Noah’s Ark – measuring the behavior of less usual animal species

Organizers: Prof. Jarosław-Jerzy Barski, The Medical University of Silesia

Description: Studies on animal behavior are in the most cases focused on the use of standard animal models like mice or rats, where these two species are utilized in basic research or preclinical trials. Less popular animal models are pigs, sheep or goats, but these species serve mainly to mimic human-body anatomy or physiology to test new developments in therapeutic strategies for human patients. Specific behavioral studies involve horses or dogs due to their use in sport and as companion animals. Analyzing the literature, we can find however studies on animal species, which are very unusual and require development of specific species-adjusted methods. Despite the innovative research aspects of the unusual models, animals from the less evolutionary advanced species can replace higher vertebrates to fulfill the EU 3R rule. This symposium is sponsored by the Medical University of Silesia.