Dr. Carin Bondar - Biologist with a Twist

Animal Nutrition

Do Animals Eat Junk Food, Too?

Food choices in the animal kingdom are assumed to adhere to the tenets of optimal foraging theory. An animal is expected to weigh the costs and benefits of including certain foods in its diet so as [...]
Animal Parenting

Does A Mother’s Death Affect Her Offspring?

In nature, most animals that are newborns or infants at the time of their mother’s death are almost always destined to meet the same fate. An exception is if they live in a cooperatively or [...]
Animal Reproduction

When Tough Is A Turn-Off: Some Females Prefer The Underdog

It is becoming increasingly obvious that animals rely on aspects of “personality” when it comes to mate choice. A discerning female may not always be drawn to the brightest, shiniest, or most vocal male. Instead, [...]

Career Moms – A Unique Conundrum of Human Females

February 5, 2020 0

Human females are unique in the animal kingdom. We have a combination of massive brains, low fecundity, and long lifespans, including several decades of being postreproductive. Our species is the only one in which mothers […]

Animal Reproduction

Female Orangutans Test Males By Stealing Their Food

January 29, 2020 0

Male orangutans can be extremely coercive and violent towards sexually receptive females. It makes a lot of sense for a female to do her homework and investigate the personality type of a particular male prior […]

Amphibian Moms and Pseudoviviparity – Egg-Laying with a Twist

January 22, 2020 0

Pseudoviviparity is an interesting offshoot of oviparity, or egg-laying. Embryos are secondarily internalized by females after they are externally fertilized by males. The female reproductive system is therefore not directly involved in the gestation or […]