Animal Behavior Flashcards
intro to ethology
the study of animal behavior helps w/: safe handling facility design indicating stress/ disease collection of products temperament assessment
livestock behavior
helps w/ health reproduction digestion product quality
comparative psychology
the study of basic mechanism controlling behavior
learning sensation and perception
sociobiology
the study of the biological basis for social behavior
evolutionary advantages
male lion cub killing
ethology
stud of behavior in natural environment
instinctive or innate behavior
behavioral ecology
relationships btwn behavior and environment
fundamental premises of animal behavior evolution
certain behavioral traits inherited
inherited behavioral traits have been maintained and sharpened by natural selection
applied ethology
study of domestic animal behavior
*temple grandin
physical welfare freedoms
- freedom from thirst hunger malnutrition
- freedom from discomfort
- freedom from pain injury and disease
mental welfare freedoms
- freedom from fear and distress
5. freedom to express normal behavior
physiological welfare measurements
serum cortisol levels
produced by adrenal gland in stress response
behavioral welfare observations
excessive tail switching or mooing in cattle
dogs growling or shivering in fear
ear position
stereotypes
abnormal, repetitive, seemingly pointless behaviors
modes of animal perception
auditory olfactory tactile taste visual
communication auditory
sheep and cattle hear higher frequencies so can dogs/ cats - ultrasonic pitches
some species have independent ear movement
olfactory communication
especially important to domesticate animals
allow message transmission in absence of sender
individual oder recognition pheromone release
dogs 100x more sensitive to smell
pheromone
secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species
flehman response
allows animals to detect scents or pheromones in fluids for example from urine
seen in ungulates and felids
due to vomeronasal organ
vomeronasal organ
detects water soluble pheromones
located in the ventral nasal septum
often detects estrus
tactile
touch
studies in licking
taste
sweet, sour, salt, bitter, umami
bitter: avoid toxins/contaminated feed
sweet: glucose = energy
salt: only mineral an animal will seek when deficient
vision
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
lordosis
visual posture of heat
factors of flight zone size
age breed health previous experience presence of herd members - safety in #s
four core emotions
seeking
rage
fear
panic
seeking
basic impulse to search, investigate, and make sense of the environment
curiosity, food seeking
this is a positive emotion
rage
response to restraint
-gives explosive energy to escape predator
frustration = mild form of rage
-corrected thru habituation
fear
emotion felt when survival or injury is threatened
panic
felt during isolation from social attachment
feeling uncomfortable in new social environment
separation anxiety in dogs
influence of domestication on behavior
genetic selection for traits:
-docile temperament
-adaptability to confined environment
genes controlling these traits were selected for
environment and domestic animal behavior
animal management
-herd size and group matters
photoperiod - day length influence on breeding cycle
biological rhythms
photoperiod, diurnal or nocturnal, circadian rhythm
sleep or resting behavior
cows at rest ruminate
animals have time budgets
sexual behavior
allow behaviors to be expressed
-heat detection in cows
control sexual behaviors that are not conducive to animal welfare or performance
maternal behavior
bond critical to rearing offspring
reduce aberrant behavior
development of behavior
critical period
i.e. socialization of puppies
learning
basis for training
positive reinforcement is best
imprinting
finding mom
critical period
habituation
learning not to respond
classical conditioning
natural (involuntary) reaction to a conditioned stimulus
ex. pavlov’s dog
operant conditioning
voluntary behavior (not natural) connect action w/ consequence
positive reinforcement
something good introduced
negative reinforcement
something bad taken away
positive punishment
something bad presented
negative punishment
something good taken away
temperament
characteristic behavior or mode of response
determines response to handling
interaction of genetics and environment
dog temperament testing
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
