Dr. Robyn Crook (L) and Kira Lemke (R), who successfully defensed her MS thesis on May 1
Masters student Kira Lemke successfully defended her thesis titled “How do cuttlefish interact with their environment while in captivity”. Kira’s thesis project included an examination of potential play-like behavior in Sepia bandensis and a separate study of their preference for natural vs. artificial shelter. Surprisingly, Kira’s data suggest that cuttlefish don’t engage in object-based play at all, which was an unexpected finding given the multiple studies showing play behavior in octopuses. Cuttlefish are growing in importance as comparative models in neuroscience, and there is still very little known about best practices for their housing and husbandry. Kira’s work contributes to the lab’s ongoing efforts to produce peer-reviewed. evidence-based findings that support regulation and oversight of cephalopods in research and educational settings.
Kira is applying for PhD positions in the coming cycle, and a manuscript from her thesis will be submitted soon. Congratulations Kira!!!