ANIMAL BEHAVIOR
Ch. 33
Ethology
The study of animal behavior.
Behavior
An action or series of actions performed in response to a stimulus.
http://www.kittens-lair.net/store/en/articles/img137.jpg
Stimulus
Something in the environment that causes an organism to respond.
Ex: sound, smell, color, another animal, prey, predator, mate
http://imagecache.allposters.com/images/pic/PTGPOD/457352-FB~Prairie-Rattlesnake-Crotalus-Viriduis-Posters.jpg
Response
An organism’s reaction to a stimulus
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YuR6V_Yr7Bk/SblYmJD_28I/AAAAAAAABGA/qyCkiXCHrlE/s320/fear.jpg
http://askdryin.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/sparrow-growls5-600x400.jpg
Innate Behavior
Natural responses to stimuli that do not depend on learning
http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/course/ent425/tutorial/Behavior/empiid.jpg
Fixed Action Pattern
Baby cuckoo pushes competing egg out of host parents nest.
(Brood parasitism) Common Cuckoo being raised
by Reed Warbler
http://jakst.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/brood-parasite-birds.jpg
Learned Behavior
The development of behaviors through experience.
Chimpanzees learn to use a stick to get termites out of a mound.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.honoluluzoo.org/images/enrich_honzoo_chimp7_small.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.honoluluzoo.org/enrichment_chimps_forage.htm&usg=__woo5vYFOeRCuUml_R-rle0bWnag=&h=224&w=300&sz=14&hl=en&start=39&um=1&tbnid=oS6_uaJssbkMQM:&tbnh=87&tbnw=116&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dchimps%2Busing%2Btools%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us%26sa%3DN%26start%3D20%26um%3D1
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/12/10/gallery/dolphin-sponge-324x205.jpg
Imprinting
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbOOPKBg0iA
Imprinting
An animal develops a particular response to an object or organism only during a brief period early in life.
http://images.google.com/hosted/life/l?imgurl=ac71586ffcee0400&q=lorenz%20imprinting&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dlorenz%2Bimprinting%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1&safe=active
Natural Selection• Behaviors that increase
an individual’s reproductive success are favored by natural selection.
• Male lions kill or chase off the cubs of a previous male.
http://www.africanwildlifeguide.com/species-guide/mammals/big-5/lion/image/Small/lion-pride.jpg
Classes of Behavior
• Foraging
• Antipredator
• Cyclic– Migration– Hibernation– Circadian rhythm
Foraging Behavior
Food gathering behavior.
Specialists eat only one or a few things.
Generalists eat many kinds of food.
Antipredator Behavior
• Spines
• Chemical defense
• Play dead
• Running fast
• Form groups
• Camouflage
• Where's the Octopus? Aug.5, 2011
Seasonal Behaviors
Migration
Seasonal movement between distant places.
To find better climate, food, mates, place to raise young.
Humpback whales migrate 5,100 miles between their feeding ground in Antarctica to their mating zones off Costa Rica.
Why?
HibernationAnimal’s metabolic rate
and body temperature drop. Animal becomes inactive for varying amounts of time.
Ex: bats, groundhogs, prairie dogs, ladybugs, box turtles, squirrels, bears
Circadian Rhythms
• A cycle that occurs on a daily basis
• Internal cycle occurs in almost every animal
• Body temperature, sleep patterns, activity level
• Nocturnal - active at night
• Diurnal - active in daytime
Communication
• Communication: any behavior that contains information and involves a sender and receiver.
• Animals use signals to influence the behavior of other animals.
Types of Communication
• Sight
• Chemicals
• Touch
• Sound
• Language
Sight
Visual signals are fast and easy to produce. Bright colors may scare off a competitor or predator.
http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/animal-camouflage-3.jpg
Chemical
Termites mark their trail with chemicals called pheromones.
http://www.archicentre.com.au/350termites.jpg
Sound
Best over large distances.
May signal food or predators or to attract mates.
Reproductive Strategies
Animals have mating and parenting behaviors to maximize reproductive success.1. Find and choose mate.2. May use complex courting behavior
or intense competition3. Either abandon young or provide
care.
Territorial BehaviorDefending a portion of
habitat against others of the same species.
Competition for food or mates.
Marking territory with scent, sound.
Aggressive displays or fights. http://pro.corbis.com/images/42-15309507.jpg?size=67&uid=%7BA95BE9DF-
7F5A-4D6E-B041-3DF13C91FCF7%7D
Courtship Behavior
Behavior ritual that precedes and leads to mating.
http://www.photobirder.com/Bird_Photos/blue_footed_booby_r128.jpg
Sexual SelectionFemales prefer a
particular trait in males.
That trait may affect the survival of the male.
Female chooses mate!http://www.itsnature.org/ground/birds-land/the-peacock/
Parental BehaviorProtecting young and providing food
Mammals nurse young.
90% of birds give care.
Very few amphibians, reptiles, arachnids, insects