prof. RNDr. Daniel Frynta, Ph.D.

Ethology and Ecology Research Group

Specialization: sociobiology, ethology and evolution, mammals including humans, reptiles, aggression, social systems, cross-cultural comparisons
Research focus: Our research group studies the behaviour (aggression, exploration, communication) of non-domesticated rodents (rat, mouse, mice, spiny dogfish), mainly under laboratory conditions. We focus on comparisons between species and populations. In particular, what distinguishes the behaviour of human-dependent populations (commensal, synanthropic, synurban). In reptiles, we mainly study growth, reproductive strategies and antipredatory behaviour. We also conduct ethnozoological research and cross-cultural comparisons of how people evaluate species based on their beauty or the emotions that these animals evoke in them (e.g., fear of snakes). I have participated in many repeated field studies (e.g., Cameroon, Horn of Africa, Sahara, Near East, Transcaucasia, Central Asia, SE Asia). These have resulted in partial contributions to the fauna, systematics or evolutionary genetics of rodents and reptiles.
Teaching: I am a long-term lecturer in the courses Ethology and Sociobiology, Introduction to Evolutionary Biology, Ecomorphology and Evolutionary Ecology, Sociobiology and Behavioral Ecology I and II, Ecology of Amphibians and Reptiles. In addition, we participate in a number of practicums and field exercises. In 2024, I contributed as an editor to a new undergraduate textbook, Ethology.