Behavioral Biology of Laboratory Animals

CHOICE Highly Recommended title, 2022!

This 30-chapter volume informs students and professionals about the behavioral biology of animals commonly housed in laboratory and other captive settings. Each species evolved under specific environmental conditions, resulting in unique behavioral patterns, many of which are maintained in captivity even after generations of breeding. Understanding natural behavior is therefore a critical part of modern animal care practices. The descriptions, data, guidance, resources, and recommendations in this book will help the reader understand their animals better, refine the care and treatment that they receive, and improve the well-being, welfare, and wellness of their animals.

The book is divided into three sections, all focusing on aspects of the behavioral biology of animals found in laboratories and related research settings. After five introductory chapters, 25 chapters are dedicated to specific taxonomic groups (including mice, zebrafish, zebra finches, reptiles, macaques) while a concluding section of ethograms provides a centralized resource for those interested in understanding, and potentially quantifying, animal behavior.

The Behavioral Biology of Laboratory Animals will provide anyone working in maintenance, care, and/or research programs that involve laboratory animals with information about the way the animals live in the wild, and the way that they should live in captive research settings. Many of the guidelines and recommendations will also be valuable to those managing and working with animals in other environments, including zoological parks, aquaria, and sanctuaries.

Introduction to the Behavioral Biology of Laboratory Animals

SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION TO BEHAVIORAL BIOLOGY

Animal Behavior: An Introduction

Abnormal Behavior in Animals in Research Settings

Utilizing Behavior to Assess Welfare

An Overview of Behavioral Management for Laboratory Animals

SECTION 2: TAXON-SPECIFIC INFORMATION

Behavioral Biology of Mice

Behavioral Biology of Rats

Behavioral Biology of Guinea Pigs

Behavioral biology of deer and white-footed mice, Mongolian gerbils, and prairie and meadow voles

Behavioral Biology of Hamsters

Behavioral Biology of Rabbits

Behavioral Biology of Laboratory Ferrets

Behavioral Biology of Dogs

Behavioral Biology of Domestic Cats

Behavioral Biology of Pigs and Minipigs

Behavioral Biology of Sheep

Behavioral Biology of Cattle

Behavioral Biology of Horses

Behavioral Biology of Chickens and Quail

Behavioral Biology of the Zebra Finch

Behavioral Biology of Zebrafish

Behavioral Biology of Amphibians

Behavioral Biology of Reptiles

Behavioral Biology of Marmosets

Behavioral Biology of Squirrel Monkeys

Behavioral Biology of Owl Monkeys

Behavioral Biology of Capuchin Monkeys

Behavioral Biology of Macaques

Behavioral Biology of Vervets/African Green Monkeys

Behavioral Biology of Baboons

SECTION 3 SELECTED ETHOGRAMS

Kristine Coleman is an associate professor in the Division of Comparative Medicine, and Head of the Behavioral Services Unit at the Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC), Oregon Health & Science University. Dr. Coleman received her PhD in behavioral ecology from Binghamton University, where she studied individual differences in temperament in pumpkinseed sunfish. She went to the Oregon Regional (now National) Primate Research Center for her postdoctoral training and never left. Since 2001, she has overseen the ONPRC behavioral management program, where she studies ways to improve the psychological well-being of laboratory macaques.

Steven J. Schapiro, Ph.D. is an associate professor of comparative medicine in the Department of Comparative Medicine at the Michale E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Schapiro earned his PhD from the University of California at Davis in 1985 after receiving his BA in behavioral biology from Johns Hopkins University. He completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Caribbean Primate Research Center of the University of Puerto Rico.