Research at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior
For animals, life means making decisions. When does a blackbird depart on its dangerous annual migration? On which tree does a Kinkajou search for food? How does a fish in a school of hundreds decide what to do? Decisions like these determine an individual’s survival and their probability of reproducing. Often these decisions are made in a group. At the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, we aim to achieve a quantitative and predictive understanding of animal decision-making and movement in the natural world. Pursuing an integrative approach, we combine physiological, neural, ecological and evolutionary perspectives, questions and methods.
The Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior is home to three Departments, three Max Planck Research Groups, eight Research Groups, and many professional staff. We are housed in three locations in the greater Konstanz area: Radolfzell, the University of Konstanz, and Bücklestraße in Konstanz. These locations include state-of-the-art facilities for field and laboratory research in animal behavior. A number of external partners and affiliates are associated with the MPIAB, including the Max Planck-Yale Center for Biodiversity Movement and Global Change.
Max Planck Research Groups
Max Planck Fellows
Ariana Strandburg-Peshkin
Latest Publications
Richter, C.; Behringer, V.; Manig, F.; Henle, T.; Hohmann, G.; Zierau, O.: Traces of dietary patterns in saliva of hominids: Profiling salivary amino acid fingerprints in great apes and humans. Journal of Human Evolution
175, 103305 (2023)
Bessone, M.; Kuhl, H. S.; Hohmann, G.; Herbinger, I.; N'Goran, K. P.; Asanzi, P.; Da Costa, P. B.; Derozier, V.; Fotsing, D. B. E.; Ikembelo, B. B. et al.; Iyomi, D. M.; Iyatshi, B. I.; Kafando, P.; Kambere, A. M.; Moundzoho, B. D.; Musubaho, L. K.; Fruth, B.: Assessing the effects of survey-inherent disturbance on primate detectability: Recommendations for line transect distance sampling. Primates
64, pp. 107 - 121 (2023)
Chiatante, G.; Panuccio, M.; Pastorino, A.; Dell'Omo, G.; Scacco, M.; Agostini, N.: Small-scale migratory behavior of three facultative soaring raptors approaching a water body: a radar study investigating the effect of weather, topography and flock size. Journal of Ethology
41, pp. 47 - 57 (2023)
Estrada-Villegas, S.; Stevenson, P. R.; Lopez, O.; DeWalt, S. J.; Comita, L. S.; Dent, D. H.: Animal seed dispersal recovery during passive restoration in a forested landscape. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B: Biological Sciences
378 (1867), 20210076 (2023)
Kano, F.: Evolution of the uniformly white sclera in humans: critical updates. Trends in Cognitive Sciences
27 (1), pp. 10 - 12 (2023)
Kopp, G. H.; Sithaldeen, R.; Trede, F.; Grathwol, F.; Roos, C.; Zinner, D.: A comprehensive overview of baboon phylogenetic history. Genes
14 (3), 614 (2023)