Wolf Science Center first impressions and dissertation topics

As I a writing this I am sitting in Wolf Science Center student house in Austria. I am here for three months to collect data from my undergraduate honors project.

First things first is that I have no idea what my project will be as of yet. A lot of ideas are floating around as of now and obviously we need to test whether they can be conducting in the center or not. I think so far my project will be about cognition in wolves and dogs or behavior. Everything seems exciting here and the other students all have exciting projects so I am hoping my project will be equally exciting.

The Center is very well organised. Wolves and dogs are all raised in the same conditions and exposed to the same stimuli so their behavior would be comparable. The staff are all very careful about repetitions, stats and are very science oriented which is good for me as it means my data would be quite concrete. Testing enclosures are always sought after so organisation is present to dictate which person tests which wolves or dogs.

Also it is a great place for dog lovers. We spend some time with puppies, we have access to the puppy house where you can sit and be loved for hours on end by young puppies( just dog puppies for now) and dogs are around everywhere as members of staff all have dogs. It is great to be exposed to so much nature as the forest and birds and animals are all around us.

Lets take a minute to talk about sacrifices though. This is a bit more of a personal note but I feel it should be here. Throughout the blog I have talked about following your dream and pursuing a career you always like Working with animals usually means travelling and that means making commitments you may not like. At the time of the writing I still have about 117 days left( a few more or less depending on my data collection). This is the first time for me that I have committed to something big.I left Aberdeen and ventured into an unknown place with unknown people and for me that was terrifying. Not to mention not seeing friends or family or people you love. It is a bittersweet feeling. On the one hand leaving people and your house behind and on the other hand pursuing a dream and a project you spend a lot of time organizing. Endless emails, phone calls,money, networking and writing went into making this project and trip a reality and when it came to the last few days I was feeling very anxious and nervous about it. Pursuing your dreams and making sacrifices isn't as easy as people think it is.

Overall I am extremely pleased with my selection on where to conduct my project whether it may be and I am happy I got to pursue my dreams. On the other hand the sacrifices and the worry just work as a painful reminder that not everything good comes free. This project has to be perfect and get me a good grade. Otherwise it may not be worth it.

Species of the week: Emperor penguin

Species of the week:
Emperor penguin ( Aptenodytes forsteri)

1. It is a species of penguins endemic for Antarctica.
2. It is the tallest and heaviest species of penguins with their height reaching 122cm and  22 and 45 kg in weight.
3. They feed primarily on fish and crustaceans.
4. They can remain submerged for 18 minutes at a time and can go down to 535 meters in depth.
5. They are the only species to breed in winter forming large ice colonies with other members of their species.
6. The female lays an egg and the male incubates it while the mother is out foraging.
7. Once the chick is born the parents then take turns foraging and caring for their chick.
8. They can live for about 20 years in the wild and up to 50 in captivity.
9. They coordinate their foraging with others of their species as they are highly sociable species.
10. They are listed as "Nearly Threatened"by the IUCN due to the habitat loss and loss of food availability. 

Updates and the summer blogging

So this blog post is a bit more personal but it also concerns the blog itself so read on if you are interested.

As of the 20th of June 2014 I will be away for three months in Austria at the Wolf Science Center, conducting research on wolf behavior. This is a massive step towards my goals and personally it is something that I am excited and terrified of.  I am unsure of how much internet access I will have but I will try and blog my experiences as  much as I can.

Which brings me to issue number two. Since I will be blogging my experiences, the blog may be a bit more focused on that over the summer. I will try and have species of the week ready for every Sunday before I depart and I will try and get a few posts up on a queue to be available.  Now if there is complete radio silence on my part just assume I am too busy working on my project or that I do not have enough free Internet time. I intend to keep a diary anyway so I will probably post them once I return if I can't do it on the time of writing.

That's all for now and I hope you all have a great summer.

Species of the week: Przewalski's horse

Species of the week:
Przewalski's horse(Equus ferus przewalski)

1. It is considered the only true wild horse to exist today.
2. They stand about 122-146cm tall and weight about 200-350kg.
3. They generally have a brown colour with variations of those shades.
4. They can be found in Mongolia, although a small herd of them was introduced in the Chernobyl Exclusion zone.
5. Their average lifespan is about 20 years.
6. They form small social groups consisting of a stallion and two to three mares with their foals.
7. Breeding season is towards the end of May till July and pregnancy lasts 11-12 months.
8. The foals stay with their herd until they disperse to mate(in case of males) or an independent and choose to disperse to avoid inbreeding (in case of females)
9. The foals are able to walk and run, an hour after they have been born.
10. They are listed as "Endangered" by the IUCN.

Species of the week: Thorny dragon

Species of the week:
Thorny dragon(Moloch horridus)

1. The thorny dragon can only be found in the continent of Australia.
2. It can be found in  arid scrub-land and desert environments.
3. It can grow to be up to 20 cm in length.
4. Their camouflage is in shades of brown and tan to camouflage in the desert but it also varies from season to season becoming paler as it becomes warmer and darker as it becomes colder.
5. The thorny devils are covered entirely in mostly uncalcified conical spines.
6. The lizards also have a spiny false head designed to trick predators.
7. The way it's body is designed allowed for water to be collected in all parts of it's body which is then conveyed to its mouth.
8. They mostly feed on ants they catch in the desert.
9. It can live up to 20 years.
10. It's mating season is spring summer(September-December for Australians) and the female lays 3-10 eggs in a nesting burrow 30 cm underground.The eggs hatch after about 3-4 months.

Species of the week:Canada Goose

Species of the week:
Canada Goose(Branta canadensis)

1. It is native in arctic and temperate regions of North America abut can be found in other temperate regions as it has been introduced.
2. It is distinguishable by the black head and neck with white patches on the face and brown body.
3. They are about 70-110cm in length and have a 125-185 cm wingspan.
4. They are migratory birds, migrating from Canada to the U.S.A.
5. Their migratory pattern is that of a V shaped.
6. They are primarily herbivores, eating grass and grain. They will however eat small insects and fish.
7. Canada Geese are monogamous and find their pair during the second year of their lives.
8. They lay about 2-9 eggs, with an average of five.
9. Incubation is 24-28 days and the chicks are able to walk and swim and find food as soon as they hatch.
10. Canada Goose are protected in Canada but are considered "Least Concern"by the IUCN.

Species of the week: Giant Panda

Species of the week:
Giant Panda(Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

1. It is a bear that is easily recognized by the black patches over the eyes, around the body and the ears.
2. Although  considered carnivores, the panda's diet consists mostly of bamboo with meat acting as a supplement.
3. They are about 1.2 to 1.8 m long and stand at 60 to 90 cm tall.
4. They can weight about 100-115 kg.
5. They can up live up to 20 years in the wild and 30 in captivity.
6. Pandas will eat about 9 to 14 kg of bamboo a day.
7. Panda mating season is between March and May and the female is in estrus, once a year for two or three days.
8. They give birth to one young every two years give or take and gestation lasts about 95 to 160 days.
9. Pandas do not have permanent dens but instead spend time changing locations throughout their territory.
10. Great Pandas are listed as "Endangered"by the IUCN and are conservation icons,