animal behavior animal behavior
Stories About

animal behavior

Woodpeckers are known for banging on wood, but some individuals living in urban environments also bang on metal. Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Woodpeckers aiming to make a lot of noise, switch from wood to metal

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/g-s1-1606/nx-s1-a33971da-7c33-41de-aa18-b7ac62995348" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

A sea otter in Monterey Bay with a rock anvil on its belly and a scallop in its forepaws. Jessica Fujii hide caption

toggle caption
Jessica Fujii

When sea otters lose their favorite foods, they can use tools to go after new ones

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1252214990/1252397440" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Weliton Menário Costa (center) holds a laptop while surrounded by dancers for his music video, "Kangaroo Time." From left: Faux Née Phish (Caitlin Winter), Holly Hazlewood, and Marina de Andrade. Nic Vevers/ANU hide caption

toggle caption
Nic Vevers/ANU

'Dance Your Ph.D.' winner on science, art, and embracing his identity

  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1248446775/1248451204" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

A coyote at the Fort Worth Zoo is photographed in the hours leading up to the April 8 total solar eclipse. The Hartstone-Rose Research Lab, NC State hide caption

toggle caption
The Hartstone-Rose Research Lab, NC State

Animals get stressed during eclipses. But not for the reason you think

  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1246957093/1247008302" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

A post-reproductive toothed whale mother and her son. David Ellifrit/Center for Whale Research hide caption

toggle caption
David Ellifrit/Center for Whale Research

A female cockroach considers accepting a sugary offering from a male cockroach. Ayako Wada-Katsumata hide caption

toggle caption
Ayako Wada-Katsumata

These cockroaches tweaked their mating rituals after adapting to pest control

  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1166715823/1167321990" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

A new study finds that bumblebees can learn how to solve puzzles from each other. Christopher Furlong/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Can insects have culture? Puzzle-solving bumblebees show it's possible

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1161627795/1161727861" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

A new study finds that orca mothers still feed their adult sons. It's a bond that may come with costs, researchers say. David K. Ellifrit/Center for Whale Research / NMFS research permit #21238 hide caption

toggle caption
David K. Ellifrit/Center for Whale Research / NMFS research permit #21238

Killer whale moms are still supporting their adult sons — and it's costing them

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1155460644/1155632160" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Prairie voles mate for life and are frequently used to study human behavior. Todd H. Ahern/Emory University hide caption

toggle caption
Todd H. Ahern/Emory University

Can you bond without the 'love hormone'? These cuddly rodents show it's possible

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1152009605/1152140625" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Brachycephalus ephippium. Pumpkin toadlets are native to neotropical rainforests along the Atlantic coast of southeastern Brazil. By Walter Staeblein/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
By Walter Staeblein/Getty Images

Pumpkin Toadlet: Neither Pumpkin, Nor Toad

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1145018900/1200393258" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Sure a goldfish can mingle in a tank, but some have taken their movement to the next level by operating robotic vehicles on land as part of an animal behavior experiment. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

When confronted with a spider-like 3-D model, jumping spiders freeze and back away slowly, especially if the model has eyes. Daniela Roessler hide caption

toggle caption
Daniela Roessler

Macaques check out a camera in Galtaji Temple in Jaipur, India. Monkeys have been known to sneak into swimming pools, courts and even the halls of India's Parliament. One attorney told author Mary Roach about a macaque that infiltrated a medical institute and began pulling out patient IVs. Vishal Bhatnagar/NurPhoto via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Vishal Bhatnagar/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Monkey Thieves, Drunk Elephants — Mary Roach Reveals A Weird World Of Animal 'Crime'

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1036701285/1037050798" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

A new study examines whether or not dogs are able to understand the difference between a human's mistake versus active intent to withhold a treat. Os Tartarouchos/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Os Tartarouchos/Getty Images

Your Dog May Know If You've Done Something On Purpose, Or Just Screwed Up

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1032841893/1033170774" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

A herd of goats in Russia ponders ... well, we can't really know what they're pondering, but it's a safe bet they're interested in finding something to eat. Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images

A new leash on life: The ASPCA's Behavioral Rehabilitation Center in Weaverville, N.C., helps traumatized dogs learn to trust humans again. ASPCA hide caption

toggle caption
ASPCA

1 Of A Kind Shelter Helps Traumatized Dogs Learn To Trust Humans Again

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/933435001/950102078" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Taco has kept Devin Green busy and her anxiety at bay. "I'm consumed with him more than the worries in my mind." Devin Green hide caption

toggle caption
Devin Green

Pandemic Pet Therapy: What's So Special About A Critter Friend?

  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/934386350/934804419" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Faced with a rat trapped in a restrainer, a free rat opens the trap's door to liberate the trapped animal (while stepping on its head — "very rat-ish behavior," says University of Chicago neurobiologist Peggy Mason). David Christopher/University of Chicago hide caption

toggle caption
David Christopher/University of Chicago

To Come To The Rescue Or Not? Rats, Like People, Take Cues From Bystanders

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/888767466/889112915" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

New research shows that dolphins can learn foraging behavior from other dolphins. Sonja Wild/Dolphin Innovation Project hide caption

toggle caption
Sonja Wild/Dolphin Innovation Project

Dolphins Learn Foraging Tricks From Each Other, Not Just From Mom

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/881871771/883557681" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

A rhesus macaque monkey grooms another on Cayo Santiago, off the eastern coast of Puerto Rico. Brennan Linsley/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Brennan Linsley/AP