Tools: Data Loggers for Movement and

Vocalization

Janeen L. Salak-Johnson, PhD University of Illinois Lecture: April 5, 2007

Why Animal Vocalization and Movement?

4 “WHYs” in biology (Tinbergen, 1963)

Survival value or functionCausationDevelopmentEvolutionary history

Why do starlings sing in the spring?

Why Study Animal Locomotion?

Function Move for variety of reasons

Causation Brain

Development Walk, foraging, social

Evolutionary history Selection based on necessity or

need

How do we Study Locomotion?

Numerous ways Primarily behavioral

Must be relevant Question Species Situation (Lab vs. Field) Environment (pen vs. behavioral

apparatus)

Example Time and energy budgets

Simple Behavior Monitoring and Sources of

Error

Error of apprehending

Observer Eff

ect

Observer Error & Bias

Error of recording

Computational Error Results

Need More Information….

Arboreal Primate Support it prefers to move along Height of the forest Types of locomotion

Increase information, more specific

Complex methodology (i.e., distance/mo.) Map of position at regular intervals (spatial

position) Tracking systems – fitted w/ data logging systems w/ GPS

Direct reflection of locomotor state of animal

Radio collars

Why do Animals Vocalize?

Communication Who? Says What? Which Channel?

To Whom? With What Effect? Lasswell’s, 1964 – Message

Transmission Theory

SignalingEcholationDefensive reactionsMating

How do Animals Vocalization?

Sophisticated vocal systemControl -- brainstem centers

Input - higher sensory, emotional, & homeostatic regions

Sensory cortex, limbic system, and cingulate cortex

Mechanism of selection is not well understood

Intact midbrain is critical Cats – hissing, howling, growling,

meowing Removed telencephalon & diencephalon BUT midbrain – dramatically reduced

Vocalization a Hallmark of Emotional Reactions?

Measure of welfare? Emotional stress and psychological well

being Individual Conspecifics

Emotional state = vocal pattern? For example,

Confined rat – 22 kHZ cry Rhesus macaques – emitting anticipatory

“coos” Wild-captured mongoose – “screams”

Vocalization a Hallmark of Emotional Reactions?

Fear, elation, and anger are express via vocalization of these 3 species of captive animals Is this enough to make this

statement?

What if I told you… ?What if I told you..? What if I told you..?

Vocalization a Hallmark of Emotional Reactions?

What information is absolutely necessary to be able to use vocalizations as a measure of well being?

Can vocalization by itself be used as an indicator? Rodent’s cry Monkey’s coos

Tools: Measure Vocalization

Techniques of sound analysis Discriminate Analyze Classify specific vocalizations

Records Informatively rich Relatively inexpensive Digital or analog Continuous or discrete time segments Isolated individuals or group

Tools: Measure Vocalization

Data analyzed in variety of ways (dependent upon information desired Frequencies of occurrence Patterns of amplitude and frequency

(behavioral and environmental event)

Manteuffel et al., 2004. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 88:163-182 Procedures used in farm animals

bioacoustics Extraction of information Distinguish and characterize

Tools: Measure Vocalization Microphones, recording devices

(human range) Bat detectors UltraVox (Noldus)

Measures ultrasonic Low cost Real time Multiple animals

Software being developed (Delphi5)

Data Loggers

Advantages Benefits to science and animal welfare Real time and precise location Free ranging animals Less labor, longer duration Less disturbances by observer Less observer error Less variation among observers More data points, more accurate,

more reliable?

Data Loggers - Disadvantages

Costly Not always practical Validation, Durability, Repeatability Limitations

Information obtained Species practicality Physical impact of device (mass, shape,

location) Extra mass – physiological impact (body mass,

energy cost) Shape – inappropriate or incorrectly fitted Location – balance

Data Loggers - Disadvantages

Welfare implications Attachment

Sutures or glues Color of harnesses, devices and marker (social

status or attract predator or prey) Psychological – pain, suffering and distress

Capture and handling (wild animals) Physiological impact (more wild than lab) –

foraging, grooming Limited monitoring and human intervention

Physiological Energetics Performance (diving or breeding)

Contact logger collarsTracking equipment

Activity Mortality Heart rate Temperature Sound

Proximity detector – detects when animals come w/in a defined distance of each other

Actiwatch and Actical Mini Mitter®

Actiwatch – non-invasive Track activity levels

High sensitivity to small movements High intensity range

Track changes in activity patterns (i.e., sleep)

Determine circadian rhythms Measure activity and circadian

rhythms Food, drugs, pain, health, well-being

Activity patterns relative to observe, thus correlate (time and duration)

Data Loggers: Ethovision (Noldus)

http://www.noldus.com/site/content/files/shorttours/ethovision-xt.html See short tour

Case studies

Van Oort et al., 2004. Appl. Anim. Behav. 88:299-308

Would it have been important to determine if collar’s interfered with behavior?

How could they have assessed?

How could they have controlled?

Is determining active and inactive behavior enough? Why or Why not?

Can they use historical data to make the assumption that inactivity is lying and the rest is grazing?

How could they have better characterized these behavioral categories?

Van Oort et al., 2004. Appl. Anim. Behav. 88:299-

308

Swain and Bishop-Hurley, Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci.

2007 Does data support their conclusion?

“Contact logging devices have the potential to provide useful data on animal affiliations?

What other information would have enabled them to better quantify cow-calf interactions?

Page 9 -