Photo: Firebugs, Eniko Gyuris, National Geographic |
"Boldness -- whether they are shier or braver -- could be defined, for example, as to how quickly they start after an alarm, or how soon they come out of their refuge," says Eniko Gyuris, a member of the Behavioral Ecology Research Group. "Explorativeness could be measured in another context, namely in which they have the opportunity to discover a new environment with novel objects."
Collecting the bugs from the wild, the researchers tested firebug responses in varying situations. One experiment gauged the reaction of individual firebugs placed into a circular arena which contained four colored plugs. The team recorded how long it took for the firebug to examine its surroundings, how fast the bug moved, how many objects were explored and other variables.
Each firebug showed unique responses to the trial and, whether bold and brave or tentative and shy, each firebug’s unique behaviors were repeated consistently across other experiments.
See: Even Bugs Have Personality [Twitter: @Discovery_News]
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