Animal Behaviors

1. {
Animal Behavior
Summit Virtual Biology

2. Animal Behavior
• Taxis- how a living organism responds to
stimuli
– Phototaxis-responding to light
• Three Types:
– Innate (Instincts)
– Social
– Learned https://simple.wikipedia.org/wi
ki/Instinct#/media/File:Green_t
urtle_swimming_in_Kona_May
_2010.jpg
Rights Reserved under CC BY-
SA 3.0

3. Innate Behaviors
• (instincts) are the basis of learning
– Example: A kitten plays with a ball of string,
the kitten instinctively chases the ball as a
predatory response. This will shape the
behavior of chase.
– Suckling

4. Innate (Automatic)
responses
• Reflex- response to a stimulus involves no
conscious control
– When a doctor knocks on a patient’s knee cap
to check reflexes

5. • Fight or flight responses
– Controlled by hormones
https://pixabay.com/en/box-boxing-match-uppercut-62867/

6. • Migration- seasonal movement of animals
– Find food, mates, area for raising young
https://pixabay.com/en/birds-high-fly-flying-migrating-216827/

7. • Hibernation – body temp drops
– Oxygen consumption decreases
– Breathing declines
– Conserves energy
Circadian Rhythm-
based on 24 hour cycle
of day - sleep/wake
https://pixabay.com/en/winter-sleep-hibernation-bear-snow-295403/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circa
dian_rhythm#/media/File:Biological
_clock_human.svg
Rights Reserved under CC BY-SA
3.0

8. • Estivation – state of reduced metabolism
– Occurs in animals living in intense heat
– Response to lack of food or drought
Rights Reserved under CC BY-SA 2.0
https://www.flickr.com/photos/33037982@N04/4952735746

9. What about SOCIAL
BEHAVIORS?
• Aggression
• Territoriality
• Mating Displays
• Communication

10. Courtship
https://pixabay.com/en/birds-chirping-love-courtship-
311856/
Courtship Behavior
• Males and females carry
out before mating
• Evolved through natural
selection
• Ensures that members of
same species find each
other and mate

11. Aggressive Behavior
• solve disputes over
resources, territory,
mates
• Most are ritualized threat
displays, which are
meant to size each other
up, and allow the weaker
to flee without serious
injury.
• Bare teeth, growl, hiss
Public Domain

12. • Aggressive behavior leads to dominance
hierarchy
– Social ranking
– Top gets to mate – first to eat
– “pecking order”
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fulmar_petrels_determin
e_the_pecking_order_in_the_Moray_Firth._-_geograph.org.uk_-
_220534.jpg
Rights reserved under CC BY-SA 2.0

13. Territoriality
• Territory- a physical space an
animal defends
– Has food, water, shelter, mates
– Benefits: Reduces conflict,
controls population growth,
efficient use of resources,
improve chance of offspring
survival
– Mark their territory with
pheromones
https://pixabay.com/en/cat-
laying-pet-animal-114815/

14. Innate & Learned
(Communication)
• Exchange of information-sound, sight,
touch, smell
– Example: Bees
– When a bee finds a rich food source, it
communicates it to the hive with the “waggle”
dance

15. Learned Behaviors
• Produces a change in behavior due to
experience
• Types:
– Imprinting
– Habituation
– Classical Conditioning
– Trial and Error
– Insight

16. Imprinting
• Animal forms a strong attachment to
another animal or an object
• occurs within a couple days of birth
• allows mother to recognize and bond
with baby and visa-versa.

17. Habituation
Involves a decrease in response due to repeated stimuli
• Allows animal to eliminate response to unimportant
stimuli (also known as sensitization)
• Example: Animals get used to people being around
and don’t run away anymore.

18. Classical Conditioning
• Learning by Association
• Pavlov
• Russian biologist that first demonstrated
classical conditioning with his dog
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Examp
le_of_classical_conditioning.JPG
Rights Reserved under CC BY-SA 3.0

19. Trial & Error
• An animal receives a reward for making a
particular response- motivation
• Motivation leads to learning
https://flic.kr/p/9282ee
Rights Reserved under CC BY 2.0

20. Insight
• Learning in which
an animal uses
previous
experience to
respond to a new
situation
• May involve
motivation