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

„ Stimulus = something that elicits a Heat

response Light
Chemicals
Humidity
Examples of stimuli?
Vibration
Sight
Color
Touch
Gravity
Smell
Pressure
Taste
★Presence of another animal
Sound Others?

Stimuli Stimuli

„ External Stimulus = „ Internal Stimulus =

something
outside the animal
e.g. sound, sight, smell, etc,
presence of another animal
something inside the animal
e.g. hunger, fatigue, feeling cold,
hormones

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Vocabulary Types of Behavior

„ Anthropomorphism = 1. Foraging = feeding

attributing human emotions to animals
e.g. locate, obtain
★We need to be careful about ascribing human & consume food
emotions to animals

E.g. the animal is happy

Types of Behavior Types of Behavior

2. Parental Care = 3. Courtship = attracting a mate

ensuring survival of young
e.g. carrying, nursing, e.g. courtship displays, bright feathers, songs, other
vocalizations, head butting, fighting
cuddling, holding young

Courtship Types of Behavior

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

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Types of Behavior Types of Behavior
6. Territorial = protect a resource for
5. Offensive/Defensive = exclusive use
aggression, submissive behavior, e.g. scenting / marking, birdsong,
defense from aggressors protection of mate / offspring,
e.g. hiding, fighting, escape, threatening space, food or water source

Types of Behavior Types of Behavior

8. Migratory = movement to a more
suitable environment as seasons
7. Social = work to create
change
alliances, help the group e.g. dry vs. rainy seasons,
e.g. grooming, babysitting, winter vs. summer range
defense of musk ox young, for browsers & birds
play, play fight e.g. salmon upriver to spawn,
artic tern –
1800 m from
Arctic
to Antarctic,
2x/year

Types of Behavior Types of Behavior- Communication

‰ Grooming (bonding,
alliances,
9. Communication =
keeping clean)
signaling between one animal & another
‰ Group hunt
‰ Greeting e.g. sniff, hug, kiss “bite”
( e.g. hyenas, lions)
‰ Aggression e. g. charge, bite, hit, fight, etc.
‰ Non-aggression e.g. patting, head butting,
stroking

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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
Types of Behavior
11. Elimination = defecation, urination
Types of Behavior- Communication
‰ 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
12. Resting = apparent inaction
e.g. lying down, sitting, basking,
sleeping, loafing
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Types of Behavior Types of Behavior Development

13. Play 1. Natural Selection

Purpose = training for life An animal that successfully completes a
(defense, hunting, helpful behavior survives to pass on the
etc) behavior to offspring.
Those whose genes fit the
conditions survive.

Types of Behavior Development Types of Behavior Development

3. Learning
2. Innate Behavior
U development of behaviors through
Appear in fully functional form when first
performed
experience
E.g. Startle behavior – purpose = U determines final shape of innate
self-preservation behaviors
E.g. web building, suckling, bird begging, U 5 types of learning
nest building, some bird song

Types of Learning Imprinting

1. Imprinting (both innate & learned)

” occurs only during a critical time frame

” once learned, can’t be changed

(see Conrad Lorenz with ducklings)

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Types of Learning Types of Learning

2. Habituation 3 Classical Conditioning

Animal learns to ignore frequent, Animal learns to associate unrelated
response with a stimulus
harmless stimulus
„ E.g. Pavlov’s experiments
‰ E.g. scarecrow, habituation to observer
„ bell ringing, food, Î salivation
„ bell ringing, salivation (even if no food is
given)

+ + Î

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

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Types of Learning

5. Reasoning
‰ Analyze problem & devise solution using
past experiences

‰ Most Dogs?
E.g. No, can’t 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

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★See Alex the Parrot

Jack Hana Video

African Gray Parrot