, eagles and other raptors, two species of otters, and fish. This research involves developing comprehensive ethograms \u2013 inventories of the behaviors and activities exhibited by an animal \u2013 for our target animals. Then we fine tune a ZooMonitor survey to answer specific questions the keepers have. Students spend lots of time watching animals and delving into the scientific process of quantifying the behaviors they observe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Such tools are useful to monitor responses to habitat changes, training and enrichment. ZooMonitor is used extensively at other zoos and aquariums to enhance husbandry and promote wellness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n