Animal Behavior

Animal Behavior Vocabulary

Ethology = study of animal behavior

Behavior = action performed in response

to stimulus
Whale tail

The things animals do.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary- other stimuli

Examples of stimuli?
Sight
Touch
Smell
Taste
Sound

Heat
Light
Chemicals
Humidity
Vibration
Color
Gravity
Pressure
Presence of another animal
Others?

Stimuli

Stimuli

Stimulus = something that elicits a

response

External Stimulus =

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

Internal Stimulus =

something inside the animal

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

Types of Behavior

Vocabulary

Anthropomorphism =
attributing human emotions to animals

We need to be careful about ascribing human

emotions to animals

1.

Foraging = feeding
e.g. locate, obtain
& consume food

E.g. the animal is happy

Types of Behavior

Types of Behavior

2. Parental Care =
ensuring survival of young
e.g. carrying, nursing,
cuddling, holding young

3. Courtship = attracting a mate

Courtship

e.g. courtship displays, bright feathers, songs, other

vocalizations, head butting, fighting

Types of Behavior
4. Reproductive =
e.g. mating, giving birth

Types of Behavior

Types of Behavior

5. Offensive/Defensive =
aggression, submissive behavior,
defense from aggressors
e.g. hiding, fighting, escape, threatening

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

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 Behavior

8. 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 from
Arctic
to Antarctic,
2x/year

Types of Behavior- Communication

9. Communication =
signaling between one animal & another

Greeting e.g. sniff, hug, kiss bite

Aggression e. g. charge, bite, hit, fight, etc.
Non-aggression e.g. patting, head butting,
stroking

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

Types of Behavior- Communication

Types of Behavior- Communication

Vocalizations

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

chirp, whinny, alarm sound,
other language

Why Communicate?

Defense (warn away)

Alliance (get helper or mate)

Elicit play

Non-verbal signaling

e.g. body, head, ear, & / or tail position

showing teeth, smiling, looking away,
looking directly at, gesturing, thumping,
beating chest, raising hackles or hood,
drumming, tail slap, snort, scenting,
pheromones, sign language

Types of Behavior
10. Curiosity = investigating
new stimulus in environment
e.g. approach, sniff, chew, bite, mount

Types of Behavior

Types of Behavior

11. Elimination = defecation, urination

12. Resting = apparent inaction

e.g. lying down, sitting, basking,
sleeping, loafing

Types of Behavior

Types of Behavior Development

13. Play
Purpose = training for life
(defense, hunting,
etc)

1. Natural Selection
An 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

Types of Behavior Development

2. Innate Behavior
Appear in fully functional form when first
performed
E.g. Startle behavior purpose =
self-preservation
E.g. web building, suckling, bird begging,
nest building, some bird song

Types of Learning

3. Learning
U
development of behaviors through
experience
U
determines final shape of innate
behaviors
U
5 types of learning

Imprinting

1. Imprinting (both innate & learned)

occurs only during a critical time frame
once learned, cant be changed
(see Conrad Lorenz with ducklings)

Types of Learning

Types of Learning

2. Habituation

3 Classical Conditioning
Animal learns to associate unrelated
response with a stimulus

E.g. Pavlovs experiments

Animal learns to ignore frequent,

harmless stimulus
E.g. scarecrow, habituation to observer

bell ringing, food, salivation

bell ringing, salivation (even if no food is
given)

Classical Conditioning
E.g. 1. leash = going for a walk,
excitement
2. sight of leash = excitement

Types of Learning
4. Operant Conditioning

Animal learns to behave in a certain way

through repeated practice

Trial & error learning animal tests

conditions for desired response
e.g. Skinner box

Animal learns that a behavior gets a certain

response

e.g. rat presses lever, gets food

Types of Learning
5. Reasoning

Analyze problem & devise solution using

past experiences

Most Dogs?
E.g. No, cant unwind leash from tree

Most Horses?
No

Can primates reason?

Can primates reason?

Primates? yes

e.g. chimp, bananas, boxes

Can primates reason?

Can primates reason?

e.g. Japanese macaques float grain in water

See Alex the Parrot

Jack Hana Video
African Gray Parrot