PhotoBolder elk and magpies exhibited riskier behaviors like tolerating the experimenter, approaching novel objects and fending off animals. About half of the elk let magpies land, and just over half the magpies landed on the fake elk. And it was the shy elk and bold magpies that were more likely to engage. Elk have fewer winter ticks than moose, perhaps because they’ve had more time to evolve coping mechanisms, like habitual grooming. Perhaps, Dr. Found thinks, shy elk gain an advantage over bold elk and compensate for their bashfulness by accepting magpies.

Source: New York Times November 29, 2017 22:52 UTC