key words Flashcards
Ethology
Science of animal behaviour
Ethologist
person who studies animal behaviour
Behaviour
The actions or reactions of a person or animal in response to internal or external stimuli.
Communication
The act/ process of using sounds, smells, signals or behaviours to exchange information between each other.
Ethogram
A table or catalogue of all the different behaviours or activities that may be observed in an animal.
typical behaviour
Behaviour that is typical for that species/ individual animal.
social behaviour
The way in which animals interact with eachother
Courtship
Typically occurs when a female is in heat (oestrus) and secreting pheromones. Behaviour indicates sexual receptivity.
Oestrus
In heat - sexual receptiveness of females. Typical signs: swollen, reddened vulva and mucous discharge, accompanied by courtship behaviour.
Territorial behaviour
establish claim or access to a particular area or patch of land
atypical Behaviour
Behaviour that is not typical for that species/ individual animal.
Stereotypical behaviour
Repetitive actions or movement without a particular goal or aim.
Displacement behaviour
When an animal is torn between two contradictory urges (e.g. curiosity and fear of a new object), or when it is prevented from doing something it really wants to do. Perform seemingly meaningless and unrelated act, e.g. scratching, self-grooming, touching themselves. Can be a signal of stress (not always).
Hyperactive behaviour
hyperkinesis. Symptoms: chasing own tail, spinning around and around, constant movement, short attention span, impulsive, easily distracted, destructive behaviour.
Reasons: environment (
Excessive inactivity
Opposite to hyperactivity
Confinement
A cause of atypical behaviour
Unsuitaable environment
a caus eof atypical behaviour
Interspecific
communication between differnt species of animals rather than within their own
Intraspecific
The communication between members of the same species of animals
Allogrooming
To clean and maintain the coat/ fur of the animal
Darwains theory
Mechanism for evolution.
Charles Darwin developed the theory of evolution through natural selection in 19th century:
Animals within a species display a range of different heritable characteristics
There is competition for resources which means that some animals in a species will not survive long enough to reproduce
Animals with characteristics that are better suited to their environment are more likely to survive and pass them on to their offspring
Reproductive fitness
The ability for individuals to pass on their gened to the next generations
Adaption
Physical or behavioural changes that help the animal to survive within a particular environment.
