Animal Behavior Research Research Articles

Using the FishSim Animation Toolchain to Investigate Fish Behavior: A Case Study on Mate-Choice Copying In Sailfin Mollies.

Over the last decade, employing computer animations for animal behavior research has increased due to its ability to non-invasively manipulate the appearance and behavior of visual stimuli, compared to manipulating live animals. Here, we present the FishSim Animation Toolchain, a software framework developed to provide researchers with an easy-to-use method for implementing 3D computer animations in behavioral experiments with fish. The toolchain offers templates to create virtual 3D stimuli of five different fish species. Stimuli are customizable in both appearance and size, based on photographs taken of live fish. Multiple stimuli can be animated by recording swimming paths in a virtual environment using a video game controller. To increase standardization of the simulated behavior, the prerecorded swimming path may be replayed with different stimuli. Multiple animations can later be organized into playlists and presented on monitors during experiments with live fish. In a case study with sailfin mollies (Poecilia latipinna), we provide a protocol on how to conduct a mate-choice copying experiment with FishSim. We utilized this method to create and animate virtual males and virtual model females, and then presented these to live focal females in a binary choice experiment. Our results demonstrate that computer animation may be used to simulate virtual fish in a mate-choice copying experiment to investigate the role of female gravid spots as an indication of quality for a model female in mate-choice copying. Applying this method is not limited to mate-choice copying experiments but can be used in various experimental designs. Still, its usability depends on the visual capabilities of the study species and first needs validation. Overall, computer animations offer a high degree of control and standardization in experiments and bear the potential to 'reduce' and 'replace' live stimulus animals as well as to 'refine' experimental procedures.

Identifying the optimal course delivery platform in an undergraduate animal behavior research course.

There is a critical need to evaluate pedagogical delivery platforms best suited for undergraduates in the information age. Our goal was to identify the optimum course delivery platform for a basic research course based on student performance and critical thinking scores. Students were expected to plan, conduct, and report on an animal behavior research project of their own design. The course was taught in three different formats: traditional, online, and flipped, over 2 yr by the same instructor at both the University of Florida and Santa Fe College. Student assessments included weekly quizzes, assignments, a written report, a poster presentation, and attendance. We conducted pre- and postassessments using the Cornell Critical Thinking Test (CCTT). Students’ grades differed depending on format delivery and were also different between University of Florida and Santa Fe College students. For students at the University of Florida, quiz grades and poster grades did not differ (P < 0.50) between formats. However, assignment grades (P = 0.04) and report grades (P < 0.001) differed by format and were higher in the flipped and online-only version of the course, compared with traditional. For students at the Santa Fe College, quiz grades (P = 0.71) did not differ, but assignment (P < 0.001), report (P = 0.003), and poster (P < 0.001) grades were higher in the flipped and traditional format of the course. Within the flipped format at the University of Florida, student CCTT scores increased (P < 0.001) between pre- and posttest, whereas the scores within the other formats did not differ. When we compared the magnitude of change between pre- and posttest scores across formats, students at the University of Florida in the flipped format tended (P = 0.060) to have a greater gain than students in the online format. For students at Santa Fe College, there was no difference between pre- and posttest CCTT scores for any format, and the magnitude of change in scores did not differ between formats. Overall, our results suggest that teaching format influences student grades and critical thinking scores. Different effects were seen in different student populations; however, positive effects of the flipped format on student grades were seen at both institutions. In conclusion, flipped format courses may improve learning and critical thinking in an early research-based course.

Cloud services integration for farm animals’ behavior studies based on smartphones as activity sensors

Smartphones, particularly iPhone, can be relevant instruments for researchers in animal behavior because they are readily available on the planet, contain many sensors and require no hardware development. They are equipped with high performance Inertial Measurement Units (IMU) and absolute positioning systems analyzing users’ movements, but they can easily be diverted to analyze likewise the behaviors of domestic animals such as cattle. The study of animal behavior using smartphones requires the storage of many high frequency variables from a large number of individuals and their processing through various relevant variables combinations for modeling and decision-making. Transferring, storing, treating and sharing such an amount of data is a big challenge. In this paper, a lambda cloud architecture innovatively coupled to a scientific sharing platform used to archive, and process high-frequency data are proposed to integrate future developments of the Internet of Things applied to the monitoring of domestic animals. An application to the study of cattle behavior on pasture based on the data recorded with the IMU of iPhone 4s is exemplified. Performances comparison between iPhone 4s and iPhone 5s is also achieved. The package comes also with a web interface to encode the actual behavior observed on videos and to synchronize observations with the sensor signals. Finally, the use of Edge computing on the iPhone reduced by 43.5% on average the size of the raw data by eliminating redundancies. The limitation of the number of digits on individual variable can reduce data redundancy up to 98.5%.

Duty now for the future: a call for public outreach by animal behaviour researchers

• Animal behaviour researchers should value and engage in scientific outreach. • Animal behaviour research has visual, recognizable and engaging subjects. • Participating in outreach benefits both researchers and audiences. • Many types of scientific outreach have successfully used animal behaviour.

Using T- and Y-mazes in myrmecology and elsewhere: a practical guide

T- and Y-mazes are powerful tools for studying the behavioural ecology and cognition of animals, especially ants. Such mazes are cheap, easy to deploy, and very flexible, allowing diverse subjects to be studied. These include cue and route learning, pheromone following, and testing for cognitive abilities such as associative and concept learning. However, while simple, the use of bifurcation mazes has many pitfalls, especially for ants which deposit pheromone trails. In this methods primer, I discuss the strengths and limitations of using bifurcation mazes to study ant behaviour, and outline some of the pitfalls to be avoided. I also provide a description of a suggested Y-maze design, and methodological details about using Y-mazes to study associative learning, route learning, and trail pheromone following. Although the description of the uses of bifurcation mazes, and their pitfalls, is not exhaustive, this methods primer hopes to be of use to both beginners and more experienced researchers in designing and deploying bifurcation mazes in their research. While primarily aimed at myrmecologists, much of the content of this methods primer will be broadly applicable to animal behavioural research.

Comparative Analytical Study Considering The Analogy of Learning Creativity Quantification versus Ant Colony Intelligence

This piece of research introduces an investigational systematic study of an interdisciplinary challenging phenomenon observed in natural world. Interestingly, this study belongs to the two emerging fields of nature-inspired computing (NIC) and computational intelligence (CI) with focusing on the physics- and biology-based approaches and algorithms .Herein, by more details this article concerned with the conceptual analysis and evaluation of quantified learning creativity phenomenon via simulation and modeling of two diverse natural biological systems (human & non-human creatures). More precisely, it is associated to diverse aspects of measurable behavioral learning performance of both biological systems. Therefore, this paper introduces comparative analogy between two diverse biological behavioral systems considering quantification of learning creativity. Referring to, the definition of Swarm intelligence which considered as a relatively new discipline that deals with the study of self-organizing processes both in nature and in artificial systems. Researchers in ethology and animal behavior have proposed many models to explain interesting aspects of social insect behavior such as self-organization and shape-formation. Accordingly, the presented study observed during human interactive tutoring/learning processes with natural environment. Versus ecological behavioral learning of swarm intelligence agents (Ants), while performing foraging process . Systematic investigational study of quantified human learning creativity phenomenon is an interdisciplinary, challenging, and interesting educational issue. At education field practice (classrooms) , while face to face tutoring sessions are performed, learning creativity phenomenon is detectable via bidirectional feedback between teacher and pupil. In short, this research work adopts comparative study of simulation and modeling for educational creativity issue considering two disciplinary approaches are namely: swarm intelligence, and neural networks. Both simulated realistically for systematic investigational modeling of creatures' creativity phenomenon observed in nature. Presented creativity models mainly consider observed behavioral learning of ant colony system in addition to in field educational classrooms. Conclusively, presented results herein, for both swarm intelligence and neural networks models seemed to be well promising for future more elaborate, systematic, and innovative research in evaluation of human learning creativity phenomenon regarding (NIC) and (CI).

Assessing equine emotional state

The scientific study of animal emotion has recently become an important focus for animal behaviour and welfare researchers. For horses used by humans for work, recreation or sport, the question of the significance of their life experiences in terms of their emotional response, is an important one if we are to provide for their welfare needs. Horses have received relatively less scientific attention than many livestock species when it comes to investigating emotional state or affective experience, although their behavioural responses during sporting or recreational performance are often described anecdotally using terminology indicating an underlying presumption of equine emotions. Indeed, the international governing body for equestrian sport, the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), include the concept of ‘the Happy Equine Athlete’ into their rules, as a key objective during training and competition.This review presents available evidence to date of the physiological, behavioural and cognitive components of equine emotion and evaluates the extent to which the question concerning ‘how horses feel’ can be answered. The characterization of equine emotion in terms of level of arousal and valence, based on physiological, behavioural and cognitive indicators, offers a way forward to determine the impact of different situations and experiences on horses during their working lives. There is a need to develop robust validated methods for accessing equine emotions, to underpin a universally agreed method for/approach to providing an accurate assessment of equine welfare that can be utilized in a variety of contexts. This will provide a means of monitoring and improving the horse’s experience, ensuring that the horse enjoys a good life, rather than one that is just worth living.

Sophisticated Fowl: The Complex Behaviour and Cognitive Skills of Chickens and Red Junglefowl.

The world’s most numerous bird, the domestic chicken, and their wild ancestor, the red junglefowl, have long been used as model species for animal behaviour research. Recently, this research has advanced our understanding of the social behaviour, personality, and cognition of fowl, and demonstrated their sophisticated behaviour and cognitive skills. Here, we overview some of this research, starting with describing research investigating the well-developed senses of fowl, before presenting how socially and cognitively complex they can be. The realisation that domestic chickens, our most abundant production animal, are behaviourally and cognitively sophisticated should encourage an increase in general appraise and fascination towards them. In turn, this should inspire increased use of them as both research and hobby animals, as well as improvements in their unfortunately often poor welfare.

Putting Comparative Psychology into a History and Systems of Psychology Course

For several reasons, a Comparative Psychology course has been absent from our curriculum since 2005, so students have had very little exposure to how and why psychologists study animals, and the place of animal research in the history of psychology. In the fall of 2015, out of necessity, five faculty in our department team-taught a History and Systems of Psychology course, which was our capstone at that time. My module focused the study of animals in psychology, including Comparative Psychology. One purpose was to highlight this side of Psychology, but also to show how the study of animals has led to current interest in Evolutionary Psychology. The content of this module is described here, as is a comparison of several journals, using number of pages published as a dependent variable, to show changes over time, as included in this module. It is intended that the information presented here might be of use to others seeking a way to incorporate more about animal research into their respective curricula in the absence of a course specifically about animal behavior research.

Spy out to Protect: Sensing Devices for Wildlife Virtual Fencing

To avoid wildlife-human conflict several solutions are used, like electrical fences, the most expensive solution. Nowadays, technology enables alternative and cheaper approaches for conservation projects. A technological device was developed to detect elephants, moving on their habitat, and predict and react by avoiding confrontation with man. The devices were tested in field experiments, and proved to be efficient in capturing floor vibration, and air-sound signals. Collected data also enabled the estimation of the vibration-source by calculus (using triangulation), revealing the importance of the methodology for real-time location and tracking of high mass animals (e.g. elephants). Building up a mesh of devices, separated 25 m from each other, is estimated as possible to monitor and identify different animals (by discriminating patterns) in an area, like a virtual fencing system. Though the devices may be effective for animal behaviour research, or even animal communication analysis, or other Biology field, other applications outside Biology are possible for them, like monitoring of: rock-falling, micro seismic railway, infrastructures, and people movements.

Testing the feasibility of wireless sensor networks and the use of radio signal strength indicator to track the movements of wild animals

Context Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are revolutionising areas of animal behaviour research and are advantageous based on their ability to be deployed remotely and unobtrusively, for long time periods in inaccessible areas. Aims We aimed to determine the feasibility of using a WSN to track detailed movement paths of small animals, e.g. rats (Rattus spp.) 100–400g, too small for current GPS technology, by calibrating active Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags and loggers using Radio Frequency Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) as a proxy for distance. Active RFIDs are also called Wireless Identification (WID) tags. Methods Calibration tests were conducted using a grid of loggers (n=16) spaced at 45-m intervals in clear line-of-sight conditions. WID tags (n=16) were placed between the loggers at 45-m intervals. Eight ‘walks’ were also conducted through the grid using a single WID tag. This involved attaching the tag to a small bottle of water (to simulate the body of an animal), towed around the grid using a 1-m long tow line attached to a volunteer walker. The volunteer also held a GPS device that logged their track. Models were constructed to test the effects of distance, tag movement and individual differences in loggers and tags on the reliability of movement data. Key results Loggers were most successful at detecting tags at distances &amp;lt;50m. However, there was a significant difference in the detection probabilities of individual loggers and also the transmission performance of individual tags. Static tags were less likely to be detected than the mobile tag; and although RSSI was somewhat related to distance, the reliability of this parameter was highly variable. Implications We recommend caution in the future use of current radio frequency ID tags in wireless sensor networks to track the movement of small animals, and in the use of RSSI as an indicator of individual distance values, as extensive in situ calibration is required. ‘Off the shelf’ devices may vary in performance, rendering data unreliable. We emphasise the importance of calibrating all equipment in animal tracking studies to reduce data uncertainty and error.

Engaging Undergraduates in Comparative Psychology: A Case Study

With many comparative psychologists teaching at small colleges and universities where resources are limited, maintaining a traditional animal laboratory housing rats or pigeons is not realistic for many of these researchers. One way to overcome this lack of overhead costs and extensive lab space, is to forge collaborations with local zoos and aquariums. Zoo and aquarium research projects provide a way to examine a wide range of species, which is an important tenet within the field of comparative psychology. Furthermore, many undergraduates are innately attracted to the prospect of working with exotic animals. Here, we propose utilizing visitor behavior research as a means to provide undergraduates with research experience within the field comparative psychology, as well as expose the general public to animal behavior research

AUTOMATED MONITORING OF LIVESTOCK BEHAVIOR USING FREQUENCY-MODULATED CONTINUOUS-WAVE RADARS

In animal production, behavioral selection is becoming increasingly important to improvethe docility of livestock. Several behavioral traits, including motion, are experimentally recorded in orderto characterize the reactivity of animals and investigate its genetic determinism. Behavioral analysesare often time consuming because large numbers of animals have to be compared. For this reason,automatization is needed to develop high throughput data recording and efficient phenotyping. Herewe introduce a new method to monitor the position and motion of an individual sheep using a 24 GHzfrequency-modulated continuous-wave radar in a classical experimental paradigm called thearena test.The measurement method is non-invasive, does not require equipping animals with electronic tags,and offers a depth measurement resolution less than 10 cm. Parasitic echoes (or “clutters”) that couldalter the sheep backscattered signal are removed by using the singular value decomposition analysis.In order to enhance the clutters mitigation, the direction-of-arrivals of electromagnetic backscatteredsignals are derived from applying the MUltiple Signals Classification algorithm. We discuss how theproposed automatized monitoring of individual sheep could be applied to a wider range of species andexperimental contexts for animal behavior research.

DEVELOP SOME INTEGRATED PARAMETERS TO ASSESS ANIMAL ON FARMS WELFARE USING MULTIPLE BEHAVIORAL CRITERIA.

The present study included tow experiments. The first One was at the animal behaviour research unit, faculty of agriculture, Minufiya University, to develop some integrated parameters to assess animal’s on-farm welfare using multiple criteria. The Second one was performed to evaluate the current level of welfare of Egyptian buffaloes under different production systems, using the specific method described in the Welfare Quality ® Assessment Protocol for Cattle. Assessment was performed on 163 animals in 15 Egyptian dairy buffalo farms which represent 3 production systems (Traditional farms (I), Faculty farm (II) and Commercial farm (III)). Results of the present study revealed that The suggested behaviour models for Egyptian Buffaloes for lying, eating and ruminating were 75.34, 30.90 and 27.04 min./time, Representing 47.04, 28.31 and % of the day and frequent 8.99, 13.19 and 16.48 times per day. Kicking, Stepping and Tail movement behaviour, during milking, model should be (0.14-0.09 kick/min., 0.68-1.35Step/min. and 4.35 -5.35 time / min. resp. at total milking period. Milk production was (3.09±0.13 kg) per milking with an average of 0.43±0.02 kg/min milk flow rate. Bacterial count in raw milk was 6.0 × 105 cfu/ml. Egyptian buffaloes have 4.45 ±0.65 [ng/ml] Serum cortisol. Very lean buffaloes represent 65 % and 47 % of animals in Farm I and farm II respectively. However there is no any very lean animal in farm III. Studied animals in farm 1 lied down within 11 sec. on the other hand time needed to lie down were 9 and 6 sec. in farm 2 and 3 respectively. All investigated disease had had lower values. This may be due to high immunity level of Egyptian buffaloes against cows.

Addressing the Challenges of Conducting Observational Studies in Sheep Abattoirs.

Simple SummaryCollecting data, particularly data on animal behavior, on-site at abattoirs, can be hindered by a series of challenges. These challenges are summarized and recommendations are offered for those planning similar studies. Particular emphasis is placed on examining interactions between dogs, handlers and sheep in animal-processing facilities because this is a significantly under-researched area in the literature. There is significant merit in collecting data via video-recording software, but the subsequent potential for hardware issues and sampling difficulties must be recognized and addressed.The competing needs of maintaining productivity within abattoirs, and maintaining high standards of animal welfare, provide fertile grounds for applied research in animal behavior. However, there are challenges involved in capturing useful behavioral data from the supply chain (from paddock to processing plant). The challenges identified in this report are based on a review of the scientific literature as well as field study observations. This article describes those challenges as they relate to collecting behavioral data on livestock-herding dogs, humans and livestock as they interact in abattoirs, and provides insights and recommendations for others embarking on animal studies in confined spaces, as well as in commercial settings. Direct observation of livestock behavior permits animal-welfare assessments and evaluations of the efficacy of operations in unfamiliar and high-pressure contexts, such as abattoirs. This brief report summarizes the factors that must be considered when undertaking in situ studies in abattoirs. There is merit in passive behavioral data-collection using video-recording equipment. However, the potential for hardware issues and sampling difficulties must be anticipated and addressed. Future research directions and recommendations to avoid such issues are discussed. This information will be highly beneficial to future abattoir studies focusing on efficiency and animal welfare at commercial abattoirs. Furthermore, it may also be relevant to any analyses involving large cohorts of animals in a confined environment.

An improved procedure for integrated behavioral z-scoring illustrated with modified Hole Board behavior of male inbred laboratory mice

BackgroundGuilloux et al. introduced: integrated behavioral z-scoring, a method for behavioral phenotyping of mice. Using this method multiple ethological variables can be combined to show an overall description of a certain behavioral dimension or motivational system. However, a problem may occur when the control group used for the calculation has a standard deviation of zero or when no control group is present to act as a reference group. New methodIn order to solve these problems, an improved procedure is suggested: taking the pooled data as reference. For this purpose a behavioral study with male mice from three inbred strains was carried out. The integrated behavioral z-scoring methodology was applied, thereby taking five different reference group options. The outcome regarding statistical significance and practical importance was compared. ResultsSignificant effects and effect sizes were influenced by the choice of the reference group. In some cases it was impossible to use a certain population and condition, because one or more behavioral variables in question had a standard deviation of zero. Based on the improved method, male mice from the three inbred strains differed regarding activity and anxiety. Comparison with existing methodTaking the method described by Guilloux et al. as basis, the present procedure improved the generalizability to all types of experimental designs in animal behavioral research. ConclusionsTo solve the aforementioned problems and to avoid getting the diagnosis of data manipulation, the pooled data (combining the data from all experimental groups in a study) as reference option is recommended.

Understanding animal social structure: exponential random graph models in animal behaviour research

The social environment is a pervasive influence on the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of animal populations. Recently, social network analysis has provided an increasingly powerful and diverse toolset to enable animal behaviour researchers to quantify the social environment of animals and the impact that it has on ecological and evolutionary processes. However, there is considerable scope for improving these methods further. We outline an approach specifically designed to model the formation of network links, exponential random graph models (ERGMs), which have great potential for modelling animal social structure. ERGMs are generative models that treat network topology as a response variable. This makes them ideal for answering questions related directly to how and why social associations or interactions occur, from the modelling of population level transmission, through within-group behavioural dynamics to social evolutionary processes. We discuss how ERGMs have been used to study animal behaviour previously, and how recent developments in the ERGM framework can increase the scope of their use further. We also highlight the strengths and weaknesses of this approach relative to more conventional methods, and provide some guidance on the situations and research areas in which they can be used appropriately. ERGMs have the potential to be an important part of an animal behaviour researcher's toolkit and fully integrating them into the field should enhance our ability to understand what shapes animal social interactions, and identify the underlying processes that lead to the social structure of animal populations.

Introduction to Symposium: The Developmental and Proximate Mechanisms Causing Individual Variation in Cooperative Behavior.

Nearly all animals interact with members of their own species at some point during their lives. These behavioral interactions range from courtship, mating, and parental care to the complex cooperative behavior among related or unrelated individuals in group-living species. A number of theoretical models have attempted to explain how cooperation can evolve through natural selection. Although tremendously influential in animal behavior research, these traditional models have largely ignored individual variation in cooperative behavior and its underlying developmental and proximate mechanisms. However, a set of emerging models suggest that the evolution of cooperation can be heavily influenced by the degree of individual variation in cooperative behavior, as well as the complexity of the underlying mechanisms. Yet, while theoreticians argue the importance of studying individual variation in cooperation and the mechanisms underlying it, empiricists have not focused upon these aspects. The main objectives of our symposium at the 2017 meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology is to establish new research avenues to study variation in cooperative behavior using both proximate and ultimate explanations and to produce a road map to study the developmental and proximate mechanisms in generating individual variation in cooperative behavior. This symposium brought together empiricists and theoreticians investigating cooperative behavior in diverse taxa and across multiple levels of analysis. Here we briefly describe the rationale for this symposium and why we thought it was needed as well as provide a brief overview of the contributions.

Laboratory social environment biases mating outcome: a first quantitative synthesis in a butterfly

Sexual selection is by essence social selection: an individual’s fitness is partly determined by the phenotype of its social partners (i.e., the social environment). Nevertheless, most behavioral studies on mating patterns and sexual selection are conducted in laboratory standardized conditions, and it is unclear how potential laboratory-induced social biases affect mating outcome. The social environment may actually dictate which of female mate choice or male-male competition is the primary determinant of mating outcome. This matters because we expect sexually selected traits to evolve differently if mating outcome is determined by female mate choice or by male-male competition. We address this issue by performing an in-depth quantitative synthesis testing the effects of common extrinsic (population density, sex ratio), intrinsic (age), and laboratory-induced (cage volume, experimental duration) biases of the social environment of adults on mating outcome. For this, we used the butterfly Bicyclus anynana, as it provides a reasonable sampling of mating experiments in diverse laboratory conditions (i.e., 31 publications from 7 different laboratories since 2001). We found that all tested social environmental variables displayed strong variation across B. anynana mating studies, and that most variables had significant effects usually in interaction with another variable and with opposite effects between sexes. Hence, mating outcome is affected by laboratory biases on the social environment. Our quantitative synthesis offers a first case example of the effects of a pervasive and recurrent issue in animal behavioral research on sexual selection, i.e., the need to root mating experiments in ecologically relevant laboratory environments, in order to produce meaningful results about the selective force(s) driving the evolution of sexually selected traits in nature. Mating outcome is biased by the laboratory social environment in which experiments are conducted. Male and female age, density, ratio, as well as cage volume and experimental duration all affect mating proportions, and this blurs our understanding of how sexual selection shapes sexually selected traits in the wild. This first systematic review was conducted on 31 studies in a single butterfly species, but our results are likely relevant in any taxonomic group.

Data Management Rubric for Video Data in Organismal Biology.

SynopsisStandards-based data management facilitates data preservation, discoverability, and access for effective data reuse within research groups and across communities of researchers. Data sharing requires community consensus on standards for data management, such as storage and formats for digital data preservation, metadata (i.e., contextual data about the data) that should be recorded and stored, and data access. Video imaging is a valuable tool for measuring time-varying phenotypes in organismal biology, with particular application for research in functional morphology, comparative biomechanics, and animal behavior. The raw data are the videos, but videos alone are not sufficient for scientific analysis. Nearly endless videos of animals can be found on YouTube and elsewhere on the web, but these videos have little value for scientific analysis because essential metadata such as true frame rate, spatial calibration, genus and species, weight, age, etc. of organisms, are generally unknown. We have embarked on a project to build community consensus on video data management and metadata standards for organismal biology research. We collected input from colleagues at early stages, organized an open workshop, “Establishing Standards for Video Data Management,” at the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology meeting in January 2017, and then collected two more rounds of input on revised versions of the standards. The result we present here is a rubric consisting of nine standards for video data management, with three levels within each standard: good, better, and best practices. The nine standards are: (1) data storage; (2) video file formats; (3) metadata linkage; (4) video data and metadata access; (5) contact information and acceptable use; (6) camera settings; (7) organism(s); (8) recording conditions; and (9) subject matter/topic. The first four standards address data preservation and interoperability for sharing, whereas standards 5–9 establish minimum metadata standards for organismal biology video, and suggest additional metadata that may be useful for some studies. This rubric was developed with substantial input from researchers and students, but still should be viewed as a living document that should be further refined and updated as technology and research practices change. The audience for these standards includes researchers, journals, and granting agencies, and also the developers and curators of databases that may contribute to video data sharing efforts. We offer this project as an example of building community consensus for data management, preservation, and sharing standards, which may be useful for future efforts by the organismal biology research community.