Animal Behavior, Zoology , Ahmad Raza, ,

1. ANIMAL
BEHAVIOR

2. -continues or enhances response
away from set point
*blood clotting; childbirth
-stops and returns toward set point
*most body responses
The ability to maintain a relatively stable
internal environment even though
the outside world is changing
Body Temperature Regulation
Causes change
Sun
Monitors changes then
sends information to
the control center
Skin – Touch Receptors
5 senses
Taste
Smell
Sight/Light
Touch/Feel
Hear/Sound
Determines levels to be
maintained SET POINT
(98.6oF), analyzes the
information, and determines
an appropriate response
Brain
Causes a response to
change conditions
Sweat Glands
A result of a stimulus
to correct the changes
Sweat - cooling
HOMEOSTASIS
REVIEW

3. WHAT IS BEHAVIOR?
A response to a
stimulus
 Stimulus – a signal

4. WHY BEHAVE?
Behavior is adaptive, because it helps an
organism survive and reproduce.
Behavior maintains homeostasis, which
helps the organisms support the conditions it
needs to live.

5. TYPES OF STIMULI
 Internal Stimuli
 Examples:
 Hunger signals a need for more energy and causes an animal to search
for food
 Thirst signals a loss of internal fluid and causes an animal to look for
water
 Pain warns an animal that some part of its body may be subject to
injury and causes it to take some action to avoid injury
 External Stimuli
 Examples:
 The sound of a predator can cause an animal to hide or run away to
avoid being caught
 The sight of potential mate can trigger courtship behaviors

6. SPECIALIZED CELLS (A.K.A. RECEPTORS)
Sensory cells detect:
 Light
 Sound
 Chemicals
Activate the animal’s nervous
system.
 May cause adrenaline release
 “Fight-or-Flight” Nervous System
 Muscles activated

7. FUNCTION OF BEHAVIOR - MOVEMENT
KINESIS
 Increase in
random
movement
 Lasts until a
favorable
environment is
reached
TAXIS
 Movement in a
specific direction
 Either toward or away
from a specific stimulus

8. BEHAVIOR IN CYCLES
Circadian Rhythm – daily pattern of activity
 Example:Sleep – daily activity over 24-hours
Biological Clock – internal mechanism of
activity patterns
 Example:Melatonin secretion by the brain that
can detect light changes

9. BEHAVIOR IN CYCLES
 Hibernation – avoidance of cold winter
temperatures
 Animals have:
 Decreased body temperature
 Decreased heart rate
 Decreased breathing rate
 Prepare by eating large amounts of fat for:
 Food source
 Insulation
 Light and temperature determine when an animal

10. BEHAVIOR IN CYCLES
Migration
 Set in motion by a variety of internal and
external stimuli:
 Example:Birds
Day length  controls hunger  gain weight 
increased fat storage  fuels long distance migration

11. TYPES OF BEHAVIORS
Innate Behavior
 A behavior with which the organism is
born
Learned Behavior
 A change in behavior due to experience

12. INNATE VS LEARNED BEHAVIOR
Innate Behaviors Learned Behaviors
Inborn
behavior
Genetically
Based
Based on Experience
Not modified by the individual
Modified by the individual by trial
and error
Generally
uniform Low variation in
population
High variation in population
Unaffected by the environment Highly affected by the environment

13. INNATE VS LEARNED BEHAVIOR
Innate Behavior Learned Behaviors
Examples:
• Suckling in newborns
• Migration
• Hunting instincts
Examples:
• Language acquisition
• Social Skills
• Domesticated behavior in pets
• Trained dolphins

14. INNATE OR LEARNED?
 Science Today: Facial Expressions | California Academy of
Sciences
 Chimpanzee Tool Use
 Conversation with Koko

15. TYPES OF LEARNED BEHAVIOR
1. Habituation
2. Observational
Learning
3. Conditioning
4. Play
5. Insight

16. HABITUATION
Forming a habit
Learning to get used to something after
being exposed to it for a while
 Example:The habit of seeing a scarecrow in the exact same
place in the garden every day causes birds to get used to,
and basically ignore, the stimulus

17. OBSERVATIONAL LEARNING
learning by watching and copying the
behavior of someone else

19. CONDITIONING
A way to modify (train) an animal’s
behavior in response to a certain stimuli
 Reward or punishment
 2 types
1. Classical Conditioning
2. Operant Conditioning

20. CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
A process in which an animal learns to
associate a previously neutral stimulus with
a behavior once triggered by a different
stimulus
 Pavlov’s Dog

21. CLASSICAL CONDITIONING

22. OPERANT CONDITIONING
A process in which the likelihood of a
specific behavior is increased by
reinforcement

23. OPERANT CONDITIONING
 Rat Basketball at Wofford College
 Big Bang Theory

24. LEARN BYPLAY
Young mammals, including humans, like to
play
Play is one way they learn the skills that they
will need as adults

25. INSIGHT LEARNING
learning from past experiences and
reasoning
Most complicated learning
Dog Insight Learning
Octopus Tool Use

26. ANY QUESTION?