@livingingroups.bsky.social
Dept. for the Ecology of Animal Societies @mpi-animalbehav.bsky.social & @uni-konstanz.de.
Posts do not represent the views of MPI, University of Konstanz , or lab leaders.
@arispeshkin.bsky.socialReposted by @livingingroups.bsky.socialWe are offering 3 #PhD positions in our Ecology of Animal Societies Department @livingingroups.bsky.social at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior - check them out! imprs-qbee.mpg.de/66685/current
@bjjbarrett.bsky.socialReposted by @livingingroups.bsky.socialOur paper on how orangutan mothers plan and alter their space use at personal costs so their offspring may play with similarly aged offspring (independent of kinship and fruit productivity) has transitioned from preprint to peer reviewed publication doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
@mpi-animalbehav.bsky.socialReposted by @livingingroups.bsky.socialOrangutan mums take their offspring on playdates to hang out with kids of the same age 👶👶
By Odd Jacobson, Maria van Noordwijk et al www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
@oddjacobson.bsky.social @bjjbarrett.bsky.social @meg-crofoot.bsky.social @livingingroups.bsky.social
@livingingroups.bsky.socialwith A. Ashbury, @bjjbarrett.bsky.social, @meg-crofoot.bsky.social, P. Kukofka, J. Kunz, S. S. U. Atmoko, C. Schuppli, @erinvogel.bsky.social, C. van Schaik, & M. van Noordwijk; at @mpi-animalbehav.bsky.social, @livingingroups.bsky.social, @uzh-ch.bsky.social, @rutgersupress.bsky.social, & UNAS.
@livingingroups.bsky.socialIn the peat swamp forests surrounding the Tuanan Orangutan Research Station, where this research is based, a major wildfire emergency is currently unfolding. Please consider reading about or donating to support firefighting efforts in the area. coreborneo.com/wildfire-app...
@livingingroups.bsky.socialSee the supplemental material for more detail on how we applied causal inference and dyadic modelling to address this long-standing question!
@livingingroups.bsky.socialThese findings illustrate how the social requirements of development can be met even near the solitary extreme of animal social organization.
@livingingroups.bsky.socialFacilitating these play opportunities comes at a substantial cost for mothers, increasing daily travel distances and decreasing feeding time. This reveals a hidden form of maternal care in which mothers invest not only in their offspring’s growth and survival but also in their social development.
@livingingroups.bsky.socialMothers appear to plan these encounters in advance, orienting their movements toward the core areas of neighbouring mothers with potential play partners starting the day before.
@livingingroups.bsky.socialWe show that mothers adjust their ranging behaviour to increase the probability of encountering other mothers with similarly aged offspring to their own, and thereby increasing opportunities for their offspring to play with peers.
@livingingroups.bsky.socialSocial play is key for development in many animals, yet how solitary species with single young acquire playmates has remained a quandary. We unlock this using long-term data from 31 Bornean orangutan mother-offspring pairs in our new publication in PNAS. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2621225123. 🧵
@lukelarter.bsky.socialReposted by @livingingroups.bsky.socialNew preprint 🐸!
We use microphone arrays and beamformer algorithms to take a detailed look at the social structure and chorusing behavior of an arboreal African frog. This work showcases the utility of this technology for studying vocalizing animals in the wild.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
@will-oestreich.bsky.socialReposted by @livingingroups.bsky.socialI am recruiting a PhD student to work with our group at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior! Learn more & apply here: tinyurl.com/kd4xx4ku
Deadline: 15 Nov 2026
Start date: Flexible (summer-fall 2027)
@mpi-animalbehav.bsky.social
@livingingroups.bsky.social
@carlzeissstiftung.bsky.social
@ethoges.bsky.socialReposted by @livingingroups.bsky.socialNew year, new conference! Registration for the next Annual Meeting of the Ethological Society is officially open! 🤩
Save the date, sign up, and join us in beautiful Konstanz 24–27 February, 2027 @mpi-animalbehav.bsky.social
www.ab.mpg.de/etho-2027
@bjjbarrett.bsky.socialReposted by @livingingroups.bsky.socialI am part of a team guest editing a special issue of the American Journal of Primatology on "Digitization and use of legacy datasets in primatology” and we are seeking out submissions due on 1 September 2027.
@roesslerdaniela.bsky.socialReposted by @livingingroups.bsky.social🚨New paper🚨
Garden #spiders are everywhere right now—big, beautiful ladies, still in the hub of their 🕸️
But they are not just waiting, at night they also 💤! We found behavioral signatures of sleep in the wild. Out in #AnimalBehaviour w/ @mherberstein.bsky.social
@revathe.bsky.socialReposted by @livingingroups.bsky.social!! New in @science.org !!
How do animals learn broad skills necessary for survival in the wild? Our latest study on wild Sumatran orangutans at Suaq provides answers. 1/11
@science.orgReposted by @livingingroups.bsky.socialLearning over an extended childhood has been fundamental to survival during human evolutionary history.
Researchers show how Sumatran orangutans use their 8 years of dependency to master a broad diet, necessary for independent survival.
Read more in this week’s issue: https://scim.ag/4xDjOfh
@zoegoldsborough.bsky.socialReposted by @livingingroups.bsky.social📣🎓 Open #PhD Position (3.5 years) 🎓📣
Want to come work with me on culture and social bonds in apes? 🐵 Apply to join my new group in the @livingingroups.bsky.social at @mpi-animalbehav.bsky.social.
Full job posting: imprs-qbee.mpg.de/131133/cultu...
Deadline 📅 23 October 2026
Please share widely!
@ebriefer.bsky.socialReposted by @livingingroups.bsky.socialMore on collective movements, but this time in giraffes 🦒🦒🦒 We found that female are often the ones initiating group movements, and that large groups tend to split following these events. Thanks to Herbert Kasozi for involving me in this interesting work! @behaveco.bsky.social
