Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law

Habituation is when an animal becomes accustomed to something, not perceiving it as a threat. Increasing human-bear interactions, for example, habituates bears to human presence, which makes them more likely to go near them, their cars, or their houses in search of food. This makes controlling bears more difficult and raises the probability of a violent encounter. Habituation is at the heart of the difficulty behind most frightening devices for birds. When a loud noise or sudden movement is not followed with a consequence, the birds soon realize that they can return to what they were doing.

Hyperphagia means to increase the amount of food or calories one consumes. Bears go through a period of hyperphagia before they go into hibernation, as they need to increase their fat reserves to survive the winter. Understanding this survival drive and the risk-reward ratio shift in a bear’s thinking is important for agencies or communities that experience conflict with bears.

Not to be confused with its homonym “mannequin,” a manikin is a jointed model of the human body. The most common manikins are artist models, but lifelike manikins are often used in medical training. In Fuzz, Mary Roach attends a Wildlife-Human Attack Response Training seminar, where she and her fellow trainees examine manikins with lifelike wounds to identify different animal attack patterns.

Sign refers to evidence of a creature being in an area. It could be the actual appearance of the creature, tracks, scat or frass (insect feces), or bits of fur or feathers. The ability to read animal signs, called cutting sign, is useful in assessing animal populations, as well as determining potential dangers for humans who may also be in the area. Sign can also be useful in identifying which animal caused a death.