@sophiadaoudi
Lecturer, Newcastle University ASAB Communications Officer PhD, MSc Primate Conservation, BSc Psychology: Specialisms - animal behaviour, behavioural ecology, cognition, animal welfare, conservation, primatology & human-animal interactions.
The grad hat my friends and partner made me (a tradition in our institute) is amazing. At the back is my "sticker slide" apparatus, a book with Animal Tool Behaviour outside and all my papers inside in miniature, and play objects from an experiment. On the tassel are each of the babies I hand raised
Kanzi, a bonobo with exceptional language skills, took part in a make-believe tea party that demonstrated cognitive abilities never seen before in non-human primates
Don't be put off by the ad saying "UK Students only" - a limited number of scholarships are available for international candidates. So please apply!
Are you looking for advice on communicating with the public as a scientist? Check out these resources by the @fine-seminar.bsky.social and its organizers:
Panel discussion: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohoc...
Article about interacting with journalists: methodsblog.com/2026/01/14/h...
ASAB Important Upcoming Dates. ASAB Spring Conference 2026 (logo of gorilla with baby on back) Bristol 23rd-25th March. Feb 1: Conference travel grants due Feb 1: Abstracts due Feb 19: Registration ends Animal Behaviour in the Anthropocene ECBB 2025 (logo of various animals in a reflected city). Cambridge 1st-4th September. Jan 31: Symposia submission deadline March 14: Abstracts due March 31: Early bird registration ends April 1: Developing country travel grants due June 1: Conference travel grants due
Take note! 📝 There are a lot of important dates coming up for #ASABSpring2026 and #ECBB2026 🗓️
More information here: www.asab.org/conferences-...
1 week left to apply for this PhD.
✅ Field surveys
✅ Cutting-edge modelling
✅ Collaboration with @ptes-org.bsky.social
🗓 Deadline: 5-1-26
#PhDOpportunity #Ecology #Conservation #CitizenScience #WildlifeMonitoring @prof-r-hill.bsky.social @ps-wildlife-res.bsky.social @chrissuthy.bsky.social
We should also thank the ASAB council for making these meetings happen each year! It’s incredible that #ASABWinter2025 is free of charge for participants 😍
Dozens of people standing in the auditorium
Innes in a camo Kilt
And an especial congrats to Innes on his retirement! Jolyon had everyone stand up who worked with or had been taught by Innes - it was very touching 🥺 So many standing! #ASABWinter2025
ASAB spring conference 2026 logo with gorilla
If you’re sad #ASABWinter2025 is over, have no fear! #ASABSpring2025 🌼 is coming soon, from March 23-25 at Bristol University. It’s an especially fantastic meeting for students and ECRs 🤠
Don’t forget travel grants are due Feb 1!
www.asab.org/conferences-...
Sad to be missing the #ASABWinter2025
@asab-meetings.bsky.social conference this week, but two postdocs that may interest ASAB members:
Organizers and volunteers
Jolyon, Innes and Laura
This has been a wonderful conference, a huge thank you to all of the volunteers and especially the organizers of #ASABWinter2025 : Jolyon Troscianko, Innes Cuthill and Laura Kelley 👏🏻
End of another fantastic ASAB Winter meeting. Thanks so much to the organising committee and all of the wonderful speakers! @asab.org #ASABWinter2025 Looking forward to seeing you all in Bristol!
Screenshot of article: Animal Behaviour Volume 230, December 2025, 123353 Temperature-driven plasticity in boldness, its predictability and learning in the beadlet anemone, Actinia equina Samantha Simpson, Dunia Gonzales, Mark Briff
🌸Anemones! 📈Plasticity! 😨Startle responses! 🌡️Temperature fluctuations!
Our December #ASABEditorsChoice for #AnimalBehaviourJournal: "Temperature-driven plasticity in boldness, its predictability and learning in the beadlet anemone, Actinia equina"
Read here: doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2025.123353
HOW MULTIMODAL WARNING SIGNALS AFFECT PREDATOR BEHAVIOUR AND PREY SURVIVAL Alice Exnerová, Hana Copová, Dana Adamova
Birds can detect olfactory warning signals but only increase their wariness when combined with warning colours in firebugs 🐤🐞 #ASABWinter2025
Responses of avian predators to inaccurate Batesian mimics: effect of model disraity Marie Promsnikorá Alice Enero, Mara Darkes, Tom Sheratt
Hoverflies show co-acceptance and co-rejection structure, indicating perceptual groupings among species 🐝 🐝 #ASABWinter2025
Responses of lionfish (Pterois spp.) to ambient coral reef soundscapes. Roxanne Holmes. University of Cambridge
Invasive lionfish respond to ambient soundscapes, but only at night- perhaps because vision is less reliable? 🐟🪸 #ASABWinter2025
Investigating the use of geomagnetic information as a navigational map component in a pelagic seabird Madeline Davis Cognitive Ecology Group, University of Uverpoo
Do shearwaters use geomagnetic information as a navigational map component? ⛈️ 🪽 #ASABWinter2025
Butterfly Patterns are Amazing! Hugely researched warning signals and mimicry sexual signals thermoregulation camouflage, ...and the underlying genetics and evolution
Butterfly patterns aren’t just pretty, theyre motion confusing 😵💫🦋 Some traits more than others! #ASABWinter2025
Great to see this work presented at the #ASABWinter2025 meeting!! 💚🐾 If you want to know more, check out our paper that was recently published! www.sciencedirect.com:5037/science/arti...
A Cephalopod's Guide to Hide and Seek. Photo of octopus
Chromatophores enable colour change in cephalopods, so that they can blend into the enviro. Yet they prefer highly complex backgrounds, even though theyre better at matching those with lower complexity! 🏞️🐙 #ASABWinter2025
Moving to Perceive vs Moving to Achieve: Trade-offs in insect pollinator flower approaches Winter ASAB 2025 Aruna Raman, University of Edinburgh
Hawkmoths need to move to gauge distance … calculating “tortuous trajectories” is a real task 🦋💐 #ASABWinter2025
Gannet with black eye, slide Labelled gannet vision and avian flu. Photo by Rebecca James. Speaker Steve Portugal in front at podium
Gannets may survive bird flu … but may be left with a “black eye” 👀 Luckily they can compensate and their binocular vision is not impacted, but they can't see as well over their heads #ASABWinter2025
Characterisation and manipulation of urban light environments for fly control Matthew Sparks, Matt Green, Tariq Butt and William Allen. Swansea Uni. Rentokill. Ease lab
Fly control can be vital - their ability to spread disease has apparently even been co-opted as a weapon of war 🤯😟 How can we study their perception to build better traps? #ASABWinter2025
Barbara Caspers with a zebra finch slide reading Family affairs - the impact of chemical cues on bird social communication Winter ASA BEHAVIOURAL ECOLOGY Bielefeld Barbara A. Caspers 16.12.2025 - ASAB Winter Meeting
Last plenary of #ASABWinter2025 by Barbara Caspers! Great talk, especially as so little is known about odour perception in birds - and it appears there’s still a lot to learn 🐦👃
Fascinating Tinbergen Lecture by @toshitakaszk.bsky.social 🐦 on animal linguistics! Not only do Japanese tits have distinct sequence & predator calls 🐍🦅 they can also understand the calls of Willow tits!! You'll soon be able to get a copy of his book! #ASABWinter2025 @asab.org
Such an inspiration to us all! I believe animal behaviour and behavioural ecology studies can use more theoretical inputs! Thansk @kokkonut.bsky.social!!! @asab.org @asab-meetings.bsky.social #ASABWinter2025
Louise posing with a poster Do chimpanzees "over-imitate"? A first test with conspecific models.
Nikki with a poster labelled sniffing birds
Going to make a collage of posters presented at #ASABWinter2025! Want to be included like these awesome ladies? Drop a photo below ⬇️
Barbara Caspers in front of slide reading parent recognition . Image of sock and odour tube
Cutting edge sock science at #ASABWinter2025! 🧦 🧦 🧦
"Strange antics' and speciation. Photo of peacock spider. Jonah Walker Joana Meier Chis Jiggins, Jongh Schuben, Ancie Jeop, Cyrila Tedos, Cunia Blar
Male courtship dances have co-evolved with female preferences in peacock spiders, but with closely related species, assortative mating is “leaky” 🦚🕷️ #ASABWinter2025
Learning how to say “Snake!!!!” in Japanese tit this morning 🐦 🐍
Captivating #ASABWinter2025 Tinbergen lecture by @toshitakaszk.bsky.social
