Animal Behavior

What Behaviors Can You Observe?1. Observe the behavior of baby rats for a few

minutes. Write down your observations.2.Place some food near the animal and observe the

animal’s behavior.3. If there are other animals in the cage or aquarium,

observe how the animals interact—for example, do they groom each other or ignore each other?

4.Note any other events that seem to make the animal change its behavior.

5.What are some circumstances under which you would expect an animal’s behavior to change suddenly?

Animal Behavior

ANIMAL BEHAVIOR

WHAT IS BEHAVIOR?

Animal Behavior

The Behavior of Animals• Behavior

all the actions an animal performsoAvoid predatorsoObtain foodoFind a mate

Animal Behavior

Behavior as Response• Stimulus

• Signal that causes an organism to react in some way

• Response

•Reaction to a stimulus

• All animal behaviors are caused by a stimulus

Animal Behavior

The Functions Of Behavior• Help an animal survive

• Help an animal reproduce

Animal Behavior

Behavior by Instinct• Instinct

•Response to a stimulus that is inborn and that an animal performs correctly the first time

•Ex – earthworm crawls away from light

•Ex – baby kangaroo crawls into mother’s pouch

•Ex – birds building a nest

Animal Behavior

Skills Activity

Hawks, which have short necks, prey on gull chicks. Geese, which have long necks, do not prey on the chicks. When newly hatched gull chicks see any bird’s shadow, they instinctively crouch down. As the chicks become older, they continue to crouch when they see the shadow of a hawk, but they learn not to crouch when they see a goose’s shadow. Predict how older gull chicks will behave when they see bird shadows shaped like A, B, and C. Explain your prediction.

Animal Behavior

Animal Behavior

Baby birds chirping

Animal Behavior

Animal Behavior

Learned Behavior• Learning

•The process that leads to changes in behavior based on practice or experience

•Imprinting

•Conditioning

•Trial-and-error learning

•Insight learning

Animal Behavior

Learned Behavior• Not usually done perfect the first time• Part genetic• Ex – lions born with the “tools” for hunting but master

hunting skills through experience

Animal Behavior

Imprinting• Process where newly hatched birds and

newborn animals recognize and follow the first moving object they see

• Usually the mother

• Cannot be changed

• Keeps young animals close to their mother

• Allows young animals to learn what other animals of their own species look like

Animal Behavior

Lorenz

Animal Behavior

Conditioning• learning a particular stimulus or response leads to a good or bad outcome

Animal Behavior

Pavlov’s Dog

Animal Behavior

Rats

Dogs

Bunnies

Santa Claus

Coats

Animal Behavior

Little Albert

Animal Behavior

“A-maze-ing” Mice

A scientist conducted an experiment to find out whether mice would learn to run a maze more quickly if they were given rewards. She set up two identical mazes. In one maze, cheese was placed at the end of the correct route through the maze. No cheese was placed in the second maze.

- What Is Behavior?

Animal Behavior

“A-maze-ing” Mice

25 minutes

Reading Graphs:

On day 1, what was the average time it took mice with the cheese reward to complete the maze?

- What Is Behavior?

Animal Behavior

“A-maze-ing” Mice

10 minutes

Calculating:

On day 6, how much faster did mice with a reward complete the maze than mice without a reward?

- What Is Behavior?

Animal Behavior

“A-maze-ing” Mice

Whether a reward of cheese was given; the amount and kind of cheese for the reward should stay the same in repetitions.

Interpreting Data:

What was the manipulated variable in this experiment? Explain.

- What Is Behavior?

Animal Behavior

“A-maze-ing” Mice

After the second day, the rate of learning was faster with a reward given as positive reinforcement; mice learned to run the maze through trial and error; conditioning helped the mice learn that using the correct route through the maze would result in a reward, reinforcing and probably speeding up their response.

Drawing Conclusions:

Was the rate of learning faster for mice with the cheese reward or without the cheese reward? Explain.

- What Is Behavior?

Animal Behavior

Trial-and-Error Learning• An animal learns to perform a behavior more and more

skillfully•Ex – riding a bike•Ex – dog vs. porcupine

Animal Behavior

Dachshund Plays Fetch by Himself

Animal Behavior

Cat Massage

Animal Behavior

Insight Learning• The process of learning how to solve a

problem or do something new by applying what is already known

• Advanced form of learning

• Seen in primates

Video – McDougall Littell – Ch. 27 Chimps using tools

Animal Behavior

ANIMAL BEHAVIOR

PATTERNS OF BEHAVIOR

Animal Behavior

Communication• Comes in many forms• Animals use mostly sounds, scents, and body movements

•Attract mates•Warning•Location of food

Animal Behavior - Patterns of Behavior

Communication

These ants are finding their way to the sugar by following a pheromone trail.•Pheromone – chemical released by one animal that affects the behavior of another animal

Animal Behavior

Bat Communication

Animal Behavior

Bee Communication

Animal Behavior

Fire Flies

Animal Behavior

Cicadas

Animal Behavior

Competitive Behavior• Animals compete with one another for

limited resources such as food, water, space, shelter, and mates

Animal Behavior

Aggression• Thereatening behavior that one animal uses to

gain control over another• Within same species – rarely ends in injury or

death

Animal Behavior

Gorilla Fight

Animal Behavior

Establishing Territory• Territory

•An area that is occupied and defended by an animal or group of animals

• Protects resources such as food and mates• May use calls, droppings, scratches or pheremones

Animal Behavior

Bull Elephants fighting

Animal Behavior

Bear vs. Badger

Animal Behavior

Attracting a Mate• Courtship Behavior

•Males and females of the same species prepare for mating

• Can be competitive

• Displays

• Calls

Video – McDougall Littell – Ch. 27 courtship display

Animal Behavior

Peackock

Animal Behavior

Blue Footed Boobie

Animal Behavior

Fiddler Crab

Animal Behavior

Greater Grouse

Animal Behavior

Black Grouse

Animal Behavior

Elephant Seals

Animal Behavior

Anole

Animal Behavior

Birds of Paradise

Animal Behavior

Flamingo

Animal Behavior

Fish

Animal Behavior

Damselfly

Animal Behavior

What Females Want

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/what-females-want/video-full-episode/5371/

Animal Behavior

What Males Will Do

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/what-males-will-do/video-full-episode/5374/

Animal Behavior

Group Behavior• Living in groups enables animals to

cooperate

• Work together to find food

• Defense from predators

•School of fish – harder for predator to see an individual fish

Animal Behavior

Parenting and Social Primate Behavior

Animal Behavior

Social Structure

Animal Behavior

Animal Societies

A society is a group of closely related animals of the same species that work together in a highly organized way.

Animal Behavior

Mole Rats

Animal Behavior

Behavior Cycles• Cyclic Behaviors usually change over the

course of a day or season

• Circadian rythms

•Behavior cycles that occur over a period of approxiamtely one day

•Rest in day/ active at night

Animal Behavior

Hibernation/Estivation• Hibernation

•State of greatly reduced body activity during winter months when food is scarce

• Estivation

•Reduced activity during the summer or very hot periods when food and water is scarce

Animal Behavior

Migration• Regular, seasonal journey of an animal

from one place to another and back again

• Search for food

• Search for mates

• Navigate using sight, taste, Earth’s magnetic fields, scent

Animal Behavior - Patterns of Behavior

MigrationGolden plovers migrate to South America for the winter, and back to North America in the summer to reproduce.

Animal Behavior

Migration

Click the Video button to watch a movie about migration.

- Patterns of Behavior

Animal Behavior

Wildebeast Migration

Animal Behavior

Monarch Migration

Animal Behavior

Magnetism and Migration

Animal Behavior

Graphic Organizer

Trial-and-error

Learning

can be

such as such as such as such as

Imprinting Conditioning

Learning to tie shoes

Solving a math problem

Insight learning

Ducklingsswimming byfollowing their

mother

A dog going to itsmaster when

called