Animal Behavior
Behavior What an animal does and how it does it Influenced by genes and environment (“nature
and nurture”)Proximate and ultimate causes
Environmental stimuli or underlying genetics/physiology
Evolutionary significance or adaptive benefit
Innate BehaviorInnate behavior
Developmentally fixed behaviors “Instincts” Example: in cliff-dwelling birds, chicks turn
away from ledges
Innate BehaviorHow do animals “find their way?”Kinesis
Change in activity in response to stimulus Example: sow bugs are more active in dry areas
and less active in moist areas Result:
Innate BehaviorHow do animals “find their way?”Kinesis
Change in activity in response to stimulus Example: sow bugs are more active in dry areas
and less active in moist areas Result: sow bugs remain in moist habitats
Innate BehaviorHow do animals “find their way?”Kinesis
Change in activity in response to stimulus Example: sow bugs are more active in dry areas
and less active in moist areas Result: sow bugs remain in moist habitats
Taxis Automatic movement toward or away from
stimulus Example: trout orient themselves facing upstream
to avoid being swept away
Learned Behavior
Learning Modification of behavior resulting from
specific experiences Example: young chimps learn to use sticks to
collect termites by watching adultsMaturation
Behavior changes because of development (brain and muscle)
Example: birds prevented from flying until maturity will fly without awkward attempts of baby birds
Learned BehaviorHabituation
Loss of responsiveness to common stimuli
Example: you no longer hear the loud fish tank at the back of the room!
Imprinting Learning that is restricted to a
certain time period Example: geese who spend
their first few hours with humans identify humans as their species
Associative Learning
Operant conditioning Animals learn through
trial and error (consequences)
Example: coyotes learn to avoid porcupines as prey
Classical conditioning Animals learn to associate a stimulus with
reward/punishment Example: Pavlov rang a bell before he fed his
dogs; they were conditioned to salivate at the sound of the bell
Social BehaviorCooperationCompetitionAgonistic
Threatening or submissive behaviors/displays, part of a “contest”
Example: one dog bares its teeth, another tucks its tail
Reconciliation Example: chimps comfort each other
after aggressive male behavior
Social BehaviorDominance hierarchies
Alpha (high-ranking) animal is assured access to food, mates
Territoriality Territories are established and defended
Mating behaviors Maximize quantity or
quality of partners Examples: courtship
Social BehaviorCommunication
Visual, auditory, chemical, tactile, electrical signals
Example: dance of the honeybees communicates direction and distance of food sources
Social BehaviorAltruism
Unselfish behavior – decreases individuals chance of survival but increases survival of others
Example: ground squirrel’s alarm call warns others, but “caller” risks being killed
Why?
Social BehaviorAltruism
Unselfish behavior – decreases individuals chance of survival but increases survival of others
Example: ground squirrel’s alarm call warns others, but “caller” risks being killed
Why? Animals can increases their genetic fitness by
helping close relatives and offspring that share their genes
Often called “kin selection” Other animals may return the favor – this
could be an adaptive benefit