Biology and beyond ...: A return to blogging ... and a re-introduction

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

A return to blogging ... and a re-introduction

Well, it’s been quite a while since my last blog and with the rapid approach of the end of 2016, and the looming menace of “new year’s resolutions”, I will endeavour to blog more frequently. I originally intended to provide some discussion on various aspects of animal behaviour. However, I have decided to digress and take a more casual approach to blogging.

I’ll start by re-introducing myself and giving some background. I am Dr Tasmin Rymer, currently employed as a lecturer at James Cook University in Cairns, Australia. But that’s a story for another blog. My animal behaviour journey began when I first studied a Bachelor of Science at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits; Fig. 1) in Johannesburg, South Africa. I completed a double major in Zoology and Ecology, Environment and Conservation and, during this time, conducted numerous mini-research projects, including a study of con- and inter-specific interactions of captive raptors at the Johannesburg Zoo (conveniently titled “Do raptors in captivity have friends?”).

Fig. 1. Great Hall, University of the Witwatersrand

I went on to complete my honours in Zoology under the supervision of Associate Professor Martin Whiting, now at Macquarie University in Sydney. I spent a lot of time watching Kalahari tree skinks Trachylepis spilogaster (Fig. 2) on sociable weaver Philetairus socius (Fig. 3) nests in the middle of the Kalahari Desert. I got distracted for a few years (12 to be exact!) before the paper was published (see my list of publications)!

Fig. 2. Kalahari tree skink Trachlepis spilogaster (Photo: A. Dreyer; http://www.ispotnature.org/node/662576)

Fig. 3. Sociable weaver Philetairus socius nest (Photo: R. L. Thomson)

I then moved to the University of Pretoria, South Africa, to undertake a Master of Science in Mammalogy, at the Mammal Research Institute. My research project focused on modelling eland Tragelaphus oryx population dynamics in the Pilanesberg National Park, where I found that lions Panthera leo were driving eland population numbers down.


Fig. 4. Eland Tragelaphus oryx (Photo: T. Junik)

I then returned to Wits to study a PhD in Animal Behaviour, focusing on paternal care behaviour of African striped mice Rhabdomys pumilio (Fig. 5 and 6) under the supervision of Prof. Neville Pillay. During this period, I developed an inordinate fondness for rodents. While I learned a considerable amount about paternal care, I also learned that, just when you think you have your head around how mice will behave, they surprise you! This continues to this day.