Animal Behavior

ANIMAL BEHAVIORWhat is behavior? Behavior is the way an organism interacts with other organisms and its environment.Behaviors are affected by stimuli.A stimulus is anything in the environment that causes a reaction. A stimulus can be internal (examplehunger or thirst) or external (examplea rival male entering another males territory)

Types of Behavior: Innate and LearnedInnate BehaviorBehavior that an animal is born withInherited/not learnedExample

Image: Dr John Brackenbury Science Photo LibraryInnate BehaviorReflexa simple, automatic response that doesnt involve a message from the brainExamplessneezing, blinking when something is thrown toward you Instinctscomplex pattern of innate behaviors Examplespider spinning a webCheck your understanding:Reflex or instinct?

Nature: My Life as a TurkeyThis video segment highlights the innate knowledge wild turkeys have about the world around them. In this segment, wildlife artist and naturalist Joe Hutto reflects upon the depth of knowledge wild turkeys have about the world around them. He states they are born with a blueprint of animals and the natural environment and are able to easily distinguish harmful animals from friendly ones. Hutto conducted an experiment, where he became a parent to 16 wild turkeys, by having them imprint onto him. Hutto mentions the one thing he needed to teach them was where to find water and the specific lay of the land.Learned BehaviorDevelops during an animals lifetimeAnimals with more complex brains and longer life spans exhibit more behaviors that are the result of experience and practice.Learned behavior includes: imprinting, trial and error, conditioning, and insight.ImprintingWhen an animal forms a social attachment to another organism and develops a sense of identity in the first few hours and days of its life

Trial and ErrorBehavior that is changed by experienceExampleWhen baby chicks first try to feed themselves, they peck at many stones before they get any food. As a result of trial and error, they learn to recognize and peck only at food.

ConditioningBehavior is modified so that a response to one stimulus becomes associated with a different stimulusExample

InsightA form of reasoning that allows animals to use past experiences to solve new problemsBabies learn mostly by trial and error. Adults rely more on insight.Example Elephant using insight to solve problemBehavioral InteractionsSocial BehaviorInteraction among organisms of the same speciesIncludes courtship and mating, caring for young, claiming territories, protecting each other, and getting foodSome animals live together in societies. A society is a group of animals of the same species who live and work together in an organized way.Territorial BehaviorMany animals set up territories for feeding, mating, and raising young. A territory is an area that an animal defends from other members of the same species.Why do animals claim and defend territories?This video segment looks at koalas. An outsider, a traveling male, enters an established colony and a territory battle ensues. Territorial BehaviorAggression A forceful behavior used to dominate or control another animalSubmissionPostures that make an animal appear smaller and are used to communicate surrender

Aggression and Submission

Communication Communication can be auditory (sound), visual, tactile (touch) or chemical (tastes and smells). Animals use communication to attract mates, warn off predators, mark territory and to identify themselves.NatureWorks video: Communication The Meaning of Dog Barks Listen to a variety of dog barksfrom woofs to whinesand try to interpret their meaning.Cyclic BehaviorsAn innate behavior that occurs in a repeating patternHibernationa cyclic response to cold temperatures and limited food suppliesMigrationthe instinctive seasonal movement of animals from one habitat to anotherNatureWorks video: MigrationHow Smart Are Animals? Would you care to match wits with a dog, an octopus, a dolphin, or a parrot? You may think twice after watching the segments in this NOVA scienceNOW episode. While we may not be ready to send pets to Harvard, the remarkable footage and findings presented here demonstrate that many animal species are much smarter than we assume and in ways we had never imagined.What Are Animals Thinking?We humans have long wondered how animals see the worldand us. Does your dog really feel shame when it gives you that famous "guilty look?" What is behind the "swarm intelligence" of slime mold or a honeybee hive? How can pigeons possibly find their way home across hundreds of miles of unfamiliar terrain? In this episode of NOVA scienceNOW, David Pogue meetsand competeswith a menagerie of smart critters that challenge preconceived notions about what makes "us" different from "them," expanding our understanding of how animals really think.