ANIMAL BEHAVIOR Behavior…anything an animal does in response to a stimulus

ANIMAL BEHAVIORBehavior…anything an animal does

in response to a stimulus

INNATE BEHAVIOR• Inherited behavior• Instincts & reflexes• Behavior an animal is

born with• EX: suckling; building

nests, migrating, defending territory

Innate Behavior

Taxis – animal moves toward or away from a stimulusEx. Insect moving toward or away from light

Positive light taxis

Innate BehaviorREFLEX• Automatic response to

a stimulus• Pulling your hand away

from heat• Jumping at a loud noise

INSTINCT• Something you are born

knowing to do• Building a nest• suckling

Innate Behavior

• MIGRATION• Moving to new

location periodically (find food, mating partners)

• Based on seasons, rain

Innate Behavior

HIBERNATION – dormant (sleep-like state) in winter

Purpose????? Survive winters when there is little available food.

Innate BehaviorESTIVATION – dormancy

during periods of extreme heat or drought

Purpose???conserve resources during extreme heat & droughtconditions

EXAMPLES…frogs, bees, hedgehogs, reptiles, snails

Innate Behavior

AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR

Animal intimidates anotherBird calling, growling,

showing teethTo defend food supply,

territory, or young

Innate BehaviorTERRITORIALITY• Defending an area from

another organism• Physical space used by an

organism for feeding, breeding, or raising young

• Reduces conflicts, controls population growth, provides efficient use of resources

Innate Behavior• PHEROMONES: chemicals

that communicate information in other animals

• Ants, bees use them to communicate

• Urine contains pheromones• Often used to mark territory

Humans mark their territory too!

Innate Behavior

COURTSHIP• Rituals carried out to

attract mates• Flashy dances, gestures,

posturing, light signals• Specific to each species• Helps organisms find

mates of their species

FIGHT OR FLIGHT

• Response to a perceived attack, harm, or threat to survival.

• Cats arch their backs at the smell of a rival; mice scurry at the scent of a fox

Social Behavior

DOMINANCE HIERARCHY• “pecking order”• In social groups, there

is a state of “seniority”• Alpha males/females

Social Behavior

Communication in social insects using pheromones.

COMMUNICATION is both INNATE & LEARNED

Learned Behavior

• Acquired behavior• Behavior changes

through practice• Trial & error• Allows for

adaptation to change; therefore important in survival

Learned Behavior

TRIAL & ERROR• Practice makes

perfect• Learn to exhibit a

behavior based on a reward

Learned BehaviorHABITUATIONan animal becomes accustomed to

a stimulus through prolonged and regular exposure

Ex: you don’t notice a clock chiming in your house, the refrigerator or heat/air coming on; but you do when you’re at someone else’s house!

Learned BehaviorIMPRINTING• Learning based on early

experience• Bonding shortly after

birth• Once occurred, cannot

be changed• Keeps young animals

close to mother who protects and feeds them

Learned Behavior

CONDITIONING• Learning by association• Dogs or cats come to

their food bowl when they hear the can opener

• Students change class when they hear bell