Animal Behavior Flashcards
The study of how animals move in their environment, how they interact socially, how they learn about their environment, and how an animal might achieve cognitive understanding of its environment
Animal behavior
Importance/significance of studying animal behavior
For early detection of sick animals
Importance/significance of studying animal behavior
A factor in obtaining maximum production and efficiency in breeding, feeding, and management
(Reflexes and responses) what the animal has at birth (example: nursing and searching for food)
Instinct
Learning to respond without thinking, response to certain stimulus is established as a result of habituation
Habituation
Learning to respond in a particular way to stimulus as a result of reinforcement when the proper response is made.
-reward and punishment
Conditioning
A reward for making the proper response
-reward
Reinforcement
The ability to respond correctly to a stimulus the first time that a new situation is presented
Reasoning
The ability to learn to adjust successfully to certain situations. Both short-term and long term memory are part of intelligence.
-present in higher animals like apes
Intelligence
Genes
Innate
Shaped by natural selection
-developed through experience
-survival of the fittest
Behavior
Many behaviors directly increase an organism’s fitness, that is, they help it survive and reproduce
Behavior
4 questions to understand a behavior
- Causation ( what causes the behavior?)
- Development (how does the behavior develop?)
- Function/ adaptive value (how does the behavior affect fitness)
- Phylogeny (how did the behavior evolve?)
For example sa zebra finches ang nagcocause ng behavior nilang magkanta ay ang appearance ng female tapos ang hormones nila
Causation
Nadevelop nila ang pag-sing from their dads and other finches from their surroundings
Development
Example nito is need nila na magcreate ng melodies para lalong dumami or magprocreate
Function / adaptive value
How nag-evolve ang behavior
Phylogeny
Cues that trigger behavior
- External, example neto is ang migration
- Internal, example neto is ang circadian rhythm
- Combination, example neto is ung mating behaviors
-A behavior in which animals move from one location to another in a seasonal pattern
-Environmental cues that trigger the autumn migration include air temperature, day length, and food availability
Migration
Example: may jetlag ka nung lumipat ng ibang place, kahit may sun if nasanay ang body clock mo na matulog within sa mga oras na yon matutulog ka
Circadian rhythm
Example: mating behaviors may be triggered in an animal only when it’s in the right hormonal state, an internal cue, and when it sees a member of the opposite sex, an external cue
Combination
Are genetically hardwired and are inherited by an organism from its parents
Innate behaviors
-Are not inherited, they develop during an organism’s lifetime as the result of experience and environmental influence
-acquired from experiences
Learned behaviors
-There are some examples of behaviors that are really and truly hardwired. These behaviors take place in a highly predictable way in response to the right stimulus, even if the organisms has never before encountered that stimulus
-Eating of placenta (survival instinct)
Mostly innate behaviors
An organism is genetically programmed to develop a behavior, but the form the behavior takes depends on the individual’s experience
Partly innate, partly learned behaviors
-In other cases, behaviors are largely dependent on experience-they’re learned-and can’t be fully explained by genetic programming
-example: sa cattle, may electric fence tas pag na-ground syempre mafifeel nila kaya iiwasan na nila na magtouch sa fence doon
Mostly-learned behaviors
Causes of Behavioral Responses in Animal
-Result of 3 interacting forces
1. Heredity (genetics)-breed
2. Learning Experiences
3. Intelligence
certain strains/breeds within a species have been selected on a genetic basis and then trained for a specific behavioral response
E.g:
horses-excellent for trotting, pacing, or draft
terriers-for fighting at the slightest provocation
beagles-for hunting and run in packs with little fighting
Internal factors
A. Can affect the growth and development of many parts
e.g: sensory/motor growth
B. Genes are responsible for production of various enzymes, hormones, and other chemical substances in the body
e.g: chicken undergoes sex reversal depending on the hormones in the blood stream
Produces behavioral response in several ways:
Types of learning behavior
A. Habituation
B. Imprinting
C. Classical conditioning
D. Operant conditioning
E. Insight learning (reasoning)
-Simplest type of learning
-means by which animal learns to ignore certain stimulus
-an animal gradually stops responding to a repeated stimulus
-form of non-associative learning meaning that the stimulus is not linked with reward and punishment
Habituation
a simple and highly specific type of learning that occurs at a particular age or life stage during the development of certain animals such as ducks and geese
-example neto is sa ducks where yung unang makita niyang gumalaw within hatching, siya na yung irerecognize niyang parent or un ang susundan niya
Imprinting
born in an immature and helpless condition, requiring care for some time after birth
Altricial
examples of altricial
parrots, pelicans, and songbirds
capable of movement and self-sufficiency soon after birth
Precocial
examples of precocial
chicken, duck, and rhea
-a response already associated with one stimulus is associated with a second stimulus to which it had no previous connection
-example is the pavlov’s dog experiment where ang 1st stimulus ay food at 2nd stimulus ay ang bell so in the experiment kinonnect ang pagdrool sa food and bell ng dog
Classical conditioning
-more on trial and error
-more on giving a reward or punishment
-a bit different than classical conditioning in that it does not rely on an existing stimulus-response pair. Instead, whenever an organism performs a behavios-or an intermediate step on the way to the complete behavior-it is given a reward or punishment
-example neto is yung mouse in a box with buttons na pag naclick ang tama is bibigay ng food tas pag nalampas sa grid na electric magground ang mouse
Operant conditioning
-most prevalent on higher animals
-ability to respond correctly the first time animal encounters a certain situation
-example neto is ang chimpanzee in a room na may banana and boxes tas nakuha nila ang banana with the help of stacking the boxes
Insight Learning (reasoning)
-ability of animals to learn to adjust successfully to certain situation
-sometimes defines as the organization of behavior(ability to learn from experience and to solve problem)
-varies greatly among individual within species as well as species
-mammals to be most intelligent of all animals
Intelligence
Primates-like apes, monkeys, and chimpanzees
Carnivores-predator
Ungulate(grazing animal)-prey
From most intelligent to least
-internal state of an animal which causes the immediate behavioral response
-drives or tendencies to respond in a particular manner
-e.g: hunger, thirst, elimination, sex, pain
Motivation
Hypothalamus and Endocrine Glands
Organs involved in Motivation
controls many types of behavior
-has inhibitory or stimulating center
Hypothalamus
-especially sexual activities(anterior pituitary gland)
-ovulation, onset of puberty, and normal cycle in female
Endocrine glands
-when one animal transmits information to another animal causing some kind of change in the animal that gets the information
-usually between animals of a single species, but it can also happen between2 animals of different species
-can help animals find mates, establish dominance, defend territory, coordinate group behavior, and care for young
Communication
Methods of animal communication
- auditory signals/sound
- pheromones/chemicals
- visual signs/displays
- tactile signals/touch
particularly important in birds, who use sounds to convey warnings, attract mates, defend territories, and coordinate group behaviors. Some birds also produce birdsong, vocalizations that are relatively long and tend to be similar among the members of a species
auditory signals/ sound
example of animals na nagamit auditory signals
frogs-males pag naulan super ingay
ocean mammals-echolocation, soundwaves
secreted chemical signal used to trigger a response in another individual of the same species. Pheromones are especially common among social insects, such as ants and bees. Pheromones may attract the opposite sex, raise an alarm, mark a food trail, or trigger other, more complex behaviors
Pheromones/Chemicals
example of animals na nagamit pheromones or chemicals
-livestock animals & companion animals
-dog-naihi sa post to mark their territories
-stallion-their feces nagmamark din for territory
-ants-food trail, para sundan ng ibang ants
-dogs-sniffing other dogs
-bird important in the act of courtship
-less evident among farm animals but do occur
-involves signals that can be seen. Examples of signals include gestures, facial expression, body postures and coloration
Visual signals/displays
widely used visual signals, example: chimpanzees communicate a threat by raising their arms, slapping the ground, or staring directly at another chimpanzee. Gesture and posture are commonly used in mating rituals and may place other signals-such as bright coloring-on display
Gesture and posture
examples of animals na nagamit visual signals and displays
peacocks-maganda feathers
dogs-their hair to rise on hackles
chimpanzee-facial expression
-more limited in range thatn the other types of signals, as 2 organisms must be right next to each other to touch
-fairly common in insects
Tactile signals/ touch
example of animals na nagamit tactile signals or touch
-new born puppies need nila magtouch sa mother to make dede sa mammary gland ng mama
visual animals
fireflies-glow, peacocks-elaborate tails, cobra-inflate their hood
auditory animals
elephants-trunks
male whales-their songs
wolves-howl
tactile animals
dogs-lick their pups
baboons-touch to show affection & groom each other
horses-kick other horses to establish dominance
chemical animals
cats-rub against objects to mark them with scents
ants-use pheromone trails to follow each other
skunks-signature smell to deter predators
What is communication used for?
- obtaining mates
- establishing dominance or defending territory
- coordinating group behaviors
- caring for young
Types of animal behavior
- ingestive behavior
- elimination behavior
- shelter seeking behavior
- agonistic (combat) behavior
- mother young behavior
- investigative (explanatory) behavior
- gregarious behavior
- allelomimetic behavior
- sexual behavior
-eating and drinking behavior
-suckling is the first ingestive behavior trait common to all neonate
Ingestive behavior
-have teeth in upper and lower jaw
-bite off grass or take a mouthful of grain, chew and then swallow
swine and horses
no upper incisors, wrap their tongues around a bunch of grass and then jerking the bunch forward so that it is cut off by the lower teeth
Cows
graze similarly to cattle but have a cleft upper lip that allows them to graze more closely to the ground
sheep
graze similarly to cattle and sheep but excellent browser often feeding upon shoots of shrubs and trees
goats
in cow, sheep, goats and other ruminants, once the food is swallowed, it is regurgitated, chewed thoroughly and then reswallowed once more know as __________
rumination
-graze 4-9 hours per day
-ruminate 4-9 hours a day
-regurgitate 300-400 boluses of feed per day
Cattle
-graze 9-11 hours per day
-ruminate 7-10 hours a day
-ruminate 400-600 boluses of feed per day
Sheep and goats
usually don’t go more than 3 miles away from water
Cattle
may travel as much as 8 miles a day
sheep
give importance to proper pasture and range management
grazing habits of farm animals
Grazing habits
-Continuous grazing
-Rotational grazing
-Intensive Rotational grazing
-born with inherent tendency to root
-naghuhukay with nose
-root less if fed a well-balanced ration and good mineral supplement
-fed a ration rich in meat scraps or tankage, they are less likely to eat more protein than needed
Swine
is limited(no digestive system designed to handle forage), but can utilize a limit amount of tender, low fiber forage
Grazing in poultry
-elimination of feces and urine
-important in improving animal building design and give a big asset in handling manure
-tends to follow the general pattern of their wild ancestor but can be influenced by the method of management
Elimination Behavior
-cattle deposit their feces in a random manner
-can defecate while walking(scattered feces)
-standing, neat file feces
-urinate in a random fashion while standing
Cattle elimination behavior
-sheep eliminates similar to cattle
-ewes squat position when urinating
Sheep/ Ewes elimination behavior
-usually deposit their feces in a corner of the pen, away from the sleeping quarters.
-keep their beds and nest clean and dry, and free from feces and urine
-usually deposit their excreta near the source of drinking water
Swine elimination behavior
tend to deposit their feces in a certain location and will often return to that location
Horses elimination behavior
deposits their excreta at random, except for the usual heavy deposition under roosting places at night
chicken elimination behavior
bury their feces and urine
Cats elimination behavior
-tends to deposit them at particular location (scent post)
-sniffing, selection of upright vertical targets, and lifting by male adult dogs at time of urination have been shown to be a secondary sex characteristic under hormonal influence
Dogs elimination behavior
an attempt to avoid injury from the sun, wind, rain, predators, and/or insect
Shelter seeking behavior
-seek shade in the heat of summer, often congregate around a water source
Cow shelter seeking behavior
-seek shade in hot weather to avoid direct rays of the sun(no efficient internal cooling system or di nagpapawis gaya ng horse and human)
-wallow in water to keep cool
-pant rapidly when exposed to sun and often utter grunts or sounds of distress
Swine shelter seeking behavior
turns their back to the storm and often drift in the opposite direction to protect their face and eye
Cattle, horses, and sheep shelter seeking behavior
-not very sensitive to either heat or cold
-nagpapawis like us tapos efficient ang internal cooling system
Horse shelter seeking behavior
is the only animal that face the storms head on
Bison
-includes “fight or flight” and aggressive and passive behaviors between animals
-includes interactions with other animals, humans and behavior during handling and restraint
-males of all farm animals fight when they meet other unfamiliar males of the same species
Agonistic (combat) behavior
develop a pecking order, but fight less intensely than males
Cows, sows and mares agonistic (combat) behavior
withdraw from the herd to a secluded spot just before calving
Cows
Castrated males are usually quite passive it involves:
-defense(submission)
-offense(aggression)
-escape
-passive activity
bringing together of sexually mature strange males of the same species always result in a fight
care-giving and care seeking behavior
Mother young behavior
confined to females among domestic animals
Caregiving
-normal for young animals
-begins shortly before birth and extends until the young is weaned
Care seeking
-after the young is born, the mother closely inspects the calf, licking it so that the hair coat is clean and shiny
-mother cow is very possessive with her young throughout the nursing period
-apparently locate their young by smell and sight
Cow mother and young behavior
-noisiest times in the farm or ranch
-calves and mother bawl (often in unison) almost continuously for 2-3 days before they again become quiet
Weaning time
-builds nest one to two days before farrowing
-very protective of their young and defend them when they squeal
-defensive behavior is much more evident
-continues to care until the litters are weaned
Sow mother young behavior
accept piglets from another litter if the foster pigs are placed first/two days after they have been farrowed
Sows
baby pigs nurse at interval of ___ hours: each has located a teat after first few days
1 or 2 hours
Rear teats means less function so it results to a
runt pig
-new born lamb is licked, removing the moisture and placental membrane
-suckling position of lamb is usually standing
-has a strong protective behavior
Ewe mother young behavior
-neigh or whinny (mare calling her colt)
mare mother young behavior
-broodiness (an inclination to sit on eggs) is inherited characteristics
-related to the secretion rate of and/or the response of prolactin
-foraging for food, will cluck to their chicks and call them each time a choice is found
-hover their chicks by covering them with their wings and nestling them close to their bodies for protection
-emits a loud cry to warn her chicks and other of the flock of imminent danger
hens mother young behavior
-curious and have a tendency to explore their environment through seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching
Investigative (explanatory) behavior
are highly curious, investigate any strange object, approach carefully, slowly, sniffing and looking as they approach
Pigs, horses and dairy goats
less curious and more timid
Sheep
-refers to the flocking or herding instinct of certain species
-pag-ggroup group or pagsasama-sama
Gregarious Behavior
Advantages of Gregarious Behavior
a. detecting the enemy and protecting themselves
b. obtaining food
c. easily identified if there is any missing and sick individual
-mutual mimicking behavior
-animals of a species to do the same thing at the same time
Allelomimetic Behavior
tend to graze at the same time and rest and ruminate at the same time
Cattle and sheep
gather at the watering place about the same time each day because one follows the other
Range cattle
-useful in implementing breed programs
Sexual Behavior
allow themselves to be mounted by others
Cows that are in heat
smell the vagina and urine to detect pheromones
Bulls, rams and stallions
male animal lifts head and curls its upper lip
Flehmen
chase ewes that are coming into heat
(male ang naghahanap ng mate)
Rams
seek out boars for mating
(babae ang nahanap ng mate)
Sows
in heat squat and urinate when stallion approaches and vulva winks
Mares
Inhibit the ability to do other
instinct
