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Personal exposure studies suffer from uncertainty issues, largely stemming from individual behaviour uncertainties. Built on spatial-temporal exposure analysis and methods, this study proposed a novel approach to spatial-temporal modelling that incorporated behaviour classifications taking into account uncertainties, to estimate individual livestock exposure potential. The new approach was applied in a community-based research project with a Tribal community in the southwest United States to address questions on potential livestock exposure to abandoned uranium mines (AUMs). The study aimed to 1) classify Global Positioning System (GPS) data from livestock into three behaviour subgroups – grazing, travelling or resting; 2) calculate the daily cumulative exposure potential for livestock; 3) assess the performance of the computational method with and without behaviour classifications. Using Lotek Litetrack GPS collars, we collected data at a 20-min-interval for two flocks of sheep and goats during the spring and summer of 2019. Analysis and modelling of GPS data demonstrated no significant difference in individual cumulative exposure potential within each flock when animal behaviours with probability/uncertainties were considered. However, when daily cumulative exposure potential was calculated without consideration of animal behaviour or probability/uncertainties, significant differences among animals within a herd were observed, which does not match animal grazing behaviours reported by livestock owners. These results suggest that the proposed method including behaviour subgroups with probability/uncertainties more closely resembled the observed grazing behaviours. Results from the research may be used for future intervention and policy-making on remediation efforts in communities where grazing livestock may encounter environmental contaminants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There have been relatively few attempts to quantitatively describe behaviours in scincid lizards. Chalcides viridanus is a small body-sized skink endemic of Tenerife (Canary Islands). We describe and quantify 18 behaviour patterns (both social and agonistic) of this species, some of which have not been described before for other scincids. Video recordings of male-male, female-female, and male-female interactions were made under laboratory conditions, with controlled light-dark cycle and temperature. We describe several agonistic and courtship behaviour patterns. Within the first context, we detected a new agonistic behaviour for a scincid, 'Snout to body', that appeared at the beginning of agonistic sequences; it consisted of each animal placing its snout in contact with the other individual's lateral side of the body. The amplitude of head movement during 'Head bobbing' was lower than that described for many other lizard species. Agonistic behaviours were shown in intrasexual staged encounters both within males and females. The comparison of behaviour patterns of both types of intrasexual encounters showed that females were more active, exhibiting significantly higher frequencies of behaviour than males. Specifically, females showed the 'Snout to body' pattern more frequently than males. In male-female encounters we detected courtship and copulation patterns only in April, when males performed 'Bites' and 'Snout to body' directed at females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A harem of takhi (Equus ferus przewalskii) was observed during introduction to the Hustain Nuruu Steppe Reserve of Mongolia. The goals were to examine whether the harem exhibited significant behavioural synchrony, whether release had an effect on time budget, and what the implications might be regarding acclimatisation to the wild. Behaviours were scan sampled every 10 min between the hours of 06:00 and 22:00, twice before release, twice immediately after release, and twice 2 years after reintroduction. Time budgets were constructed from these data. Considerable behavioural synchrony was evidenced both before and after release. Crepuscular grazing and midday resting were typical, regardless of the date relative to release. Upon release, the amount of time spent moving doubled for all age classes. It is suggested that this increase resulted from exploration. The amount of time spent grazing and standing remained unchanged; the increased amount of time spent moving came at the expense of resting. Two years later, the horses still spent more time moving than when captive. Somewhat less time was spent grazing, although the difference was not significant. More time was spent resting in 1996 than immediately after release. These time budgets provide evidence of successful acclimatisation to the wild. Trekking between favoured sites could account for the persistent increase in time spent moving, with concomitantly less time needed to meet nutritional needs by grazing and more time available for resting. Housing captive takhi in large enclosures is evidently insufficient to permit the amount of movement exhibited by this wild harem. The time budget of the 1- and 2-year olds was more similar to that of adults than foals, indicating approaching adulthood. That 1- and 2-year olds were nursed, without loss of body condition by the dam, provided additional evidence that the takhi achieved excellent nutritional status in the wild. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]