Spacing Behavior (Exam 3) Flashcards
Spacing Types
Individual space
Home range/Territory space
What animals allow fairly close physical proximity?
Dogs Horses Rabbits Cattle Sheep Goats Pigs Domestic Fowl
Flight Distance
radius of space within which the animal will not voluntarily permit the intrusion of man or other animals that may be dangerous without excaping
Flight Zone
Distance within which a person can approach an animal before it moves away
Territory is…
an area that is defended
Agonistic behavior
behavior involving threat, attack, or defense
Home range
area that the animal learns thoroughly and that it habitually uses
Core area
area of a home range that is heaviest or regularly used within the home range
- usually includes resting area
Territory
area that is defended by fighting or by demarcation
other individuals detect so that the mark, or other signal, is a deterrent to entry
Personal Space
area surrounding an individual which, if encroached upon by another individual, elicits attack or avoidance
Physical space
animal requires to occupy for its basic movements of lying, rising, standing, stretching, & scratching
Social Space
used for the personal space maintained by an active animal
Subordinate individuals
personal space
avoid personal space of dominant conspecifics
Dominant animals
personal space
experience the freedom of invading the personal space of subordinates
What should you keep in mind while estimating maximum density of animal populations in captivity?
Personal Space
Factors that influence size of personal space:
- inverse relationship b/w thresholds for agnostic behavior & personal space
- immature animals tend to have smaller personal spaces than adults
- Females tend to have smaller personal spaces than males
- domestic ungulates tend to relax or ignore their personal space requirements when they’re being herded or moved as a group
Personal space requirements rise with _____ levels in males.
testosterone
Adults males want ____ personal spaces with other males and ____ personal spaces with females
larger
smaller
Avoiding animals initiate ____ behavior at a ____ distance.
avoidance
greater
Individual distance
how close one animal can get to another before the latter responds with some form of agonistic behavior
act of aggression or act of avoidance
Advantages of maintaining individual distance to produce a personal space include reductions in:
- damage to the body due to contact
- interference & competition while feeding
- impedance when starting to flee
- disease or parasite transmission
Domestic animals actively remain close to certain other individuals
- B/w mother & offspring
- B/w animals & reared together
- B/w animals that form an attachment later in life
What do animals do with others who they are associated with them there is danger?
move close together
Avoidance
inverse response in agnoistic situations & it is the positive factor affecting agonistic control
Avoidance behavior
occurs in the absence of any aggressive
vital component of the behavioral mechanism that generates social stabilization
Quantitative needs
relate to space occupation, social distance, flight distance, & actual territory
Qualitative needs
relate to space-dependent activities
- eating, body care, exploration, kinetics, & social behavior
Each animal needs distances of length, width, & height in which to:
stand
lie
move major parts (head, neck, & limbs)
Animals need space for social reasons:
- keep some separation b/w itself & it conspecifics
- carry out avoidance behavior
- preserved in many instances by gestures of threat or intention
- can be surrendered briefly w/o aggression occurring in a variety of circumstances
- space occupied by an animal is a function of its BW & its need for various activities
- wild or domestic animal that has never experienced close confinement may be so disturbed by confinement that its welfare is very poor
Crowded
groups of individuals whose movements are restricted by the physical presence of others
what does intrusion of personal space result in?
aggressive behavior or avoidance reaction
Overcrowding
high social density causes adverse effects on the fitness of individuals
Entering a dogs personal space may result in
aggressive behaviors
If the dog is growling while you are approaching what may happen?
If you continue to get close to the dog it may result in the dog biting you.
Male dogs scent-mark with..?
their urine
this claims their space that they will defend
The higher the scent mark means
the bigger the dog which means higher levels of testosterone
Cats mark certain individuals and objects by means of ____.
facial and tail-based glands
how does cattle show territorial aggressive acts?
butting or threatening to butt heads
In small paddocks, the older/younger bulls become more/less territorial.
older
more
When beef cattle undergo high crowding conditions in pens what do they do about locations?
show clear preferences within their pens
distances between subgroups of cattle increase/decrease as forage conditions worsen
increase
but they maintain personal space
when cows are lying how far apart do they usually stay? Grazing?
2 to 3 meters apart lying
4 to 10 meters apart grazing
How do horses show territorial aggression?
horses fight with their own typical offensive and defensive weapons:
- bite
- kick w/ hind feet
- strike w/ forefeet
Mule Kick
kicking out defensively with 1 hind limb
it’s precisely directed
stud piles
stallions pass feces in specific sites where their dung may become heaped to mark territorial boundaries
lawns
areas closely cropped
roughs
ungrazed, dung areas
how do sheep threaten each other?
head movements
what if there is no submissive responses occurring after a sheep threatens another?
they may push, butt, or tug at wool
