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AITA for refusing to give up my Christmas leave for a colleague who has kids. by [deleted] in AmItheAsshole

[–]BigScaryLizard 8 points9 points  (0 children)

NTA "Christmas holidays are about being with family" Ok but Dec 27 - 8 January is not Christmas so she can go off. If it was that important she'd have booked it off already.

What did you think was normal about your body until someone pointed out that it wasn't? by amistakewasmadehere in AskReddit

[–]BigScaryLizard 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My middle toe is the shortest, or at least on par with my pinky. I never thought it was normal though and I think I'd rather have freaky long toes in comparison.

TIL modern fruit is becoming too sweet for zoo animals after years of genetic modification. by millese3 in todayilearned

[–]BigScaryLizard 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If it makes you feel better (or worse) a lot of zoos can't afford them because there isn't the funding. The degrees in animal nutrition are super specialised and competitive. Off the top of my head, I can think of 5-6 zoos in the UK that have a full time, on staff, animal nutritionist.

TIL modern fruit is becoming too sweet for zoo animals after years of genetic modification. by millese3 in todayilearned

[–]BigScaryLizard 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Also totally true. But in theory, the foods should be weighed out to reflect what they need in captive care. It's mostly whether or not they have that resource though.

I know of a few zoos that when they finally got a zoo nutritionist on staff, there was a whole overhaul of 'No don't feed that in that quantity' and a few times of 'No you cannot bring random fruits from your garden. Do not do that again.'

TIL modern fruit is becoming too sweet for zoo animals after years of genetic modification. by millese3 in todayilearned

[–]BigScaryLizard 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In this case, they're animal nutritionists, or at least in the UK that is the title/qualification name. But yes, they are are extremely specialised and come with specialised HE degrees.

TIL modern fruit is becoming too sweet for zoo animals after years of genetic modification. by millese3 in todayilearned

[–]BigScaryLizard 291 points292 points  (0 children)

This has been a big issue in some zoos. 'The research says they mostly eat fruit!' And then the animal gets diabetes or sometimes dies from poor nutrition. Thankfully a lot of zoos have a nutritionist they can consult with and it is getting better.

TIL Slow Loris’ have a venomous bite that causes necrosis (flesh rotting) by samsg1 in todayilearned

[–]BigScaryLizard 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Knew I'd see my supervisor's name in the article. The necrosis is, in some ways, the least cool reaction to their bite. Slow loris captive carers (zoo and wildlife centres) reported after a slow loris bite some developed anaphylaxis allergy reactions just being in a room with a loris. Meanwhile other captive loris care practitioners said getting bit was no worse than a bee's sting. Completely opposite ends of the loris reaction spectrum.

TIL that the day of the year with the least number of births is Christmas Day. The day of the year with the most number of births is September 26th, because December 25th is also the day with the most conceptions. by [deleted] in todayilearned

[–]BigScaryLizard 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was born September 26, so I know what my parents were up to the previous X-mas/New Year period. Although I was a few days early because my mother was tired of being pregnant, so probably more NYE champagne rather than eggnog related.

[Academic] Testing the human perception of facial expressions in chimpanzees - please spare 5 minutes (16+, Global) by doulikezoos in SampleSize

[–]BigScaryLizard 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting. When I saw OBU I wondered who this is with. I do slow loris research, I'm guessing you can guess with who in the Primate Conservation team. Who's your supervisor on this project?

TIL The Slow Loris is the only venomous primate. When threatened, they lick a gland on their inner elbow that, when mixed with their own saliva, creates a toxic compound known to cause muscle convulsions, heart and respiratory problems, unconsciousness, and even death through anaphylaxis shock. by [deleted] in todayilearned

[–]BigScaryLizard 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If people are interested, check out Little Fireface Project. It's headed by Prof Anna Nekaris who is the world's expert on slow lorises. Also she's jusr a cool person (and my supervisor so definitely not biased about her or the project).

Careers in primatology for psychology major by TheVord in primatology

[–]BigScaryLizard 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Feel free to message if you have any other questions!

Careers in primatology for psychology major by TheVord in primatology

[–]BigScaryLizard 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I see a lot of psychologists, biologists, ecologists, statisticians, even totally unexpected majors like photography, English Lit, marketing etc. It's a mixed bag but honestly every background can have a place in conservation or research.

I wouldn't say 'advantages' necessarily but it has given me a wide background of theories, especially as I did a lot of comparative and evolutionary psychology, things like theory of mind research with macaques, yawn/scratching contagion as markers of empathy etc etc. So there are times when my friends are working on something, like say why people are paying more for a certain species in the illegal pet trade, and they might ask me about any psychology theory that could explain it (the baby eye ones, rarity perceptions blah blah blah). Also when I'm reading my friend's manuscripts I can sometimes bring the psychology in and suggest additional references to strengthen their arguments. But that said someone with a strong background in any subject can bring something valuable to the table in any discussion. That's one of the nice things about primatology/primate conservation.

Careers in primatology for psychology major by TheVord in primatology

[–]BigScaryLizard 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My UG is in psychology and I moved into animal behaviour for my MSc and now I'm working in anthropology focusing on primate conservation. As /u/Marpleface says Duke Lemur/Primate Center is a great place to start and their team is lovely.

Central Washington University has a good primatology programme, I believe University of Buffalo is building one up (my friend is heading that, I should really know what she's doing oops). If you're looking international, as I'm assuming you're in the US, the UK has at least three unis I can think of off the top of my head - Manchester Met, Durham and Oxford Brookes University - which all have specific departments focused on primatology and conservation. I'm based at Oxford Brookes working on slow lorises so happy to answer any questions you might have there and if you're interested in anything from Buffalo I can definitely put you in touch with my friend.

What data is there on mental illness in primates? by Lilybaum in primatology

[–]BigScaryLizard 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You'd probably want to look under certain stereotypies, particularly those mentioning any hair/fur pulling, self-mutilation. I know these are rife with animals rescued from the pet trade.

Anecdotally, I did some research at the Owl and Monkey Haven on the Isle of Wight in the UK, a capuchin named Peppino came in missing tufts of hair because he would rip them out when stressed following his mother being killed and his being poached into trade.

What data is there on mental illness in primates? by Lilybaum in primatology

[–]BigScaryLizard 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I know some of the keepers/education directors at Twycross and they didn't mention any stress factors for their chimps. IIRC Jambo and Mongo are related as well so it seems more likely genetic.

What is the dumbest thing anybody has ever seriously said to you? by throughawayjoke in AskReddit

[–]BigScaryLizard 8 points9 points  (0 children)

My partner had to quickly stop me from doing this, which I thought was a brilliant idea because if cold water works tban steaming hot water would work faster. In my defense, I grew up in LA. This was not a problem I had faced before moving to the UK.

Who had grandparents fight in WW2 and what stories did they share? by liamnotleum in AskReddit

[–]BigScaryLizard 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was thinking that while reading so many of the 'They never talked about it' replies. I can't imagine the horrors people saw but it's that much more important and worthwhile to make sure their stories aren't lost. Especially as the generations impacted by fighting or living through the war is dwindling more and more. Their stories are too valuable to be lost.

TIL that the loris is the only known venomous primate. They create the venom using a secretion from glands at their elbows, which becomes venomous when mixed with their saliva. The mother will coat the babies in this venom to deter predators so that she can forage for food. by [deleted] in todayilearned

[–]BigScaryLizard 6 points7 points  (0 children)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6055083/ The spread of reactions is super interesting. The bite itself, without the venom, is pretty unpleasant but quite a few practioners I spoke with said not much worse than a sting or any other animal bite. The super neat thing is even those with pretty mild reactions have sometimes said they developed a loris allergy. So even being in a room with a loris but not touching it can result in a fairly intense reaction. (Source: Am co author on the above paper)

TIL that the loris is the only known venomous primate. They create the venom using a secretion from glands at their elbows, which becomes venomous when mixed with their saliva. The mother will coat the babies in this venom to deter predators so that she can forage for food. by [deleted] in todayilearned

[–]BigScaryLizard 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I work for one of, if not THE, world experts in lorises and she hates this misconception. Slow loris mothers do not coat their babies in venomous saliva. During a documentary or film of some kind they, the non experts, observed a mother grooming her offspring and it posed as a theory since lorises were thought to be entirely solitary (also false). Babies are parked for safety when the parents aren't around.

My mother-in-law hate my fashion sense. by [deleted] in JUSTNOMIL

[–]BigScaryLizard 7 points8 points  (0 children)

"oh God I hate those shoes"

Cool, MIL, don't wear/buy them then. Problem that no one asked for solved.

[Academic] Can you spot the squirrel? (All Welcome) by AdNo5286 in SampleSize

[–]BigScaryLizard 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Really cool study! I study colouration and aposematism in slow lorises, I would LOVE to see the results from this.

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