Recent and Current Projects
Solar Eclipse Safari
We traveled to Fort Worth Zoo in Texas during the solar eclipse to study how animals would react to the eclipse. (working description)
Primate Yawning
Yawning gapes – likely the widest gapes that animals make during natural behavior – has never been previously quantified. In the current study, we have attempted to do just this by using compiled videos of primates and overlaying screenshots of the yawn at its widest over images of the corresponding species' skull.
Felid Declaw
The long term affects of onychechtomies (declawing) are not widely known, especially in large, non-domesticated cats like lions and tigers. Using myological analysis of muscles and fascicles in the forelimbs of both clawed and declawed felids, this research documents the impacts of onychectomies on forearm muscle architecture in non-domesticated cats. Declawing larger species was found to result in 73% lighter musculature in the forearm’s digital flexors. These muscles are involved in unsheathing the claws. Forelimb strength also decreased by 46% to 66%, depending on the size of the animal, and other muscles in the forelimb did not compensate for these reductions. As paw size (surface area) increases at a slower rate than body size (volume) and larger cats rely more heavily on forelimbs for locomotion and prey size than do small cats, these effects can be devestating for big cats.
Sabertooth Cat
Hyoid bones can give us clues about what extinct species may have sounded like. Hyoid bones act as support for the airway and soft tissues associated with vocalization. While hyoid bones are not directly related to vocalization, this relationship has led many to suspect a correlation between hyoid anatomy and vocalizaitons in many taxa. We studied hyoid bones of modern roaring and purring cats and found potential patterns that may link hyoid morphology and these vocalizations. We then compared sabertooth cat (Smilodon) hyoid bones to modern cats and found that while the size of their bones is larger than modern cats, the shape of their bones is more similar to purring cats. This means that they may have made a sound more similar to modern purring cats but at a lower pitch.
STEM Teens
This purpose of this study is to examine STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) engagement outcomes for youth educators and the visitors they interact with. We hope to understand the impact of early exposure to STEM education, the long term effects of early education programs, and how individual diversity impacts these outcomes. Ultimately, the study aims to improve the practice of educational programming. This project is being funded by the National Science Foundation and the Wellcome Trust.
Morphology of Captivity
Studies from our lab in the past have looked into the differences in cranial morphology between captive and wild conspecifics, particularly in how diet might play a role in this. In captivity, certain exotic species are fed diets that are vastly different in size, shape, density, and nutrional value from what would usually be available to them in their natural habitat. Currently we are looking into these differences in California Sea lions and bears.