Animal Behavior, Animal Welfare, and the Environment

Question 1

There are two types of animal aggression:

Answer 1

1. Interspecies Aggression
2. Intraspecies Aggression

Question 2

Type of aggression that involves a series of behaviors between different species such as a predator attacking its prey, or anti-predatory behaviors. The latter is aggression to protect against a predator.

Answer 2

Interspecies Aggression

Question 3

Type of aggression that is directed toward other members of the same species.

Answer 3

Intraspecies Aggression

Question 4

This is where an animal, frequently the male, defends a territory against intruders. This may be a male defending a single female or a group, or “harem,” of females such that the male genes are passed on, or both males and females defend an area to protect sources of feed for themselves
and their off spring.

Answer 4

Territoriality

Question 5

Social species and group-housed livestock need to maintain stability and reduce the chances of injury to members of the group.

Answer 5

Social hierarchy or “peck order”

Question 6

One of the earlier uses of chickens was ___________, which is an activity taking advantage of the natural proclivity of roosters to fight.

Answer 6

Cockfighting

Question 7

TRUE OR FALSE. Feather pecking can lead to the death of the victim and to cannibalism.

Answer 7

True

Question 8

It can be either physical or psychological.

Answer 8

Stress

Question 9

Physical stress

Answer 9

• extremes of temperature
• abnormally low blood concentrations of glucose.

Question 10

Psychologic stress

Answer 10

transportation, a new environment, and being handled with or without pain,

for example, branding in cattle, dehorning in cattle, tail docking in sheep, and castration.

Question 11

There are a variety of approaches to assess whether an animal is stressed, including the following:

Answer 11

• Behavioral indices
• Plasma concentrations of the adrenal stress hormones cortisol (mammals) and corticosterone (birds)
• Production metrics
• Health indices
• Physiologic indices

Question 12

Stress in Livestock

Answer 12

Cattle show distinct responses to stress. Painful procedures such as dehorning or branding are accompanied by an increased release of cortisol from the adrenal cortex and increased heart rate. Painful procedures are often associated with kicking behavior. The bedding used for dairy cows affects lesions on the legs, with compost packs being superior to sand beds or waterbeds, which were in turn superior to rubber-filled mattresses.

Question 13

She was educated at Franklin Pierce College (B.A.), Arizona State University (M.S. in animal science), and the University of Illinois (Ph.D. in animal science). She has written and spoken widely on the subject of autism, a subject
about which she speaks from firsthand knowledge.

Answer 13

Temple Grandin

Question 14

Stress in Horses

Answer 14

In horses, the concentration of cortisol increases within minutes of a young or middle-aged horse being placed on a treadmill for an exercise test and stays high for at least an hour. No such response is observed in aged horses.

Question 15

Behavioral indicators of stress in dogs include:

Answer 15

• auto-grooming
• paw lifting
• vocalizing (barking)
• tail wagging and higher posture.

Question 16

Temperament

Answer 16

Temperament can be evaluated in domestic animals. In cattle, temperament is evaluated in a chute being scored between quiet and calm, and the opposite. Interestingly, cattle that were scored as more tranquil grew faster than those that were more agitated. This is consistent with the growth-impairing effects of the stress hormone cortisol not being as pronounced in more tranquil cattle.

Question 17

____________ is heat production in a thermoneutral environment at rest and at least 12 hours after the previous meal. Body temperature is measured as deep or core temperature because the temperature at the surface or periphery varies.

Answer 17

Basal metabolic rate

Question 18

___________ is an endogenous rhythm (within an animal) with a periodicity of about 24 hours. It is entrained to exactly 24 hours by environmental factors such as the light-dark cycle.

Answer 18

Circadian rhythm

Question 19

____________ is heat lost because of the evaporation of water. It requires 539 cal to evaporate 1g of water compared with 100 cal to heat the same amount of water from 0°C to 100°C.

Answer 19

Evaporative heat loss

Question 20

____________ is a temporary increase in the body temperature of a person or animal about the set point range due usually to infectious disease.

Answer 20

Fever

Question 21

____________ is a behavior that increases the chances that the male will pass on its genes to as many offspring as possible.

Answer 21

The Coolidge effect

Question 22

____________ is when the temperature of an animal goes above the set point because of extremes of heat and the inability of the
physiologic thermoregulatory processes to cope fully.

Answer 22

Heat stress

Question 23

______________ maintain their body temperatures within narrow ranges because of thermoregulation.

Answer 23

Homeotherms

Question 24

is when the core body temperature decreases below the normal range.

Answer 24

Hypothermia

Question 25

____________ is a percentage relative to the maximum humidity at a given temperature.

Answer 25

Relative humidity

Question 26

_____________ is metabolism to increase the body temperature to within the set point range. It can be without shivering (nonshivering thermogenesis) because of increased

Answer 26

Thermogenesis

Question 27

_____________ is an environmental temperature where a mammal or bird has to produce or dissipate little heat. Thermo-neutral zones in different species vary but may be as low as 15°C and as high as 35°C.

Answer 27

Thermo-neutral zone

Question 28

Give examples of aggressive behavior.

Answer 28

• Territoriality
• Social hierarchy/peck order

Question 29

What is a social hierarchy or peck order?

Answer 29

Aggressive behavior that social species and group-housed livestock need to maintain stability and reduce the chances of injury to members of the group.

Question 30

Give examples of reproductive behavior.

Answer 30

Female behaviors to show a male that she is in estrus. Examples include a female winking her vulva (horses) or producing specific c pheromones (cattle, dogs).

Question 31

How do animals communicate?

Answer 31

• Auditory detection (hearing) of vocalization.
• Olfactory detection (smelling) of pheromones and other scents.
• Visual detection of signaling movements.
• Various tactile interactions, particularly between offspring and parent.

Question 32

How can stress be measured or assessed?

Answer 32

Measuring blood, salival, fecal, or urinary cortisol

Question 33

What is the relationship between the hormone cortisol and stress?

Answer 33

During times of stress, your body can release cortisol after releasing its “fight or flight” hormones, such as adrenaline, so you continue to stay on high alert.

Cortisol triggers the release of glucose (sugar) from your liver for fast energy during times of stress.

Question 34

Do dogs get stressed? If yes, how?

Answer 34

Dogs can become stressed because they are bored, frustrated, scared, or anxious.

Signs that dogs are stressed:
* Aggression
* Shaking
* Pacing
* Panting
* Decreased appetite
* Tucked Tail

Question 35

What is kilocalorie?

Answer 35

One kilocalorie (1kcal or 1000 calories) is the amount of heat (energy) needed to raise the temperature of one kg of water by one degree Celsius (°C).