Study of defensive behavior of a venomous snake as a new approach to understand snakebite.

Snakebites affect millions of people worldwide. The majority of research and management about snakebites focus on venom and antivenom, with less attention given to snake ecology. The fundamental factor in snakebites is the snakes' defensive biting behavior.

Overcoming the phantoms of the past: Influence of predatory stimuli on the antipredator behavior of island pitvipers.

The reduction of predation is a potentially important factor for the evolution of the traits of an island animal species. By relaxed selection, insular animals tend to lose their antipredator behaviors. A monophyletic group of pitvipers (genus Bothrops) in southeastern Brazil, which have high genetic affinity and dwell on the mainland and adjacent islands, provide an appropriate setting to study the evolution of antipredator behavior and how different predatory stimuli can influence this behavior.

Linking body condition and thermal physiology in limping crickets: Does limb autotomy incur costs concerning behavioral thermal tolerance?

Many ectotherms have the ability to voluntarily detach a body part, known as autotomy, usually in response to predator attacks. Autotomy can have an immediate benefit for survival, but it can also involve costs related to the individual's body condition. Even though the effects of autotomy have been studied in many ecophysiological aspects, its short-term costs on the ability to tolerate high environmental temperatures are still unexplored.