The use of visual media as a tool for investigating animal behaviour

doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2012.12.009

Animal Behaviour

Volume 85, Issue 3, March 2013, Pages 525-536

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2012.12.009 Get rights and content

In this essay we outline how video-related technology can be used as a tool for studying animal behaviour. We review particular aspects of novel, innovative animal behaviour uploaded by the general public via video-based media on the internet (using YouTube as a specific example). The behaviour of animals, particularly the play behaviour focused on here, is viewed by huge audiences. In this essay we focused on three different kinds of media clips: (1) interspecies play between dogs and a range of other species; (2) object play in horses; and (3) animal responses to stimuli presented on iPads, iPods and iPhones. We argue that the use of video is a good means of capturing uncommon or previously unknown behaviour, providing evidence that these behaviours occur. Furthermore, some of the behaviours featured on YouTube provide valuable insights for future directions in animal behaviour research. If we also take this opportunity to convey our knowledge to a public that seems to be fundamentally interested in animal behaviour, this is a good means of bridging the gap between knowledge among an academic few and the general public.

Highlights

► Video-related technology can be a preliminary tool for studying animal behaviour. ► We discuss three case studies related to animal play behaviour. ► YouTube can provide large sample sizes. ► It also increases chances of observation of rare behaviour. ► This means of engaging with the public has considerable potential for researchers.

Section snippets

Citizen science

Scientific projects have been developed to engage the public as participants in the collection of data through the use of ‘crowdsourcing’ methods: outsourcing a job to an undefined group of people. This ‘citizen science’ approach has been advocated for use by ecologists and could be of great use among animal behaviour researchers (Dickinson et al. 2010; for links to projects in ecology and evolution see Silvertown 2009). One such example of citizen science research is a project on the migration

Using social media as a tool

Our premise for using YouTube as a tool for searching for animal behaviour is based on the notion that the probability of capturing any given behaviour is dramatically increased when the number of people obtaining the footage is not restricted to academics but is widened to citizen scientists. This form of recording animal behaviour involves anyone who has a video camera, still camera or mobile phone, and is willing to post clips onto the internet. One of the goals of this essay is to offer

Novel or innovative play behaviour on the internet

Both of us have separately observed the notably playful kea (Diamond & Bond 2004) repeatedly sliding down the icy roof of a mountain hut; therefore, we thought it significant to find a Russian video of a crow sliding down an icy roof using a plastic lid as a tool (9, Table 1). Similarly, a member of the public filmed an adult kea rolling a snowball (10, Table 1); although we have independently observed similar innovative behaviour (stone rolling and tossing) while conducting fieldwork on keas,

Assessing the popularity of animal behaviour clips on YouTube

When the material in clips does not engage with the audience, they do not feature heavily on YouTube, being seldom viewed, if at all. Conversely, if the public engages with the material, clips rapidly ‘go viral’ and are viewed by millions of people (e.g. 16, Table 1). Based on this knowledge, we searched the keywords ‘true crime full episodes’ to determine public engagement with a completely different but undoubtedly popular topic, based on the television airtime featuring this genre (Jermyn

Conclusion

Many academic disciplines use anecdotes to develop research projects that ultimately produce reliable data (Bekoff 2000, 2006). As Bekoff (2006, page 50) pointed out ‘anecdotes are central to the study of behavior as they are to much of science. As we accumulate more and more stories about behavior we develop a solid database that can be used to stimulate further empirical research, and yes, additional stories. The plural of anecdote is data’. With a video camera capturing an event, or multiple

Acknowledgments

We thank M. Bekoff and two anonymous referees for constructive feedback on the manuscript and to the public for sharing their wonderful clips online.

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Tail-chasing was even encouraged by the owners in 43% of the uploaded videos (Burn, 2011). Video mining is still underused in animal behavior and veterinary research (Burn, 2014), despite allowing to study animals in their home environment, or uncommon or misunderstood behaviors (Nelson and Fijn, 2013; Rault et al., 2013). Using the video mining approach, this study aimed to evaluate both the probability and severity of feather-damaging behavior in companion parrots based on an array of animal and environmental data that could be collected from videos posted on a social media platform.
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As such, we gathered video recordings of displaying Montezuma oropendolas from the Macaulay Library (Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, U.S.A.), Handbook of Birds of the World Alive Archive (Lynx Edicións) and YouTube (Alphabet, Inc.). Recordings from natural history libraries are all unedited, and we ensured that all YouTube videos were unmodified with respect to capturing accurate representations of individual songs and dances following previously established criteria (Nelson & Fijn, 2013). The Montezuma oropendola's song is composed of two major elements: (1) a ‘low song’, containing a series of abbreviated and arrhythmic pulses between 500 and 900 Hz; and (2) a ‘high song’, which is a loud train of frequency sweeps with fundamental frequency (F0) roughly between 1000 and 4000 Hz.
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View full text

EssayThe use of visual media as a tool for investigating animal behaviour

Highlights

Section snippets

Citizen science

Using social media as a tool

Novel or innovative play behaviour on the internet

Assessing the popularity of animal behaviour clips on YouTube

Conclusion

Acknowledgments

Trends in Neurosciences

Physiology & Behavior

Applied Animal Behaviour Science

Animal Behaviour

Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine

Vision Research

Applied Animal Behaviour Science

Animal Behaviour

Vision Research

Animal Behaviour

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Applied Animal Behaviour Science

Animal Behaviour

Applied Animal Behaviour Science

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Trends in Ecology & Evolution

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Two unusual interactions between a bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Hawaiian waters

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Vision, touch and object manipulation in Senegal parrots Poicephalus senegalus

Proceedings of the Royal Society B

Social play in kaka (Nestor meridionalis) with comparisons to kea (Nestor notabilis)

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Citizen science as an ecological research tool: challenges and benefits

Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics

Motion perception shapes the visual world of amphibians

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Filming the significant other: human and non-human

Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology

Essay
The use of visual media as a tool for investigating animal behaviour