Animal Behavior

Question 1

intro to ethology

Answer 1

the study of animal behavior
helps w/:
safe handling
facility design
indicating stress/ disease
collection of products
temperament assessment

Question 2

livestock behavior

Answer 2

helps w/ 
health 
reproduction
digestion
product quality

Question 3

comparative psychology

Answer 3

the study of basic mechanism controlling behavior

learning sensation and perception

Question 4

sociobiology

Answer 4

the study of the biological basis for social behavior
evolutionary advantages
male lion cub killing

Question 5

ethology

Answer 5

stud of behavior in natural environment

instinctive or innate behavior

Question 6

behavioral ecology

Answer 6

relationships btwn behavior and environment

Question 7

fundamental premises of animal behavior evolution

Answer 7

certain behavioral traits inherited

inherited behavioral traits have been maintained and sharpened by natural selection

Question 8

applied ethology

Answer 8

study of domestic animal behavior

*temple grandin

Question 9

physical welfare freedoms

Answer 9

1. freedom from thirst hunger malnutrition
2. freedom from discomfort
3. freedom from pain injury and disease

Question 10

mental welfare freedoms

Answer 10

4. freedom from fear and distress

5. freedom to express normal behavior

Question 11

physiological welfare measurements

Answer 11

serum cortisol levels

produced by adrenal gland in stress response

Question 12

behavioral welfare observations

Answer 12

excessive tail switching or mooing in cattle
dogs growling or shivering in fear
ear position

Question 13

stereotypes

Answer 13

abnormal, repetitive, seemingly pointless behaviors

Question 14

modes of animal perception

Answer 14

auditory
olfactory
tactile
taste
visual

Question 15

communication auditory

Answer 15

sheep and cattle hear higher frequencies so can dogs/ cats - ultrasonic pitches
some species have independent ear movement

Question 16

olfactory communication

Answer 16

especially important to domesticate animals
allow message transmission in absence of sender
individual oder recognition pheromone release
dogs 100x more sensitive to smell

Question 17

pheromone

Answer 17

secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species

Question 18

flehman response

Answer 18

allows animals to detect scents or pheromones in fluids for example from urine
seen in ungulates and felids
due to vomeronasal organ

Question 19

vomeronasal organ

Answer 19

detects water soluble pheromones
located in the ventral nasal septum
often detects estrus

Question 20

tactile

Answer 20

touch

studies in licking

Question 21

taste

Answer 21

sweet, sour, salt, bitter, umami

bitter: avoid toxins/contaminated feed
sweet: glucose = energy
salt: only mineral an animal will seek when deficient

Question 22

vision

Answer 22

different animals have different visual fields 
humans see color well
dogs have weaker vision that is better @ night and at motion detection
postural signals
-lordosis - visual posture of heat
-play bow
-agression
-innate species behavior in dogs

Question 23

lordosis

Answer 23

visual posture of heat

Question 24

factors of flight zone size

Answer 24

age
breed
health
previous experience
presence of herd members - safety in #s

Question 25

four core emotions

Answer 25

seeking
rage
fear
panic

Question 26

seeking

Answer 26

basic impulse to search, investigate, and make sense of the environment
curiosity, food seeking
this is a positive emotion

Question 27

rage

Answer 27

response to restraint
-gives explosive energy to escape predator
frustration = mild form of rage
-corrected thru habituation

Question 28

fear

Answer 28

emotion felt when survival or injury is threatened

Question 29

panic

Answer 29

felt during isolation from social attachment
feeling uncomfortable in new social environment
separation anxiety in dogs

Question 30

influence of domestication on behavior

Answer 30

genetic selection for traits:
-docile temperament
-adaptability to confined environment
genes controlling these traits were selected for

Question 31

environment and domestic animal behavior

Answer 31

animal management
-herd size and group matters
photoperiod - day length influence on breeding cycle

Question 32

biological rhythms

Answer 32

photoperiod, diurnal or nocturnal, circadian rhythm

Question 33

sleep or resting behavior

Answer 33

cows at rest ruminate

animals have time budgets

Question 34

sexual behavior

Answer 34

allow behaviors to be expressed
-heat detection in cows
control sexual behaviors that are not conducive to animal welfare or performance

Question 35

maternal behavior

Answer 35

bond critical to rearing offspring

reduce aberrant behavior

Question 36

development of behavior

Answer 36

critical period

i.e. socialization of puppies

Question 37

learning

Answer 37

basis for training

positive reinforcement is best

Question 38

imprinting

Answer 38

finding mom

critical period

Question 39

habituation

Answer 39

learning not to respond

Question 40

classical conditioning

Answer 40

natural (involuntary) reaction to a conditioned stimulus

ex. pavlov’s dog

Question 41

operant conditioning

Answer 41

voluntary behavior (not natural)
connect action w/ consequence

Question 42

positive reinforcement

Answer 42

something good introduced

Question 43

negative reinforcement

Answer 43

something bad taken away

Question 44

positive punishment

Answer 44

something bad presented

Question 45

negative punishment

Answer 45

something good taken away

Question 46

temperament

Answer 46

characteristic behavior or mode of response
determines response to handling
interaction of genetics and environment

Question 47

dog temperament testing

Answer 47

used in animal shelters
SAFER (safety assessment for evaluating rehoming)
assess a pet test
-agression to handling or other dogs
-fearfulness of handling
-food aggression