How do animals choose what to eat? Why does it matter?

In African and Californian ecosystems, we study the behavioral ecology of mammalian foraging. Combining data on what wild animals eat with data on the options they have to choose from, we try to figure out how they chose what to eat. We then try to map those decisions to animal health & fitness, population dynamics, and ecosystem structure.

HERD Members

We’re a multidisciplinary team based in the Department of Life & Environmental Sciences at the University of California, Merced.

Matthew
Hutchinson

Assistant Professor

Luca
Kuziel

Graduate Student

Alejandro Ramos Hurtado

Graduate Student

Dolores Almanza 
Martinez

Undergraduate Student

Isaiah 
Corona

Undergraduate Student