From:	IN%"saluqi@ix.netcom.com"  "John Burchard" 16-MAY-2005 09:46:54.67
To:	IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca"  "Applied ethology list"
CC:	
Subj:	RE: FW: question

Michael Appleby wrote:

> It is the general understanding that chickens' vision is relatively poor
> at the red end of the spectrum. I don't know of research on this. Red
> light is commonly used if there is an outbreak of cannibalism, with the
> idea that this will be more-or-less equivalent to using very dim light
> yet allow the human workers still to see. It may well work partly
> because the birds will simply find it harder to see red blood under such
> light. But they do seem to be less active in red light, and I have also
> known it used for observation of what is otherwise supposed to be
> night-time behaviour. Certainly if they have a photoperiod of bright
> white light and a scotoperiod of red light I would expect them to treat
> the latter about the same as darkness.
> 
> Chickens have four types of cone rather than the three found in (most)
> mammals, and they are receptive to a wider range of wavelengths, but the
> extended range is more in the ultraviolet than the infrared.

Hm, I would like to know more about that.  My understanding was that many
mammals are dichromats - having two types of cones with differing spectral
sensitivities, and therefore color discrimination capabilities comparable to
those of a "red-green colorblind" human.  Higher primates have three types of
cones and therefore "trichromatic" color discrimination comparable to that of a
human (also a higher primate, of course).  Birds, reptiles and at least many
fishes are also trichromats.  Mammals lost their previous color vision
capabilities during the very long period when they lived nocturnally "in the
shadow of the dinosaurs" and have had to re-evolve color vision since.  I don't
know about ungulate vision, but do know that both dogs and cats - both at least
partially diurnal predators - are dichromats.

I will be grateful for any necessary correction of the above picture, if
possible with references.

>From my own work on circadian rhythms, now long ago, I do know that even under
continuous light of constant intensity, most animals maintain their typical
daily cycle of activity and rest - with lengthening or shortening of the
circadian period according to whether they belong to basically nocturnal or
basically diurnal species - and it is possible to observe (and/or record) at
least much of their "night-time" activity under those circumstances.

John
-- 
Dr. John Burchard
Tepe Gawra Salukis
http://saluqi.home.netcom.com/
saluqi@ix.netcom.com

From:	IN%"olsson@ibmc.up.pt"  "Anna Olsson" 16-MAY-2005 10:02:53.11
To:	IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca"
CC:	
Subj:	JWatcher

Dear all,

I'd appreciate input from people who have used JWatcher, in particular regarding the program's userfriendliness.

Regards,
Anna

Dr Anna Olsson
Researcher
Animal Behaviour and Welfare - Bioethics

Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology - IBMC
Rua Campo Alegre 823
4150-180 Porto
Phone +351 22 607 4900
Fax +351 22 6099157


From:	IN%"ceannicrc@yahoo.com"  "Cecilia Lambert" 17-MAY-2005 05:39:31.57
To:	IN%"applied-ethology@sask.usask.ca"
CC:	
Subj:	Amber coyote

For those who may be interested, Amber is having her
"puppies" again this year.  I just took her three
stuffed toys to "mother".
CeAnn

CeAnn Lambert
Indiana Coyote Rescue Center
www.coyoterescue.org


		
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