Basic Animal Behavior Flashcards
4 basic reasons why animals behave
- To Find food
- To interact in social groups
- To avoid predators
- To reproduce
Animal behaviors usually are strategies for ___________.
Survival
Study of animal behavior
Ethology
The way an animal reacts to the certain stimulus with activity or inactivity
Behavior
Something that elicits a response
Stimulus
2 types of Stimuli and definition
External Stimulus(outside e.g sound, smell, sight etc.)
Internal Stimulus(inside e.g hunger, fatigue, feeling cold, hormones)
Attributing human emotions and need to be careful about ascribing human emotions to animals
Anthropomorphism
Social behavior occurs in every culture, genetically determined.
Cultural Universals
Systematic study of a biological bases of all social behaviors in animals.
Sociobiology
3 causes behavioral responses in animals
- Heredity(internal factors)
- Learning experiences(external factors)
- Intelligence(interaction of 1to2)
Give heredity produces response in several ways
Affects the growth and development of body parts such us sensory or motor organs
All animals have brain and domestic
Genes
Animals show fixed behavioral responses when subjected to certain environmental stimuli
Experience and learning
The ability of animals to learn to adjust successfully to environmental situations
Intelligence
4 types of learning in animals
- Habituation
- Conditioning(classical and operant)
- Insight Learning
- Imprinting
Animal learned not to respond to a stimulus e.g. “cry-wolf”
Habituation
Associative learning between normal body condition and a new stimulus e.g. dog salvation with a ringing bell
Classical conditioning
Animal learns to behave in a certain way through repeated practice e.g. rat pressed lever, gets food
Operant Conditioning
Animal solves a problem, most complex type of learning)
Insight learning
Learning at a specific critical time and forms social attachments to another, following the mother
Imprinting
Give 13 types of behavior
Foraging
Parental care
Courtship
Reproductive
Offensive/Defensive
Territorial
Social
Migratory
Communication
Curiosity
Elimination
Resting
Play
Behavior associated with recognizing, searching, capturing, consuming food. Food habits are part of the animals niche
Foraging
Ensuring survival of young
Parental care
4 modes in development with birds
Superaltricial
Altricial
Precocial
Superprecocial
Attracting a mate
Courtship
Behaviors of animal
Reproductive
Different kind of mating system
Polygamy(more than one mate during breeding season)
Promiscuity(males and females have multiple mates)
Polygyny( males mate with more than one female)
Polyandry(female mate with more than one male)
Aggression, submissive behavior, defense from aggressors e.g flight, hide,escape
Offensive/ defensive
Protect the resources
Territorial
Work to create alliances, help the group
Social
Movement to a more sustainable environment as seasons change
Migratory
Signaling between one animal and another
Communication
Why animals communicate?
Defense(warn away)
Alliance(get helper or mate)
Elicit play
Methods that animals used
Auditory
Visual
Tactile
Chemical(pheromones)
Electrical
Bark, growl, snort, howl, hoot, chirp, whinny, alarm sound, other language
Vocalization
Head, body, ear, tail, showing teeth, smilling etc
Non-verbal signaling
Investigating new stumulus in environment
Curiosity/investigative
Urination and defecation
Elimination
Apparent inaction
Resting
The purpose is a training for life defense, hunting etc.
Play
