Doug Emlen, a University of Montana biology professor, discusses his research into the developmental and evolutionary biology of dung beetles in the second part of his two-part interview. He tells “The WildLife” host Laurel Neme about his many adventures doing research--from being charged by cape buffalo as he picks through dung on the plains of Africa to the strange looks airline security gives him when he comes back from his travels to far-flung places with his carry-ons filled with dung beetles. He also talks about how he learned to smell howler monkeys so that he could locate their first dung of the morning – and thus find the dung beetles that were the real object of his desire. The interview also includes a discussion on predatory strategies related to dung. While most predators don’t use dung to find their prey, because by the time they find the dung the animals would be long gone, some animals, like sloths and koalas, move so slow that they use a different strategy of burying their dung so that predators can’t find them from the smell. You’ll find out how some specialized dung beetles have adapted and hang onto the backs of the animals until the opportune moment when they drop down to be buried with their prize. Dr. Emlen was always interested in animal armament and became even more interested after studying a species of dung beetle in Panama that specialized in howler monkey scat. Since then, he broadened his research to dung beetles all over the world and has noticed interesting patterns in their weaponry. Now, he’s focusing his research on the evolutionary forces that make animal weapons, from dung beetle horns to elk antlers to rhino horns, so diverse. This episode of “The WildLife” aired on The Radiator, WOMM-LP, 105.9 FM in Burlington, Vermont on June 14, 2010.
The WildLife: Pangolin Rescue with Save Vietnam's Wildlife, Thai Van Nguyen and Gillian Fuller
The WildLife: From bats to humans - echolocation for the blind, Carol Foster
The WildLife: Madison Vorva, Girl Scout and Teen Activist for Orangutans
The WildLife: Rhiannon Tomtishen, Girl Scout and Teen Activist for sustainable palm oil
The WildLife: Kevin Bewick, Anti-Poaching Intelligence Group of Southern Africa (APIGSA)
The WildLife: CITES CoP16 Outcomes, CITES Secretary-General John Scanlon
The WildLife: Polar Bears, Global Warming and CITES Decision, Steven Amstrup
The WildLife: CITES Secretary-General John Scanlon
The WildLife: A Lifetime with Elephants, Iain Douglas-Hamilton
The WildLife: Celia's Campaign Against the Elephant Ivory Trade, Celia Ho
The WildLife: Carbofuran impacts and forensic considerations, Ngaio Richards
The WildLife: The Rhino DNA Index System and it's Role in Anti-Poaching Efforts, Cindy Harper
The WildLife: Nature Walks and Backyard Wildlife, Mark Fraser
The WildLife: Detection Dogs and Wildlife Conservation, Megan Parker
The WildLife: Wildlife documentaries, Carol Foster
The WildLife: Nature Iraq, Anna Bachmann and Hana Ahmed Raza
The WildLife: New Frog Species Discovery in Ecuador, Alejandro Arteaga
The WildLife: The Secret Life of Seahorses, Helen Scales
The WildLife: Primate Smuggling and Tarantula Trade, David Kirkby
The WildLife: Commercial Porcupine Farming in Vietnam, Emma Brooks
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