Transcript Animal Behavior - Elkin City Schools

Animal Behavior
Chapter 33
Behavior-the way an animal acts
-is genetic
 -is important to survival
 -should be flexible (change with the
environment)

2 Important Parts:
-stimulus- causes a response in an
organism
 -response- reaction to a stimulus


Ex. stimulus-mouse moves in the grass
response-owl attacks mouse
Innate Behavior
-is an instinct, non-learned
 -inborn
 -is built into an animal’s nervous system
 -does not change during an animal’s
lifetime
 Ex. nursing at birth, web building, nest
building, courting, crying, coughing

Reflex

A simple, automatic response to a stimulus
that involves no conscious control
(touching a hot object)
Fight or Flight Response

Mobilizes the body for greater activity
Communication

Passing information from one animal to
another
Why communicate?

Choosing mates/courtship
Locate food
Warn of danger
How to communicate:
Visually
 Colorful bodies
 Sound
 Chemical signals (pheromones)
 Electrical signals

Special Behaviors

Circadian Rhythms:
-Biological processes that occur over a 24
hour period
“Internal biological clock”
ex. awake during the day, asleep at night
-shift workers confuse their circadian
rhythms, jet lag
Reproduction
Courting behaviors
 (ex. singing in birds, croaking in frogs,
spreading feathers in peacocks, neck
flapping in lizards, chemicals
(pheromones…..odors))

Finding Food

Ex. “Talking” / “Dancing” in bees, spiders
building webs)
Protection

Ex. wolves living in packs, buffalo living in
herds, adults surround young
Migration
Instinctive, seasonal movement of animals
 -controlled by day length
 -climate changes, mating, food
 -navigate by sun and stars, geographic
clues, Earth’s magnetic field

Hibernation
Period of inactivity during cold winter
months
 -body temperature drops
 -oxygen consumption decreases
 -breathing rates decline
 -it conserves energy
 -squirrels, chipmunks

Estivation
State of reduced metabolism that occurs in
animals living in conditions of intense heat
 -desert animals

Territory
A physical space an animal defends
against other members of its species
 Ex.

-selecting an appropriate territory
has survival value

Aggressive Behavior
Used to intimidate another animal of the
same species, usually does not end in
death
 Ex. bird calling, teeth baring, growling)

Parental Behavior

Adults care for young, providing food,
protection, and warmth. Very important for
the survival of small litters
Learned Behavior
-must be taught
 -must be practiced
 -can be changed
 -accomplished through experiences
 Ex. writing, driving

Habituation


Decrease in a
response to a
stimulus
(ex. Birds with
shadows overhead,
horses)
Classical Conditioning



Making a mental
connection between a
stimulus and a good
or bad event
Ex. Using can food
opener to feed dogs,
raising hand to hit
someone….they
flinch)
Pavlov’s dogs
Operant Conditioning


Trial and error.
Behave a certain way
to receive a reward
Ex. Bird eats a
colored butterfly, and
it gets sick….it won’t
eat that kind of
butterfly again
Insight Learning
Applying previous knowledge (reasoning)
to a new situation
 Ex. Driver’s education…..driving many
different cars, then driving a 4wheeler or
jet ski, learning math in school)
 -primates do this!

Imprinting
An animal, at a critical time of its life, forms
a social attachment to another object
 Ex. Duckling following its mother

Only humans use language.