Detection of arboreal feeding signs by Asiatic black bears: effects of hard mast production at individual tree and regional scales

Kahoko Tochigi, Takashi Masaki, Ami Nakajima, Koji Yamazaki, Akino Inagaki & Shinsuke Koike, 2018, Journal of Zoology, vol. 305, pp. 223-231, https://doi.org/10.1111/jzo.12564  Feeding signs give us information about the feeding ecology of animals, and can also provide information on animal distribution or abundance, as well as habitat selection. However, feeding signs do not necessarily directly reflect...

Introducing a new Editorial Board member – Leszek Karczmarski

I am delighted to join the Editorial Board of Journal of Zoology. I am currently affiliated with the University of Hong Kong, where I established a cetacean ecology research group (http://www.hku-cetacean-ecology.net/), initially based at Swire Institute of Marine Science and currently in the process of becoming an independent research organisation, Cetacea Research Institute.  I moved...

Winners of the 2017 Journal of Zoology ‘Paper of the Year’ award

We are delighted to announce the winners of the 2017 'Paper of the Year' award Ian Clifton, Jeremy Chamberlain and Matthew Gifford with their paper entitled 'Patterns of morphological variation following colonization of a novel prey environment'. This clever study is taking advantage of a natural experiment where diamond‐backed watersnakes (Nerodia rhombifer) had recently colonized...

Where do nocturnal spotted hyaenas rest during the day?

Drivers of diurnal rest site selection by spotted hyaenas J.N.T. Kushata, S. Périquet, T. Tarakini,  M. Muzamba,  B. Mafuwa,  A.J. Loveridge,  D.W. Macdonald, H. Fritz,  M. Valeix; Journal of Zoology, vol 304, pp. 132-140   It is a well-known fact that spotted hyaenas (Crocuta crocuta) are nocturnal animals. Therefore, after focussing on their ecology and...

New Journal of Zoology Podcast

A new episode of the Journal of Zoology podcast is now available and you can listen to it here. In this episode, Lisa Schulte talks to us about parental care and offspring begging behaviour in poison frogs, and we will also hear summaries of further three articles: Glauco Machado tells us about egg attendance in...

How the Canadian beaver as ecosystem engineer can drive the reproduction of saproxylic beetles

Indirect effects of an ecosystem engineer: how the Canadian beaver can drive the reproduction of saproxylic beetles A. Mourant, N. Lecomte, G. Moreau; Journal of Zoology, vol. 304, pp. 90-97, DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12506 Nutrient cycling is a fundamental ecosystem function and as such, contributing organisms are critical assets of natural systems. Conservation measures aimed at protecting and...

Secrets of the silk of cave-dwelling spiders

Ontogenetic shift toward stronger, tougher silk of a web-building, cave-dwelling spider Piorkowski, D., Blamires, S. J., Doran, N. E., Liao, C.-P., Wu, C.-L. and Tso, I.-M., 2018, Journal of Zoology, vol 304, pp. 81-89 With my left foot positioned on a wobbly, semi-submerged stone, my right foot slowly losing traction on the gravel edge of...

Palaeopathology mini-series: Periodontitis, hypercementosis, and enamel hypoplasia in extinct rhinoceroses

Dental paleopathology in fossil rhinoceroses: etiology and implications Christine Böhmer and Gertrud E. Rössner In the literature, a variety of dental anomalies have been reported in living and extinct rhinoceroses. Malpositionings, irregular eruptions, supernumerary teeth (hyperdontia), dental asymmetries and tooth rotations have been described. In comparison to anomalies found in permanent teeth, reports on anomalies...

Cuticular fluorescence in sea scorpions, horseshoe crabs and other chelicerates

Exocuticular hyaline layer of sea scorpions and horseshoe crabs suggests cuticular fluorescence is plesiomorphic in chelicerates M. Rubin, J. C. Lamsdell, L. Prendini, and M. J. Hopkins, 2017, Journal of Zoology, vol 303, pp. 245–253 I never thought that working in a tiny dinosaur museum in Wyoming would lead to research on glow in the dark...