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Animal Behavior Lab
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A lab that explores the mechanisms and evolution of behavior in snakes, geckos, and other animals through fieldwork and experiments.
AboutAbout the lab
Uncovering why animals behave as they do, in the field and in the lab
The Ethology Lab aims to answer the four central questions of ethology: the function, mechanisms, development, and evolution of behavior.
Its study animals are diverse, ranging from invertebrates such as insects to vertebrates such as reptiles, amphibians, and birds.
The lab places great value on knowledge of the natural history of each study animal. Its research is based on observing behavior at the individual level, using field observation and laboratory experiments as appropriate.
Key terms
- antipredator behavior
- Behavior that protects an animal from predators (animals that try to eat it)
- nuchal gland
- A defensive organ in the neck of the yamakagashi snake that stores toxins
- natural history
- The life history of an organism in the wild, such as where it lives, what it eats, and how it lives
ResearchResearch themes
Aiming to understand the function, mechanisms, development, and evolution of behavior, the lab studies the behavior of diverse animals, from invertebrates to vertebrates, through field observation and laboratory experiments.
*Illustrative imageEvolution of foraging and defense in snakes
The lab studies the antipredator behavior of Rhabdophis keelback snakes (yamakagashi), which store toxins in glands in their necks, and focuses on the fact that these toxins come from the toads and fireflies the snakes eat. It also investigates the foraging ecology of the Okinawa pit viper (Hime Habu) through long-term field research.
*Illustrative imageCommunication in geckos
Through fieldwork and laboratory experiments, the lab investigates variation in reproductive traits within the Gekko japonicus species complex, the function of male-specific secretory glands, and the significance of the loss of species-specific call patterns.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Ethology Lab are faculty, graduate students, undergraduate students, and a secretary.As of 2026
- ProfessorAkira Mori
- Associate ProfessorTeppei Jono
VoicesStudent voices
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Rhabdophis tigrinus 5778854” Kim, Hyun-tae / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Evolution of foraging and defense in snakes: “Leptophis ahaetulla Snake Eating a Frog (Craugastor gollmeri)” Brian Gratwicke Brian Gratwicke / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Communication in geckos: “Tokay Gecko (Gekko gecko) ( )” Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Kyoto University Wildlife Research Center Lab): “Ailuropoda melanoleuca (Panda géant) - 445” Another one of my pictures: This photograph was taken by Medium69 (William Crochot) and released under the license stated below. You are free to use it for any purpose as long as you credit the author (William Crochot), the Source (Wikimedia Commons) and the license (CC-BY-SA 4.0) in close relation to the image. Please do not upload an updated image here without consultation with the Author. The author would like to make corrections only at his own source RAW. This ensures that the changes are preserved.Please if you think that any changes should be required, please inform the author.Otherwise you can upload a new image with a new name. Please use one of the templates derivative or extract. / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Animal Ecology Lab): “Four species of stickleback (Gasterosteidae)” Ghegeman / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Zoological Systematics Lab (Kyoto Univ., Science, Biology)): “Preserved zoological museum specimens stored in glass display” Noukayami / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Kyoto University Wildlife Research Center – Mitani Lab): “Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus monteriensis) females Tofino” Charles J. Sharp / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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