1. Animal Behavior
The things animals do….

2. Animal Behavior Vocabulary
Ethology = study of animal behavior
Behavior = action performed in response
to stimulus
Whale tail

3. Vocabulary Stimulus = something that elicits a response
Examples of stimuli?
Sight
Touch
Smell
Taste
Sound

4. Vocabulary- other stimuli
Heat
Light
Chemicals
Humidity
Vibration
Color
Gravity
Pressure
★Presence of another animal
Others?

5. Stimuli outside the animal e.g. sound, sight, smell, etc,
External Stimulus =
something
outside the animal
e.g. sound, sight, smell, etc,
presence of another animal

6. Stimuli e.g. hunger, fatigue, feeling cold, hormones
Internal Stimulus =
something inside the animal
e.g. hunger, fatigue, feeling cold,
hormones

7. Vocabulary Anthropomorphism = attributing human emotions to animals
★We need to be careful about ascribing human emotions to animals
E.g. the animal is happy

8. Types of Behavior Foraging = feeding e.g. locate, obtain
& consume food

9. Types of Behavior 2. Parental Care = ensuring survival of young
e.g. carrying, nursing,
cuddling, holding young

10. Types of Behavior 3. Courtship = attracting a mate
e.g. courtship displays, bright feathers, songs, other vocalizations, head butting, fighting

11. Courtship

12. Types of Behavior
4. Reproductive =
e.g. mating, giving birth

13. Types of Behavior 5. Offensive/Defensive =
aggression, submissive behavior, defense from aggressors
e.g. hiding, fighting, escape, threatening

14. Types of Behavior 6. Territorial = protect a resource for
exclusive use
e.g. scenting / marking, birdsong,
protection of mate / offspring, space, food or water source

15. Types of Behavior 7. Social = work to create alliances, help the group
e.g. grooming, babysitting,
defense of musk ox young,
play, play fight

16. Types of Behavior 8. Migratory = movement to a more
suitable environment as seasons
change
e.g. dry vs. rainy seasons,
winter vs. summer range
for browsers & birds
e.g. salmon upriver to spawn,
artic tern –
1800 m from
Arctic
to Antarctic,
2x/year

17. Types of Behavior 9. Communication =
signaling between one animal & another
Greeting e.g. sniff, hug, kiss “bite”
Aggression e. g. charge, bite, hit, fight, etc.
Non-aggression e.g. patting, head butting, stroking

18. Types of Behavior- Communication
Grooming (bonding, alliances,
keeping clean)
Group hunt
( e.g. hyenas, lions)

19. Types of Behavior- Communication
Vocalizations
e.g. bark, growl, snort, howl, hoot,
chirp, whinny, alarm sound,
other language

20. Types of Behavior- Communication
Non-verbal signaling
e.g. body, head, ear, & / or tail position
showing teeth, smiling, looking away,
looking directly at, gesturing, thumping,
beating chest, raising hackles or hood, drumming, tail slap, snort, scenting, pheromones, sign language

21. Why Communicate? Defense (warn away) Alliance (get helper or mate)
Elicit play

22. Types of Behavior 10. Curiosity = investigating
new stimulus in environment
e.g. approach, sniff, chew, bite, mount

23. Types of Behavior
11. Elimination = defecation, urination

24. Types of Behavior 12. Resting = apparent inaction
e.g. lying down, sitting, basking,
sleeping, loafing

25. Types of Behavior 13. Play Purpose = training for life
(defense, hunting,
etc)

26. Types of Behavior Development
1. Natural Selection
An animal that successfully completes a helpful behavior survives to pass on the behavior to offspring.
Those whose genes fit the
conditions survive.

27. Types of Behavior Development
2. Innate Behavior
Appear in fully functional form when first performed
E.g. Startle behavior – purpose =
self-preservation
E.g. web building, suckling, bird begging, nest building, some bird song

28. Types of Behavior Development
3. Learning
development of behaviors through experience
determines final shape of innate behaviors
5 types of learning

29. Types of Learning 1. Imprinting (both innate & learned)
occurs only during a critical time frame
once learned, can’t be changed (see Conrad Lorenz with ducklings)

30. Imprinting

31. Types of Learning Animal learns to ignore frequent, harmless stimulus
2. Habituation
Animal learns to ignore frequent, harmless stimulus
E.g. scarecrow, habituation to observer

32. + +  Types of Learning 3 Classical Conditioning
Animal learns to associate unrelated response with a stimulus
E.g. Pavlov’s experiments
bell ringing, food,  salivation
bell ringing, salivation (even if no food is given) 

33. Classical Conditioning
E.g leash = going for a walk, excitement
2. sight of leash = excitement

35. Types of Learning 4. Operant Conditioning
Animal learns to behave in a certain way through repeated practice
Trial & error learning – animal tests conditions for desired response
e.g. Skinner box
Animal learns that a behavior gets a certain response
e.g. rat presses lever, gets food

37. Types of Learning
5. Reasoning
Analyze problem & devise solution using past experiences
Most Dogs?
E.g. No, can’t unwind leash from tree
Most Horses? No

39. Can primates reason?
Primates? yes
e.g. chimp, bananas, boxes

40. Can primates reason?

41. Can primates reason?

42. Can primates reason?
e.g. Japanese macaques float grain in water

43. ★See Alex the Parrot
Jack Hana Video
African Gray Parrot