Unit 2 Review Flashcards
agonistic pucker
The position of a dog’s mouth when the dog is in an offensive threat. The lips are pressed forward and the muzzle is wrinkled.
altruism
The ability of humans to care for and about the welfare of others.
anogenital
A term that refers to the region of the anus and the external reproductive organs.
antithesis
A theory presented by Charles Darwin, which states that a submissive animal expresses facial and postural changes that are the opposite of those displayed by the aggressive animal.
auditory signal
A message related to the sense of hearing.
calming signal
A message sent to reduce or stop aggressive conflicts; also, cutoff signal.
coevolution
The development of certain behaviors in a species caused by the influence of another species.
communicator
The sender of a message.
convergence
The evolution of two different species in a similar way because of similar pressures in the environment.
cutoff signal
A message sent to reduce or stop aggressive conflicts; also, calming signal.
despotic hierarchy
An arrangement in which a single individual dominates over all other individuals in a group.
display
A group of signals sent at the same time—for example, threat display.
dominance
Related to establishing social limits—that is, what others must not do.
ethologist
A scientist who studies whole patterns of animal behavior in natural environments.
euthanasia
The deliberate ending of the life of an animal because of extremely bad behavior or because it’s suffering from an incurable disease.
gaze alternation
A process in which a dog looks back and forth between its owner and some object the dog can’t get; an attempt to show where something is. Humans can use gaze alternation to tell a dog where they want it to go.
hackles
The hairs on the neck and back of an animal.
hackles up (hackles raised)
The raising of the hairs on the neck and back of an animal; also, piloerection.
hierarchy
The ranking of members in a group.
incisors
The front six teeth on each jaw. The incisors are used for cutting.
innate
Inborn.
intention movement
A signal that reveals the purpose (intent) of the sender.
interspecific communication
Communication between animals of different species.
intraspecific communication
Communication between animals of the same species.
leader-follower bond
A relationship in which one individual establishes dominance over another individual who becomes an obedient follower.
linear hierarchy
An arrangement similar to a despotic hierarchy, except the subordinate individuals form additional dominant-subordinate relations among themselves; also, pecking order.
message
The information sent in communication; a signal.
modal-action pattern
The response of an animal to a releaser in its environment.
neoteny
The retaining of juvenile characteristics into adulthood.
nurturer-dependent bond
The relationship between human and dog in which the human is the nurturer (provider of food, shelter, protection, and so on) and the dog is the dependent.
olfactory signal
A message related to the sense of smell.
overhunting
The excessive killing of prey so that the population of the prey animal is negatively affected.
pecking order
An arrangement similar to a despotic hierarchy, except the subordinate individuals form additional dominant-subordinate relations among themselves; also, pecking order.
piloerection
The raising of hackles, or hairs on the neck and back of a dog; also, hackles up and hackles raised.
predation
The act of preying on other animals for food.
predator
An animal that lives by killing and consuming other animals.
prey
An animal taken by another animal (a predator) as food. As a verb, prey means to take another animal as food.
recipient
The receiver of a message.
releaser
A stimulus in the environment that causes an animal to respond in a modal-action pattern.
ritual
A pattern; a display for the purpose of communication.
signal
Message; what the sender is trying to get across to the receiver.
species-typical behavior
Behavior that’s highly characteristic of, but not limited to, one species.
species-specific signal
A signal limited to a certain species.
tactile
Relating to the sense of touch.
tactile signal
A message relating to the sense of touch.
theory
An idea developed to explain some occurrence; something that’s assumed to be true but hasn’t been proven.
threat display
A combination of growling, baring of teeth, setting ears forward, and piloerection, all of which indicate aggressiveness.
T’ing up
A posture in which a submissive dog allows a dominant one to approach and face its side forming a T shape.
triangular hierarchy
An arrangement in which a first individual dominates over a second individual, the second individual dominates over a third individual, and the third individual dominates over the first individual.
urine marking
A form of olfactory communication used by some animals to establish territory.
visual signal
A message related to the sense of sight.
