Lab Exercise 5

Ethology Laboratory ManualHandling, Marking and Care of Animals:The handling and marking of animals isnot the simple task it may at first appear to be.You will be receiving ample instruction on theproper care and handling of animals during thelaboratory portion of this course. Additionally, ifit is relevant to the experiment, you will also beinstructed on the proper methods used to markanimals for future identification and on necessarylong-term care of animals. In your individualprojects, you will need to determine if there arespecialized handling, marking, and carerequirements for your animals. If you have anyquestions or concerns about your animals, do nothesitate to ask the instructor for additional help.Guidelines to Consider When Planning Your Independent Project:Of crucial importance to your independent project is the selection of the species to be studied. TheAugust Krogh Principle consists of guidelines that can help the ethologist to determine whatspecies is most useful, efficient, and cost-effective for a given study. The following guidelines arepresented in the form of questions you will wish to answer before the selection of an animal speciesfor your independent project:A. Is the animal species easily seen in its natural habitat or is it readily availablefor study in captive conditions? This suggests that you need a species that isabundant, and you must also be certain to accommodate any temporal aspects ofshipping or processing in the organization of your experiment.B. Is the selected type of animal one that is tolerant of human presence? Associatedideas with this question include: Can the animal be kept safely and easily incaptivity (if so desired)? Does the animal breed well in captivity? Does the animalneed a specialized diet? Is it a financially feasible animal for your study?C. What are the life-history characteristics of your selected species? Such traits asgestation time, age of sexual maturity, age of independence, and lifespan must bediscerned to make certain the planned study is feasible with a selected animal.4