social behaviours Flashcards
why do animals communicate
- defend / mark territory
- scare away predators / rivals
- avoid conflict
- attract a mate
- show state of mind
how do animals communicate
- visual signals
- vocal signals
- scent or chemical signals
- electrical signals
- tactile signals
chemical communication
- scent
- pheromones (testosterone, oestrogen)
tactile communication
used to:
- reinforce pair bonding
- guide offspring
- aggression + defence
- sexual signals
metacommunication
signals that change the meaning of the following behaviour
intraspecies
within members of the same species
interspecies
between members of different species
social behaviour
interactions that occur between two or more animals
asocial
animals that rarely perform social behaviours
what is the purpose of social behaviour
to improve survival and to reproduce
hierarchies
a system in which members of a social group are ranked according to relative status or authority (helps with conflict reduction)
what are the social hierarchies?
linear + complex
what do animals fight for in the wild?
- territory
- mates
- food
agonistic behaviour
social behaviours associated with fighting (can include threat displays, submission behaviours + appeasement)
affiliative behaviour
behaviours that increase or reinforce social bonds, or are beneficial to the social group
