1. Animal Behavior

2. Animal Behavior
Animal Behavior – an action or a group of actions performed by an animal in response to some stimulus
There are 3 types of animal behavior:

3. Innate Behavior
1. Innate behavior – genetically determined behavior (animal is born with the ability to know how to do it)
a. Reflex – simple, automatic response that involves no conscious control

4. Innate Behavior
b. Instinct – complex innate behavior; ex.: suckling, nest building, web spinning

5. Innate Behavior
c. Taxis – response made by the whole organism to an environmental stimulus
- insects moving away from or toward light = phototaxis
- moving toward chemical substance = chemotaxis

6. Innate Behavior
d. Migration – seasonal movement of animals, usually to a warmer area

7. Innate Behavior
e. Estivation – a state of reduced metabolism that occurs in animals living in conditions of intense heat

8. Innate Behavior
f. Hibernation – a deep sleep in which body temperature, oxygen consumption, and breathing rate decrease (conserves energy)

9. Learned Behavior
Learned behavior- squirrel gets food from a bird feeder
Habituation- deer checking out a car at a state park
2. Learned behavior – obtained through practice or experience
Habituation- occurs when an animal is repeatedly given a stimulus that is not associated with any punishment or reward
horse not moving when cars go by on a road
Child keeps misbehaving when there is no punishment
Deer at Stone Mountain State Park (not camera-shy)

10. Learned Behavior
b. Imprinting – an animal forms a social attachment to an object during its “critical time”
if you pick up a baby bird, it might think you are its mama

11. Learned Behavior
c. Classical Conditioning (stimulus association)- animal learns to associate one event with another event
Pavlov’s dog experiments with bell and food

12. Learned Behavior
d. Trial and error – keeps trying until the correct response is made; there must be a reward
Mouse in a maze (gets faster each time); basketball

13. Social Behavior 3. Social Behavior
Communication within social structure using pheromones (ex. Bees and ants)
Pheromone = a chemical released by an animal that affects the behavior or development of other members of the same species through the sense of smell or taste
Ants leaving a trail to food, bees identifying and defending hive, attracting mates

14. Social Behavior b. Courtship dances – movements to attract mate
Spiders, birds, humans 

15. Social Behavior
c. Territorial defense (ex. Fighting fish) – animal defends its physical space against other members of its species
Prevents overcrowding and increases survival