I started my Postdoc in October 2020 at the Behavioural Ecology group, with Dr. Barbara Caspers in Bielefeld University, Germany.

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My postdoc project focuses on understanding what makes urban animals so special. I am studying several wild lacertid lizard species    from Croatia (genus Podarcis, Lacerta, and Dalmatolacerta), that differ in their ability to endure anthropogenic conditions - some species  can inhabit urban areas while other species are only found in rural or wild areas. This makes them perfect models to help us answer a fundamental question: how can some species cope with cities and live near humans, but others lack such ability? I am studying lizards’ cognitive and social skills, as well as their personality. Understanding how animals deal with changing anthropogenic environments is key to successfully manage conservation efforts, especially in an era where urbanization and anthropogenic impacts on ecosystems are increasing and becoming more profound.

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More research news soon to come!