Behave Yourself! A Summary of Animal Behaviors

Do Now 1.What kind of animals have you seen migrating? 2.Why do you think they migrate at certain times of the year? Essential Question How do animals communicate and respond to each other and their environment? Objective Students will be able to describe how animal behaviors increase chances of survival.

Lesson Overview Agenda Discussion: Animal Behavior CW: Animal Behavior Review Homework Innate/Learned Behavior Reading and Vocabulary

Innate Behaviors Also known as instinct Born with it, not learned Generally essential to organism’s survival. – Example: a spider building its first web. “Hard-wiring” of the nervous system, usually inflexible (a given stimulus triggering a given response)

Suckling A mammal is born knowing how to nurse – Example: Pigs suckling at birth

Imprinting Some baby bird species will follow the first moving object they see, usually the mother. – Example: ducks Fly Away Home Trailer

Migration Organisms move from one place to another periodically, generally in response to temperature or food availability. – Wildebeast, geese, monarch butterflies

Hibernation An organism goes dormant for a long period of time to escape cold temperatures. – Bears, chipmunks, frogs Hibernation & Homing

Estivation An organism goes dormant for a long period of time to escape hot temperatures. – Example: African bullfrog, fringe toed lizard, turtle

Positive Chemotaxis An organism responds to a chemical by moving towards it. – Example: Male cockroach pheromones attract females

Negative Chemotaxis An organism responds to a chemical by moving away from it. – Example: the smell of a skunk repels other animals

Positive Phototaxis An organism responds to light by moving towards it. – Example: Moths to a light

Negative Phototaxis An organism responds to light by moving away from it. – Example: Moles live underground

Circadian Rhythms Periods of sleep and waking in a 24 hour period. – Example: Human alertness during the day

Social Behaviors The various ways in which an organism interacts with members of its own species. Can vary greatly, depending on whether the organisms live together or lead solitary lives (interacting only to reproduce).

Courtship An individual performs a ritual – e.g., sounds, visual display, pheromones – to attract a mate or strengthen an existing bond – Example: Necking, dancing for mates in condors – Courtship grooming and feeding among birds and mammals Flamingo courtship Scorpion courtship

Territoriality An organism defending or marking a defined living space – Example: Wolves mark their territory; male bettas fight other males in their territory

Parental care Care of young, e.g., feeding, grooming, defense of young – Example: primates nursing young, elephant mother defending baby elephant, gull regurgitation

Communication Occurs when one organism passes along a signal to another, generating a response; signals include: – Visual – Sound – Touch – Chemical/electrical

Visual Signals An organism displays defined movements, coloration, or other behavior that can be seen – Cuttlefish changes colors to indicate mood. – White tail deer flash underside of tail for warning – Killdeer perform “broken wing” display to distract predators Killdeer broken wing

Sounds Birds – singing Dolphins – signature ‘whistle’ and echolocation Primates & Humans - language

Chemical Signals (Pheromones) Bees use pheromones (and visual “dance”) to help indicate to other bees where to find food, nectar, and the hive. Lions use pheromones to indicate readiness to mate and to identify their cubs.