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Animal Behavior

The things animals do….

Animal Behavior Vocabulary

Ethology = study of animal behavior

Behavior = action performed in response to stimulus

Whale tail

Vocabulary

Stimulus = something that elicits a response

Examples of stimuli?SightTouchSmellTasteSound

Vocabulary- other stimuli

HeatLightChemicalsHumidityVibrationColorGravityPressure★Presence of another animal

Others?

Stimuli

External Stimulus =

something outside the animal

e.g. sound, sight, smell, etc, presence of another animal

Stimuli

Internal Stimulus =

something inside the animal

e.g. hunger, fatigue, feeling cold, hormones

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Vocabulary

Anthropomorphism = attributing human emotions to animals

★We need to be careful about ascribing human emotions to animals

E.g. the animal is happy

Types of Behavior

1. Foraging = feeding

e.g. locate, obtain & consume food

Types of Behavior

2. Parental Care = ensuring survival of younge.g. carrying, nursing,

cuddling, holding young

Types of Behavior

3. Courtship = attracting a mate

e.g. courtship displays, bright feathers, songs, other vocalizations, head butting, fighting

Courtship Types of Behavior

4. Reproductive =e.g. mating, giving birth

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Types of Behavior

5. Offensive/Defensive = aggression, submissive behavior,

defense from aggressorse.g. hiding, fighting, escape, threatening

Types of Behavior

6. Territorial = protect a resource for exclusive use

e.g. scenting / marking, birdsong, protection of mate / offspring, space, food or water source

Types of Behavior

7. Social = work to create alliances, help the group e.g. grooming, babysitting, defense of musk ox young, play, play fight

Types of Behavior8. Migratory = movement to a more

suitable environment as seasons change

e.g. dry vs. rainy seasons, winter vs. summer range for browsers & birds

e.g. salmon upriver to spawn, artic tern –1800 m fromArctic to Antarctic, 2x/year

Types of Behavior

9. Communication = signaling between one animal & anotherGreeting e.g. sniff, hug, kiss “bite”Aggression e. g. charge, bite, hit, fight, etc.Non-aggression e.g. patting, head butting, stroking

Types of Behavior- Communication

Grooming (bonding, alliances, keeping clean)Group hunt ( e.g. hyenas, lions)

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Types of Behavior- Communication

Vocalizationse.g. bark, growl, snort, howl, hoot,

chirp, whinny, alarm sound,other language

Types of Behavior- CommunicationNon-verbal signaling

e.g. body, head, ear, & / or tail positionshowing teeth, smiling, looking away,

looking directly at, gesturing, thumping, beating chest, raising hackles or hood,

drumming, tail slap, snort, scenting, pheromones, sign language

Why Communicate?

Defense (warn away)Alliance (get helper or mate)

Elicit play

Types of Behavior

10. Curiosity = investigating new stimulus in environment

e.g. approach, sniff, chew, bite, mount

Types of Behavior

11. Elimination = defecation, urination

Types of Behavior

12. Resting = apparent inactione.g. lying down, sitting, basking,

sleeping, loafing

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Types of Behavior

13. Play Purpose = training for life

(defense, hunting,etc)

Types of Behavior Development

1. Natural SelectionAn animal that successfully completes a helpful behavior survives to pass on the behavior to offspring.Those whose genes fit the conditions survive.

Types of Behavior Development

2. Innate BehaviorAppear in fully functional form when first performedE.g. Startle behavior – purpose =

self-preservationE.g. web building, suckling, bird begging, nest building, some bird song

Types of Behavior Development

3. Learningdevelopment of behaviors through experiencedetermines final shape of innate behaviors 5 types of learning

Types of Learning

1. Imprinting (both innate & learned) occurs only during a critical time frameonce learned, can’t be changed

(see Conrad Lorenz with ducklings)

Imprinting

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Types of Learning

2. HabituationAnimal learns to ignore frequent, harmless stimulusE.g. scarecrow, habituation to observer

Types of Learning

3 Classical ConditioningAnimal learns to associate unrelated response with a stimulus

E.g. Pavlov’s experimentsbell ringing, food, salivationbell ringing, salivation (even if no food is given)

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Classical Conditioning

E.g. 1. leash = going for a walk, excitement

2. sight of leash = excitement

Types of Learning

4. Operant ConditioningAnimal learns to behave in a certain way

through repeated practiceTrial & error learning – animal tests conditions for desired responsee.g. Skinner box

Animal learns that a behavior gets a certain response

e.g. rat presses lever, gets food

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Types of Learning

5. ReasoningAnalyze problem & devise solution using past experiences

Most Dogs? E.g. No, can’t unwind leash from tree

Most Horses? No

Can primates reason?

Primates? yes

e.g. chimp, bananas, boxes

Can primates reason?

Can primates reason? Can primates reason?

e.g. Japanese macaques float grain in water

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★See Alex the Parrot

Jack Hana Video

African Gray Parrot