Subject: Welfare research on lobsters From: Janina Wojciechowska Date: Wed, 02 Jan 2008 11:08:18 -0800 (PST) To: applied-ethology network Hello, I am interested in findings any scientific literature regarding the welfare and behaviour of lobsters. I'm am particularly interested to learn about their behaviour and nature in the wild, and how confinement (e.g. in tanks) affects their welfare. Any references, information, or general comments on this subject would be much appreciated. Thank you, Nina Wojciechowska DVM, MSc ____________________________________________________________________________________ Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page. http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs Subject: Re: Welfare research on lobsters From: Donald Broom Date: Thu, 03 Jan 2008 09:34:59 +0000 To: Janina Wojciechowska CC: applied-ethology@usask.ca Dear Nina The attached paper has some general references. Best wishes Don > Hello, > I am interested in findings any scientific literature > regarding the welfare and behaviour of lobsters. I'm > am particularly interested to learn about their > behaviour and nature in the wild, and how confinement > (e.g. in tanks) affects their welfare. Any > references, information, or general comments on this > subject would be much appreciated. > > Thank you, > Nina Wojciechowska DVM, MSc > > > > ____________________________________________________________________________________ > Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page. > http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs -- Professor Donald M. Broom Colleen Macleod Professor of Animal Welfare Centre for Animal Welfare and Anthrozoology Department of Veterinary Medicine University of Cambridge Madingley Road CAMBRIDGE CB3 0ES U.K. Telephone 0044 (0)1223 337697 Fax 0044 (0)1223 337610 and St Catharine's College Cambridge CB2 1RL U.K. 0044 (0)1223 338344 e-mail dmb16@cam.ac.uk Subject: Re: Welfare research on lobsters From: "CM Sherwin, Animal Health and Husbandry" Date: Thu, 03 Jan 2008 11:19:29 +0000 To: Janina Wojciechowska , applied-ethology network Dear Janina, I have attached a couple of newspaper articles you might find of interest. Chris --On 02 January 2008 11:08 -0800 Janina Wojciechowska wrote: > Hello, > I am interested in findings any scientific literature > regarding the welfare and behaviour of lobsters. I'm > am particularly interested to learn about their > behaviour and nature in the wild, and how confinement > (e.g. in tanks) affects their welfare. Any > references, information, or general comments on this > subject would be much appreciated. > > Thank you, > Nina Wojciechowska DVM, MSc > > > > _________________________________________________________________________ > ___________ Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page. > http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs ---------------------- Chris Sherwin Senior Research Fellow in Animal Behaviour and Welfare Division Clinical Veterinary Science University of Bristol Chris.Sherwin@bristol.ac.uk Phone 0117 928 9486 Subject: Re: Welfare research on lobsters From: "CM Sherwin, Animal Health and Husbandry" Date: Thu, 03 Jan 2008 11:36:39 +0000 To: Janina Wojciechowska , applied-ethology network Dear Janina, There is an extremely interesting paper in press on a related decapod species. Nociception or pain in a decapod crustacean? Animal Behaviour, In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 24 October 2007 Stuart Barr, Peter R. Laming, Jaimie T.A. Dick and Robert W. Elwood All the best, Chris --On 02 January 2008 11:08 -0800 Janina Wojciechowska wrote: > Hello, > I am interested in findings any scientific literature > regarding the welfare and behaviour of lobsters. I'm > am particularly interested to learn about their > behaviour and nature in the wild, and how confinement > (e.g. in tanks) affects their welfare. Any > references, information, or general comments on this > subject would be much appreciated. > > Thank you, > Nina Wojciechowska DVM, MSc > > > > _________________________________________________________________________ > ___________ Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page. > http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs ---------------------- Chris Sherwin Senior Research Fellow in Animal Behaviour and Welfare Division Clinical Veterinary Science University of Bristol Chris.Sherwin@bristol.ac.uk Phone 0117 928 9486 Subject: Reindeer behaviour From: Randi Helene Tillung Date: Sun, 06 Jan 2008 00:06:36 +0100 To: 'applied-ethology network' , Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca Having observed reindeer I am intrigued by their floating movements. When in a flock they always seem use a spinning movement in the flock. This leaves me with a few questions I would like to share. I am told by a friend who owns and herd reindeer in Greenland and Scandinavia that most flocks tend to move anti-clockwise, but that a few flocks move clockwise. Does anyone know why they spin? I would think they would have to cover more mileage with this behaviour, so what is the benefit? I hear also that it is true that the fat and fine reindeer are more to the middle of the flock. If this is true, this should point to some anti-predatory-behaviour? And why (almost) always anti-clockwise? Is there an initiator among the reindeer? When is the behaviour usually observed? (Time of day/year, situations etc) Is this behaviour similar to schools of fish? And is it true that also merinosheep uses spinning movements? Hope that any of you could contribute to clearing this up for me a bit! Thank you! Randi Helene Tillung M.Sc in ethology Subject: Re: Reindeer behaviour From: "CM Sherwin, Animal Health and Husbandry" Date: Mon, 07 Jan 2008 11:48:17 +0000 To: Randi Helene Tillung , 'applied-ethology network' , Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca Dear Randi, These are fascinating observations which I have not heard before. I wonder if the circling could be a form of maximising predator monitoring. There is increasing evidence that due to lateralisation, one eye functions more for one behaviour than another. So, in some toads the left eye is used for anti-predator behaviour more than the right, and for some birds the left eye is used more for social interactions than the right eye. This is purely speculation, but I am wondering if the anti-clockwise circling in Reindeer is so the left eye can keep a watch for predators outside the herd. ....just a guess!!!! Chris --On 06 January 2008 00:06 +0100 Randi Helene Tillung wrote: > Having observed reindeer I am intrigued by their floating movements. When > in a flock they always seem use a spinning movement in the flock. This > leaves me with a few questions I would like to share. > > I am told by a friend who owns and herd reindeer in Greenland and > Scandinavia that most flocks tend to move anti-clockwise, but that a few > flocks move clockwise. > > Does anyone know why they spin? I would think they would have to cover > more mileage with this behaviour, so what is the benefit? > > I hear also that it is true that the fat and fine reindeer are more to the > middle of the flock. If this is true, this should point to some > anti-predatory-behaviour? > > And why (almost) always anti-clockwise? > > Is there an initiator among the reindeer? > > When is the behaviour usually observed? (Time of day/year, situations etc) > > Is this behaviour similar to schools of fish? And is it true that also > merinosheep uses spinning movements? > > Hope that any of you could contribute to clearing this up for me a bit! > Thank you! > > > Randi Helene Tillung > M.Sc in ethology > ---------------------- Chris Sherwin Senior Research Fellow in Animal Behaviour and Welfare Division Clinical Veterinary Science University of Bristol Chris.Sherwin@bristol.ac.uk Phone 0117 928 9486 Subject: Re: Reindeer behaviour From: "CM Sherwin, Animal Health and Husbandry" Date: Mon, 07 Jan 2008 11:48:17 +0000 To: Randi Helene Tillung , 'applied-ethology network' , Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca Dear Randi, These are fascinating observations which I have not heard before. I wonder if the circling could be a form of maximising predator monitoring. There is increasing evidence that due to lateralisation, one eye functions more for one behaviour than another. So, in some toads the left eye is used for anti-predator behaviour more than the right, and for some birds the left eye is used more for social interactions than the right eye. This is purely speculation, but I am wondering if the anti-clockwise circling in Reindeer is so the left eye can keep a watch for predators outside the herd. ....just a guess!!!! Chris --On 06 January 2008 00:06 +0100 Randi Helene Tillung wrote: > Having observed reindeer I am intrigued by their floating movements. When > in a flock they always seem use a spinning movement in the flock. This > leaves me with a few questions I would like to share. > > I am told by a friend who owns and herd reindeer in Greenland and > Scandinavia that most flocks tend to move anti-clockwise, but that a few > flocks move clockwise. > > Does anyone know why they spin? I would think they would have to cover > more mileage with this behaviour, so what is the benefit? > > I hear also that it is true that the fat and fine reindeer are more to the > middle of the flock. If this is true, this should point to some > anti-predatory-behaviour? > > And why (almost) always anti-clockwise? > > Is there an initiator among the reindeer? > > When is the behaviour usually observed? (Time of day/year, situations etc) > > Is this behaviour similar to schools of fish? And is it true that also > merinosheep uses spinning movements? > > Hope that any of you could contribute to clearing this up for me a bit! > Thank you! > > > Randi Helene Tillung > M.Sc in ethology > ---------------------- Chris Sherwin Senior Research Fellow in Animal Behaviour and Welfare Division Clinical Veterinary Science University of Bristol Chris.Sherwin@bristol.ac.uk Phone 0117 928 9486 Subject: RE: Reindeer behaviour From: Jacqui Ley Date: Wed, 09 Jan 2008 10:29:07 +1100 To: "'CM Sherwin, Animal Health and Husbandry'" , 'Randi Helene Tillung' , 'applied-ethology network' , Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca Hi, Reindeer movement sounds like the movement of sheep flocks. You might want to look at this. Sheep seem to move in circles rather than straight lines so you kind of 'spin' the flock through a gate..... that's been my observation. Cheers Jacqui Ley Dr. Jacqui Ley Animal Behaviour Consultations 144 Dalgetty Rd BEAUMARIS VIC 3193 0410 327 463 drjacquiley.com drjacquiley@msn.com -----Original Message----- From: CM Sherwin, Animal Health and Husbandry [mailto:Chris.Sherwin@bristol.ac.uk] Sent: Monday, January 07, 2008 10:48 PM To: Randi Helene Tillung; 'applied-ethology network'; Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca Subject: Re: Reindeer behaviour Dear Randi, These are fascinating observations which I have not heard before. I wonder if the circling could be a form of maximising predator monitoring. There is increasing evidence that due to lateralisation, one eye functions more for one behaviour than another. So, in some toads the left eye is used for anti-predator behaviour more than the right, and for some birds the left eye is used more for social interactions than the right eye. This is purely speculation, but I am wondering if the anti-clockwise circling in Reindeer is so the left eye can keep a watch for predators outside the herd. ....just a guess!!!! Chris --On 06 January 2008 00:06 +0100 Randi Helene Tillung wrote: > > Having observed reindeer I am intrigued by their floating movements. When > > in a flock they always seem use a spinning movement in the flock. This > > leaves me with a few questions I would like to share. > > > > I am told by a friend who owns and herd reindeer in Greenland and > > Scandinavia that most flocks tend to move anti-clockwise, but that a few > > flocks move clockwise. > > > > Does anyone know why they spin? I would think they would have to cover > > more mileage with this behaviour, so what is the benefit? > > > > I hear also that it is true that the fat and fine reindeer are more to the > > middle of the flock. If this is true, this should point to some > > anti-predatory-behaviour? > > > > And why (almost) always anti-clockwise? > > > > Is there an initiator among the reindeer? > > > > When is the behaviour usually observed? (Time of day/year, situations etc) > > > > Is this behaviour similar to schools of fish? And is it true that also > > merinosheep uses spinning movements? > > > > Hope that any of you could contribute to clearing this up for me a bit! > > Thank you! > > > > > > Randi Helene Tillung > > M.Sc in ethology > > ---------------------- Chris Sherwin Senior Research Fellow in Animal Behaviour and Welfare Division Clinical Veterinary Science University of Bristol Chris.Sherwin@bristol.ac.uk Phone 0117 928 9486 Subject: RE: Reindeer behaviour From: Jacqui Ley Date: Wed, 09 Jan 2008 10:29:07 +1100 To: "'CM Sherwin, Animal Health and Husbandry'" , 'Randi Helene Tillung' , 'applied-ethology network' , Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca Hi, Reindeer movement sounds like the movement of sheep flocks. You might want to look at this. Sheep seem to move in circles rather than straight lines so you kind of 'spin' the flock through a gate..... that's been my observation. Cheers Jacqui Ley Dr. Jacqui Ley Animal Behaviour Consultations 144 Dalgetty Rd BEAUMARIS VIC 3193 0410 327 463 drjacquiley.com drjacquiley@msn.com -----Original Message----- From: CM Sherwin, Animal Health and Husbandry [mailto:Chris.Sherwin@bristol.ac.uk] Sent: Monday, January 07, 2008 10:48 PM To: Randi Helene Tillung; 'applied-ethology network'; Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca Subject: Re: Reindeer behaviour Dear Randi, These are fascinating observations which I have not heard before. I wonder if the circling could be a form of maximising predator monitoring. There is increasing evidence that due to lateralisation, one eye functions more for one behaviour than another. So, in some toads the left eye is used for anti-predator behaviour more than the right, and for some birds the left eye is used more for social interactions than the right eye. This is purely speculation, but I am wondering if the anti-clockwise circling in Reindeer is so the left eye can keep a watch for predators outside the herd. ....just a guess!!!! Chris --On 06 January 2008 00:06 +0100 Randi Helene Tillung wrote: > > Having observed reindeer I am intrigued by their floating movements. When > > in a flock they always seem use a spinning movement in the flock. This > > leaves me with a few questions I would like to share. > > > > I am told by a friend who owns and herd reindeer in Greenland and > > Scandinavia that most flocks tend to move anti-clockwise, but that a few > > flocks move clockwise. > > > > Does anyone know why they spin? I would think they would have to cover > > more mileage with this behaviour, so what is the benefit? > > > > I hear also that it is true that the fat and fine reindeer are more to the > > middle of the flock. If this is true, this should point to some > > anti-predatory-behaviour? > > > > And why (almost) always anti-clockwise? > > > > Is there an initiator among the reindeer? > > > > When is the behaviour usually observed? (Time of day/year, situations etc) > > > > Is this behaviour similar to schools of fish? And is it true that also > > merinosheep uses spinning movements? > > > > Hope that any of you could contribute to clearing this up for me a bit! > > Thank you! > > > > > > Randi Helene Tillung > > M.Sc in ethology > > ---------------------- Chris Sherwin Senior Research Fellow in Animal Behaviour and Welfare Division Clinical Veterinary Science University of Bristol Chris.Sherwin@bristol.ac.uk Phone 0117 928 9486 Subject: RE: Reindeer behaviour From: Nicholas Tyler Date: Wed, 09 Jan 2008 10:07:50 +0100 To: Jacqui Ley , "CM Sherwin, Animal Health and Husbandry" , Randi Helene Tillung , applied-ethology network , Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca The 'circling' behaviour displayed by tightly packed groups of reindeer is well known among both semi-domesticated and wild reindeer. There is at least one experimental study - reference and the abstract, below: Yngve Espmark, Y. & Kinderås, K (2002) Behavioural lateralisation in reindeer. Rangifer, 22 (1): 51-59 Abstract: Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) kept in corrals or otherwise forced to clump typically start milling in response to stressing events. This behaviour is generally considered to have an antipredator effect. An inquiry on herd behaviour, to which 35 Norwegian reindeer husbandry districts responded, showed that 32 experienced that corralled reindeer consistently circled leftwards, whereas the remaining three reported consistently rightward circling. Regular monitoring of a reindeer herd in central Norway over a two-year period (1993-94), and experimental studies on a fraction of the same herd, revealed the following traits. Free-ranging reindeer showed no right- or left-turning preference during grazing or browsing, but when the reindeer were driven into corrals or forced to clump in the open they invariably rotated leftwards. The circling of corralled reindeer was triggered at an average group size of 20 to 25 animals, apparently independently of the age and sex of the animals. When they dug craters in the snow to reach food, the reindeer used their left foreleg significantly more often than their right. In 23 out of 35 reindeer, the right hemisphere of the brain was heavier than the left. However, in the sample as a whole, the weights of the left and right hemispheres did not differ significantly. Lateralised behaviour in reindeer is thought to be determined by natural and stress induced asymmetries in brain structure and hormonal activity. In addition, learning is probably important for passing on the behaviour between herd members and generations. Differences in lateralised behaviour between nearby herds are thought to be related primarily to different exposure to stress and learning, whereas genetical and environmental factors (e.g. diet), age structure and sex ratio are probably more important for explaining differences between distant populations. Dr. Nicholas Tyler c/o Department of Biology, University of Tromso, N-9037 Tromso, Norway tel. (direct) + 47 77 64 47 88 fax + 47 77 64 63 33 mobile phone + 47 90 57 72 98 web http://www.ib.uit.no/~nicholas/ -----Original Message----- From: Jacqui Ley [mailto:Drjacquiley@msn.com] Sent: 9. januar 2008 00:29 To: 'CM Sherwin, Animal Health and Husbandry'; 'Randi Helene Tillung'; 'applied-ethology network'; Applied-ethology@skyway.usask.ca Subject: RE: Reindeer behaviour Hi, Reindeer movement sounds like the movement of sheep flocks. You might want to look at this. Sheep seem to move in circles rather than straight lines so you kind of 'spin' the flock through a gate..... that's been my observation. Cheers Jacqui Ley Dr. Jacqui Ley Animal Behaviour Consultations 144 Dalgetty Rd BEAUMARIS VIC 3193 0410 327 463 drjacquiley.com drjacquiley@msn.com -----Original Message----- From: CM Sherwin, Animal Health and Husbandry [mailto:Chris.Sherwin@bristol.ac.uk] Sent: Monday, January 07, 2008 10:48 PM To: Randi Helene Tillung; 'applied-ethology network'; Applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca Subject: Re: Reindeer behaviour Dear Randi, These are fascinating observations which I have not heard before. I wonder if the circling could be a form of maximising predator monitoring. There is increasing evidence that due to lateralisation, one eye functions more for one behaviour than another. So, in some toads the left eye is used for anti-predator behaviour more than the right, and for some birds the left eye is used more for social interactions than the right eye. This is purely speculation, but I am wondering if the anti-clockwise circling in Reindeer is so the left eye can keep a watch for predators outside the herd. ....just a guess!!!! Chris --On 06 January 2008 00:06 +0100 Randi Helene Tillung wrote: > > Having observed reindeer I am intrigued by their floating movements. > > When in a flock they always seem use a spinning movement in the flock. > > This leaves me with a few questions I would like to share. > > > > I am told by a friend who owns and herd reindeer in Greenland and > > Scandinavia that most flocks tend to move anti-clockwise, but that a > > few flocks move clockwise. > > > > Does anyone know why they spin? I would think they would have to cover > > more mileage with this behaviour, so what is the benefit? > > > > I hear also that it is true that the fat and fine reindeer are more to > > the middle of the flock. If this is true, this should point to some > > anti-predatory-behaviour? > > > > And why (almost) always anti-clockwise? > > > > Is there an initiator among the reindeer? > > > > When is the behaviour usually observed? (Time of day/year, situations > > etc) > > > > Is this behaviour similar to schools of fish? And is it true that also > > merinosheep uses spinning movements? > > > > Hope that any of you could contribute to clearing this up for me a > > bit! Thank you! > > > > > > Randi Helene Tillung > > M.Sc in ethology > > ---------------------- Chris Sherwin Senior Research Fellow in Animal Behaviour and Welfare Division Clinical Veterinary Science University of Bristol Chris.Sherwin@bristol.ac.uk Phone 0117 928 9486