ANIMAL BEHAVIOR
Aims of the course
• 1. To understand the general concepts that
govern the manner in which animals behave
throughout their lives i.e. maximizing
'fitness' through essentially selfish actions.
2. To appreciate the range of mechanisms
by which animals adapt to their
environmental conditions using behavioural
actions. 3. To achieve competence in the
skills required to conduct scientifically
meaningful studies of animal behaviour
Brief history of the study of
animal behaviour
• 1. First ethologists (pre-historic humans)
studied behavior for practical purposes: i. Prey
behaviour was studied for hunting. ii.
Domestication - dogs, cats, ox, cattle,
reindeer, horses, etc. 2. Natural theologians
during the Middle Ages documented
behaviour as part of general biology of
organisms. 3. From early 1900s - animal
behaviour became a formal discipline. 4. From
late 1900s and early 2000 - modern studies of
animal behaviou
Introduction
• I Behaviour can be defined as an expressed course
of action produced in organisms in response to
stimulus from a given situation. It could simply be
considered as what the animal does. The
fundamental explanation of behavioural activity
must begin with a stimulus and end with a response.
Stimulus: Any change in the biotic and abiotic
environments capable of eliciting or causing some
sort of reaction or response in a living organism. For
example, temperature, pressure, radiation, gravity, or
activities of other organisms within the immediate
environment
Approaches to behavioural
studies
• i. Vitalistic approach Behavioural activities are
explained in terms of what animals are seen to
do in relation to changes in the environment. It
involves total rejection of any study of the
animal outside its natural environment. The
technique is non-scientific since all the
observations relate to past events which cannot
be tested experimentally.
• ii. Mechanistic approach It is an experimental
approach and involves the study of particular
aspects of behaviour under controlled
conditions in a laboratory.
• It was pioneered by Pavlov and used
extensively in psychological study. It may be
criticized on the basis of the artificiality of the
experimental conditions and the way in which
results are interpreted.
• iii. Ethological approach Ethology is the
scientific study of animal behaviour.
• It explains responses observed in the field in
terms of stimuli eliciting the behaviour.
• This was pioneered by Lorenz, von Frisch
and Tinbergen.
• Ethologists have so far tried to answer
questions about animal behaviour from four
major areas:
• 1. The evolutionary history: - How did
various forms of behaviour evolved? i.e.
(Innate/instinctive/genetic or learned?) -
How does the behaviour compare with
similar behaviour in related species?
• 2 . Development: -
• - How does behaviour change with age?
• - What are the early experiences necessary for
the behaviour to expressed? - e.g. How does
courtship behaviour develop during the
individuals’s life?
• - Does the male in domestic fowl learn the waltz
dance? –
• Does he practice dancing? - Is he successful in
directing the female?
• 3. Causation:
• What are the stimuli that elicit the response?
• How has it been modified by recent
learning?
• 4. Function:
• How does the behaviour impact on the
animal’s chances of survival and
reproduction?
TERMS TO KNOW
• Instinct – (reflexes and responses) what the
animal has at birth. Ex. Nursing, searching
for food.
• Habituation – learning to respond without
thinking, response to certain stimulus is
established as a result of habituation.
• Conditioning – learning to respond in a
particular way to a stimulus as a result of
reinforcement when the proper response is
made.
TERMS TO KNOW
• Reinforcement – a reward for making the
proper response.
• Reasoning – the ability to respond correctly
to a stimulus the first time that a new
situation is presented.
• Intelligence – the ability to learn to adjust
successfully to certain situations. Both
short-term and long-term memory are part
of intelligence.
MAJOR TYPES OF ANIMAL
BEHAVIOR
• Sexual
• Maternal
• Communicative
• Social
• Feeding
• Eliminative
• Shelter-Seeking
• Investigative
• Allelomimetic
• Maladaptive
SEXUAL BEHAVIOR
Useful in implementing breeding programs
Examples of Sexual Behavior
o Cows that are in heat, allow themselves to be mounted
by others
o Bulls, rams and stallions smell the vagina and urine to
detect pheromones
o Flehmen – Male animal lifts head and curls its upper lip
o Rams chase ewes that are coming into heat
o Sows seek out boars for mating
o Mares in heat squat and urinate when stallion
approaches and vulva winks
MATERNAL BEHAVIOR
Females taking care of newborn and young
animals
Examples of Maternal Behavior
o Mothers clean young by licking them
o Mothers fight off intruders
o Become aggressive in protecting they young
after birth
COMMUNICATIVE BEHAVIOR
When some type of information is exchanged
between individual animals
Examples of Communicative Behavior
o Distress Calls – Lambs bleat, calves bawl, pigs
squeal and chicks chirp
o Dams recognize offspring by smell
o Farm animals respond to calls or whistles of the
producer
o Bulls bellow deeply to communicate aggressive
behavior
SOCIAL BEHAVIOR
Includes “fight or flight” and aggressive and
passive behaviors between animals
Includes interactions with other animals, humans
and behavior during handling and restraint
Examples of Social Behavior
o Males of all farm animals fight when they meet other
unfamiliar males of the same species
o Cows, sows and mares develop a pecking order, but
fight less intensely than males
o Cows withdraw from the herd to a secluded spot just
before calving
o Almost all animals withdraw from the herd if they are
sick
FEEDING BEHAVIOR
Exhibited by animals when eating and
drinking
(Ingestive Behavior)
Examples of Feeding Behavior
o Cattle graze 4-9hrs/day, ruminate 4-9hrs/day,
regurgitate 300-400 boluses of feed per day
o Sheep and goats graze 9-11hrs/day, ruminate 7-
10hrs/day, regurgitate 400-600 boluses of feed per
day
o Cattle usually don’t go more than 3 miles away
from water
o Sheep may travel as much as 8 miles a day
ELIMINATIVE BEHAVIOR
Elimination of feces and urine
Examples of Eliminative Behavior
o Cattle, sheep, horses, goats and chickens eliminate feces
& urine indiscriminately
o Hogs eliminate feces in definite areas of a pasture or pen
o Cattle, sheep, goats and swine defecate while standing or
walking, urinate while standing, but not walking
o Cattle defecate 12-18 times/day, urinate 7-11 times/day
o Horses defecate 5-12 times/day, urinate 7-11 times/day
o Animals defecate & urinate more when stressed or
excited
o Animals loose 3% of their live weight when transported
to & from market points (Shrink)
SHELTER-SEEKING
BEHAVIOR
Examples of Shelter-Seeking Behavior
o Animals crowd together in snow and cold winds
o Animals seek shelter of trees when it rains
o Cattle and sheep seek shady area for rest and
rumination if weather is hot
o Hogs find a wet area if weather is hot
o In extreme situations, animals pile up to the extent
that some get smothered
INVESTIGATIVE BEHAVIOR
Examples of Investigative Behavior
o Pigs, horses and dairy goats are highly curious,
investigate any strange object, approach carefully,
slowly, sniffing and looking as they approach
o Sheep are less curious and more timid
ALLELOMIMETIC
Animals of a species tend to do the same thing at
the same time.
Important in that a producer may observe the
herd with little difficulty, also useful in driving
groups of animals from one place to another.
Examples of Allelomimetic Behavior
o Cattle and sheep tend to graze at the same time and
rest and ruminate at the same time
o Range cattle gather at the watering place about the
same time each day because one follows the other
MALADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR
Animals that cannot adapt to their environment,
exhibit inappropriate or unusual behavior.
Examples of Maladaptive Behavior.
o Chickens and swine in extensive management
(confinement) systems resort to cannibalism, removal
of tails is a prevention method
o Buller-steer syndrome – steers that have been castrated
before puberty demonstrate masculine behavior

Animal behaviour.pptx

  • 1.
  • 2.
    Aims of thecourse • 1. To understand the general concepts that govern the manner in which animals behave throughout their lives i.e. maximizing 'fitness' through essentially selfish actions. 2. To appreciate the range of mechanisms by which animals adapt to their environmental conditions using behavioural actions. 3. To achieve competence in the skills required to conduct scientifically meaningful studies of animal behaviour
  • 3.
    Brief history ofthe study of animal behaviour • 1. First ethologists (pre-historic humans) studied behavior for practical purposes: i. Prey behaviour was studied for hunting. ii. Domestication - dogs, cats, ox, cattle, reindeer, horses, etc. 2. Natural theologians during the Middle Ages documented behaviour as part of general biology of organisms. 3. From early 1900s - animal behaviour became a formal discipline. 4. From late 1900s and early 2000 - modern studies of animal behaviou
  • 4.
    Introduction • I Behaviourcan be defined as an expressed course of action produced in organisms in response to stimulus from a given situation. It could simply be considered as what the animal does. The fundamental explanation of behavioural activity must begin with a stimulus and end with a response. Stimulus: Any change in the biotic and abiotic environments capable of eliciting or causing some sort of reaction or response in a living organism. For example, temperature, pressure, radiation, gravity, or activities of other organisms within the immediate environment
  • 5.
    Approaches to behavioural studies •i. Vitalistic approach Behavioural activities are explained in terms of what animals are seen to do in relation to changes in the environment. It involves total rejection of any study of the animal outside its natural environment. The technique is non-scientific since all the observations relate to past events which cannot be tested experimentally.
  • 6.
    • ii. Mechanisticapproach It is an experimental approach and involves the study of particular aspects of behaviour under controlled conditions in a laboratory. • It was pioneered by Pavlov and used extensively in psychological study. It may be criticized on the basis of the artificiality of the experimental conditions and the way in which results are interpreted.
  • 7.
    • iii. Ethologicalapproach Ethology is the scientific study of animal behaviour. • It explains responses observed in the field in terms of stimuli eliciting the behaviour. • This was pioneered by Lorenz, von Frisch and Tinbergen. • Ethologists have so far tried to answer questions about animal behaviour from four major areas:
  • 8.
    • 1. Theevolutionary history: - How did various forms of behaviour evolved? i.e. (Innate/instinctive/genetic or learned?) - How does the behaviour compare with similar behaviour in related species?
  • 9.
    • 2 .Development: - • - How does behaviour change with age? • - What are the early experiences necessary for the behaviour to expressed? - e.g. How does courtship behaviour develop during the individuals’s life? • - Does the male in domestic fowl learn the waltz dance? – • Does he practice dancing? - Is he successful in directing the female?
  • 10.
    • 3. Causation: •What are the stimuli that elicit the response? • How has it been modified by recent learning? • 4. Function: • How does the behaviour impact on the animal’s chances of survival and reproduction?
  • 12.
    TERMS TO KNOW •Instinct – (reflexes and responses) what the animal has at birth. Ex. Nursing, searching for food. • Habituation – learning to respond without thinking, response to certain stimulus is established as a result of habituation. • Conditioning – learning to respond in a particular way to a stimulus as a result of reinforcement when the proper response is made.
  • 13.
    TERMS TO KNOW •Reinforcement – a reward for making the proper response. • Reasoning – the ability to respond correctly to a stimulus the first time that a new situation is presented. • Intelligence – the ability to learn to adjust successfully to certain situations. Both short-term and long-term memory are part of intelligence.
  • 14.
    MAJOR TYPES OFANIMAL BEHAVIOR • Sexual • Maternal • Communicative • Social • Feeding • Eliminative • Shelter-Seeking • Investigative • Allelomimetic • Maladaptive
  • 15.
    SEXUAL BEHAVIOR Useful inimplementing breeding programs Examples of Sexual Behavior o Cows that are in heat, allow themselves to be mounted by others o Bulls, rams and stallions smell the vagina and urine to detect pheromones o Flehmen – Male animal lifts head and curls its upper lip o Rams chase ewes that are coming into heat o Sows seek out boars for mating o Mares in heat squat and urinate when stallion approaches and vulva winks
  • 16.
    MATERNAL BEHAVIOR Females takingcare of newborn and young animals Examples of Maternal Behavior o Mothers clean young by licking them o Mothers fight off intruders o Become aggressive in protecting they young after birth
  • 17.
    COMMUNICATIVE BEHAVIOR When sometype of information is exchanged between individual animals Examples of Communicative Behavior o Distress Calls – Lambs bleat, calves bawl, pigs squeal and chicks chirp o Dams recognize offspring by smell o Farm animals respond to calls or whistles of the producer o Bulls bellow deeply to communicate aggressive behavior
  • 18.
    SOCIAL BEHAVIOR Includes “fightor flight” and aggressive and passive behaviors between animals Includes interactions with other animals, humans and behavior during handling and restraint Examples of Social Behavior o Males of all farm animals fight when they meet other unfamiliar males of the same species o Cows, sows and mares develop a pecking order, but fight less intensely than males o Cows withdraw from the herd to a secluded spot just before calving o Almost all animals withdraw from the herd if they are sick
  • 19.
    FEEDING BEHAVIOR Exhibited byanimals when eating and drinking (Ingestive Behavior) Examples of Feeding Behavior o Cattle graze 4-9hrs/day, ruminate 4-9hrs/day, regurgitate 300-400 boluses of feed per day o Sheep and goats graze 9-11hrs/day, ruminate 7- 10hrs/day, regurgitate 400-600 boluses of feed per day o Cattle usually don’t go more than 3 miles away from water o Sheep may travel as much as 8 miles a day
  • 20.
    ELIMINATIVE BEHAVIOR Elimination offeces and urine Examples of Eliminative Behavior o Cattle, sheep, horses, goats and chickens eliminate feces & urine indiscriminately o Hogs eliminate feces in definite areas of a pasture or pen o Cattle, sheep, goats and swine defecate while standing or walking, urinate while standing, but not walking o Cattle defecate 12-18 times/day, urinate 7-11 times/day o Horses defecate 5-12 times/day, urinate 7-11 times/day o Animals defecate & urinate more when stressed or excited o Animals loose 3% of their live weight when transported to & from market points (Shrink)
  • 21.
    SHELTER-SEEKING BEHAVIOR Examples of Shelter-SeekingBehavior o Animals crowd together in snow and cold winds o Animals seek shelter of trees when it rains o Cattle and sheep seek shady area for rest and rumination if weather is hot o Hogs find a wet area if weather is hot o In extreme situations, animals pile up to the extent that some get smothered
  • 22.
    INVESTIGATIVE BEHAVIOR Examples ofInvestigative Behavior o Pigs, horses and dairy goats are highly curious, investigate any strange object, approach carefully, slowly, sniffing and looking as they approach o Sheep are less curious and more timid
  • 23.
    ALLELOMIMETIC Animals of aspecies tend to do the same thing at the same time. Important in that a producer may observe the herd with little difficulty, also useful in driving groups of animals from one place to another. Examples of Allelomimetic Behavior o Cattle and sheep tend to graze at the same time and rest and ruminate at the same time o Range cattle gather at the watering place about the same time each day because one follows the other
  • 24.
    MALADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR Animals thatcannot adapt to their environment, exhibit inappropriate or unusual behavior. Examples of Maladaptive Behavior. o Chickens and swine in extensive management (confinement) systems resort to cannibalism, removal of tails is a prevention method o Buller-steer syndrome – steers that have been castrated before puberty demonstrate masculine behavior