Chapter 3 Section 3 Animal Behavior

PROFICIENT I CAN STATEMENT I can analyze physical adaptations to predict which organisms are likely to survive in a particular environment. I can analyze behavioral adaptations to predict which organisms are likely to survive in a particular environment.

BASIC I CAN STATEMENTS I can explain the difference between learned and innate behaviors. I can describe the kinds of behaviors that help animals survive. I can identify seasonal behaviors that help animals adapt to the environment. I can identify three kinds of adaptations that help organisms survive.

If you look out the window and see a bird flying away from a tree, is the bird leaving a nest in search of food? Or is the bird escaping from danger? We may not know exactly, but the bird is flying away for a specific reason. Animals run from enemies, search for food battle for territory, and build homes. All of these are known as behavior.

Types of Behavior INNATE BEHAVIOR Example Behavior that does not depend on learning or experience is known as innate behavior. Innate behaviors are inherited through genes Example Puppies inherit the tendency to chew. Bees inherit the tendency to fly. Some innate behaviors happen at birth, for example a newborn whale can swim. Others happen months later. Humans have an innate behavior to walk, but we don’t walk until we are about a year old.

Learned Behavior Animals can use learning to change a behavior. Learned Behavior-is behavior that has been learned from experience or from observing other animals. Examples: Humans inherit the tendency to speak, but the language we use is not inherited. We might learn English, Spanish, or Sign Language.

Survival Behavior Animals use their behaviors to survive. To stay alive, an animal has to do many things. It must avoid being eaten, and it must find food, water, and a place to live.

Finding Food Animals find food in many ways. Examples: Bees fly from flower to flower collecting nectar. Koala bears climb tree to get eucalyptus leaves. Many animals hunt their food, for example owls hunt mice. Animals that eat other animals are known as predators. The animal being eaten is the prey. Note: Animals can be both a predator and prey. A frog eats insects. So, the frog is predator. But a frog may be eaten by a snake. In this case, the frog is the prey.

Marking Territory Sometimes, members of the same species must compete for food and mates. Some animals therefore claim their territory. A Territory is an area that is occupied by one animal or by a group of animals that do not allow other members of the species to enter. Birds sometimes mark their territory by singing. Animals use their territories for mating, raising young, and finding food.

Defensive Action Animals will defend food, mates, and offspring. Many male animals such as lions, fight violently to defend mates. Some birds use distraction to protect their young. For example, a mother killdeer may pretend to have a broken wing and move away from her young. This distracts the predator. Defensive behavior also helps animals protect themselves from predators. For example, a rabbit often stands still so that its color blends into a background of shrubs or grass. However, is a predator notices the animal they may have to outrun them.

Courtship Animals need to find mates to reproduce. Reproduction is essential for the survival of an individual’s genes. Animals have special behaviors that help them find a mate. These behaviors are referred to as courtship. Some birds and fish build nests to attract a mate. Other animals use special movements and sounds to attract a mate.

Parenting Some animals, such as caterpillars, begin life with the ability to take care of themselves. But many young animals depend on their parents for survival. Some adult birds bring food to their young because they cannot feed themselves when they hatch. Other animals, such as killer whales spend years teaching their young how to hunt for food.

Seasonal Behavior Humans bundle up when it’s cold outside. Frogs hide from the cold by burrowing in the mud. Squirrels store food to prepare for winter. Seasonal behaviors help animals adapt to the environment.

Migration Many animals avoid cold weather by traveling to warmer places. These animals migrate to find food, water, or safe nesting grounds. To migrate is to travel from one place to another. Whales, salmon, bats, and even chimpanzees migrate. Each winter, the monarch butterflies migrate to central Mexico from all over North America.

Migration How do animals know which way to go when they migrate? For short trips, many animals use landmarks to find their way. Landmarks are fixed objects that an animal uses to find its way. Birds use landmarks such as mountain ranges, rivers, and coastlines to find their way.

Slowing Down Some animals deal with food and water shortages by hibernating. Hibernation is a period of inactivity and decreased temperature that some animals experience in winter. Hibernating animals survive on stored body fat. While an animal hibernates, its temperature, heart rate, and breathing rate drop. Some hibernating animals drop their body temperature to a few degrees above freezing and not do wake for weeks at a time.

Slowing Down Other animals, such as a bear, slow down but do not enter a deep hibernation. Winter is not the only time that resources can by hard to find. Many desert squirrels and mice experience a similar internal slowdown in the hottest part of the summer, when they cannot easily find water and food. This period of reduced activity in the summer is called estivation.

A Biological Clock Animals need to keep track of time so that they known when to store food and when to migrate. The internal control of an animal’s natural cycles is called a biological clock. Some biological clocks keep up with daily cycles. These daily cycles are called circadian rhythms. More animals wake up and get sleepy at about the same time each day and night. This is an example of a circadian rhythm.

Moon Walking Bird

PROFICIENT I CAN STATEMENT I can analyze physical adaptations to predict which organisms are likely to survive in a particular environment. I can analyze behavioral adaptations to predict which organisms are likely to survive in a particular environment.