American zoologists talked about the personal qualities of the golden gopher
The golden gophers, which live in the western United States and in some provinces of Canada, have a whole range of personal qualities. This is the conclusion reached by employees of the University of California at Davis. An article about this was published in the Animal Behavior edition.
In the course of the study, experts came to the conclusion that different individuals behave differently in wildlife. According to scientists, the personality of animals with golden fur can be characterized by such parameters as sociability, aggressiveness, activity and courage. Moreover, these traits of gophers can play both sides. For example, more daring gophers can find more food or explore more territory. However, this behavior makes them more vulnerable to predators.
“Taking into account the factor of the personality of wild animals, it will help in the process of predicting the response of wildlife to new conditions, such as changes or destruction of the habitat as a result of human activity,” – said one of the authors of the work Jacqueline Aliperti.
Since no special tests have yet been invented for animals to identify the specifics of personality, American zoologists have developed their own special algorithm, which consists of four elements. So, experts study the animal and find out how it reacts to the new environment, what it does when looking at itself in the mirror, what actions it takes if it notices that a person is sneaking up to it. In addition, zoologists describe the reaction of an individual to falling into a trap.
As a result, scientists came to the conclusion that the main quality of golden gophers is courage. It helps animals to control the terrain and run fast. In addition, brave ground squirrels occupy higher “observation points”, which allows them not to fall prey to predators.
Earlier, Canadian paleontologists conducted a study and found out why tyrannosaurs bite each other's muzzles. This was done in the struggle for territory, females and higher status. And in Australia, the National Film and Sound Archive has released an updated version of the Tasmanian wolf footage.
