Vocabulary
= study of animal behavior
= action performed in response to stimulus
= something that elicits a response
Stimulus = something outside the animal
e.g. sound, sight, smell, presence of
another animal
 Internal Stimulus = something inside the animal
e.g. hunger, fatigue, feeling cold,
hormones
 Anthropomorphism = attributing human emotions to
animals
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


Ethology
Behavior
Stimulus
External
Types of Behavior
1. Foraging = feeding
e.g. locate, obtain & consume food
2. Parental Care = ensure survival of young
e.g. carrying, nursing, cuddling, holding young
3. Courtship = attracting a mate
 Courtship displays, bright feathers, songs, other
vocalizations, head butting, fighting
4. Reproductive =
e.g. mating, giving birth
5. Defensive = protection from predators
e.g. escape, threatening, fighting
6. Territorial = protect a resource for exclusive use
e.g. marking, protection of mate, space, food
or water source
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7. Social = work to create alliances, help the group
e.g., babysitting, defense of musk ox young,
play, play fight
8. Migratory = movement to a more suitable environment
as seasons change
e.g. dry vs. rainy seasons, winter vs. summer
range for browsers
and birds
e.g. salmon upriver to spawn, artic tern –
1800 meters from
Arctic to Antarctic
9. Communication = signaling between one animal and
another
 Greeting e.g. sniff, hug, kiss “bite”
 Aggression e. g. charge, bite, hit, fight, etc.
 Non-aggression e.g. patting, head butting,
stroking
 Grooming (bonding, alliances, keeping clean)
 Group hunt ( e.g.hyenas, lions)
 Vocalizations
e.g. bark, growl, snort, howl, hoot, chirp,
whinny, alarm sound
 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
10. Curiosity = investigating new stimulus in environment
e.g. approach, sniff, chew, bite, mount,
11. Elimination = defecation, urination
12. Resting = apparent inaction
e.g. lying down, sitting, basking, sleeping, loafing
2
Evolution of Behavior (i.e. Why or how do behaviors develop?)
Types of Behavior Development:
1. Natural Selection
 An animal that successfully completes a helpful
behavior survives to pass on the behavior to
offspring
 E.g. lion infanticide (new alpha male kills all former
alpha’s get) Why would this be beneficial to the
species?
2. Innate Behavior
 Appear in fully functional form when first
performed
 E.g. Startle behavior – purpose = selfpreservation
 E.g. web building, suckling, bird begging, nest
building, some bird song
3. Learning
 development of behaviors through experience
 determines final shape of innate behaviors
 4 types of learning
 Many Behaviors have both an innate and learned components
e.g. Imprinting = learning can occur only during period
changed once learned
early in life & can’t be changed once
learned
(see Conrad Lorenz with ducklings)
3
Types of Learming
1. Habituation
 Animal learns to ignore frequent, harmless
stimulus
 E.g. scarecrow, habituation to observer
2. Classical Conditioning
 Animal learns to associate unrelated response
with a stimulus
 E.g. Pavlov’s experiments (see pix)
1. bell ringing, food, salivation
2. bell ringing, salivation (even if no food is
given)
 E.g. 1. leash = going for a walk, excitement
2. sight of leash = excitement
3. 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
Positive Reinforcement - response good,
behavior continues
Negative Reinforcement – response bad,
behavior is punished,
may discontinue
4. Reasoning
 Analyze problem & devise solution using past
experiences
 Dogs? No, can’t unwind leash from tree
4
 Primates? yes
e.g. chimp, bananas, boxes
e.g. Japanese macaques float grain in
water
Communication = interaction between animals
Modes of Communication
1. Visual
2. Sound
3. Chemicals / Pheromones (any chemical signal
that causes
change in
behavior)
4. Body Posture / facial expression
5. Language? Signs, gestures
Why does Communication occur?
1. Defense (warn away)
2. Alliance (get helper or mate)
3. Elicit play
(see Jack Hanna video with Alex the Parrot)
5
Vocabulary
 Ethology = study of animal behavior
6
 Behavior = action performed in response to stimulus
 Stimulus = something that elicits a response
 External Stimulus = something outside the animal
e.g. sound, sight, smell, presence of
another animal
 Internal Stimulus = something inside the animal
e.g. hunger, fatigue, feeling cold,
hormones
 Anthropomorphism = attributing human emotions
to animals
Types of Behavior
1. Foraging = feeding
e.g. locate, obtain & consume food
2. Parental Care = ensure survival of young
e.g. carrying, nursing, cuddling, holding
young
3. Courtship = attracting a mate
 Courtship displays, bright feathers, songs, other
vocalizations, head butting, fighting
4. Reproductive =
e.g. mating, giving birth
5. Defensive = protection from predators
e.g. escape, threatening, fighting
6. Territorial = protect a resource for exclusive use
e.g. marking, protection of mate, space,
food or water source
7. Social = work to create alliances, help the group
e.g., babysitting, defense of musk ox
young, play, play fight
8. Migratory = movement to a more suitable
environment as seasons change
7
e.g. dry vs. rainy seasons, winter vs.
summer range for browsers
and birds
e.g. salmon upriver to spawn, artic tern –
1800 meters from Arctic to Antarctic
9. Communication = signaling between one animal
and another
 Greeting e.g. sniff, hug, kiss “bite”
 Aggression e. g. charge, bite, hit, fight, etc.
 Non-aggression e.g. patting, feline head
butting, stroking
 Grooming (bonding, alliances, keeping
clean)
 Group hunt ( e.g. hyenas, lions)
 Vocalizations
e.g. bark, growl, snort, howl, hoot, chirp,
whinny, alarm sound
 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
10.Curiosity = investigating new stimulus in
environment
e.g. approach, sniff, chew, bite, mount
11.Elimination = defecation, urination
12.Resting = apparent inaction
e.g. lying down, sitting, basking, sleeping,
loafing
Evolution of Behavior
8
(i.e. Why or how do behaviors develop?)
Types of Behavior Development:
1. Natural Selection
 An animal that successfully completes a helpful
behavior survives to pass on the behavior to
offspring
 E.g. lion infanticide (new alpha male kills all former
alpha’s get) Why would this be beneficial to the
species?
2. Innate Behavior
 Appear in fully functional form when first
performed
 E.g. Startle behavior – purpose = selfpreservation
 E.g. web building, suckling, bird begging,
nest building, some bird song
3. Learning
 development of behaviors through experience
 determines final shape of innate behaviors
 4 types of learning
 Many Behaviors have both an innate and learned
components
e.g. Imprinting = learning can occur only during
period changed once learned
early in life & can’t be changed once
learned
(see Conrad Lorenz with ducklings)
Types of Learning
9
1.
Habituation
 Animal learns to ignore frequent, harmless
stimulus
 E.g. scarecrow, habituation to observer
2. Classical Conditioning
 Animal learns to associate unrelated response
with a stimulus
 E.g. Pavlov’s experiments (see pix)
1. bell ringing, food, salivation
2. bell ringing, salivation (even if no food is
given)
 E.g. 1. leash = going for a walk, excitement
2. sight of leash = excitement
3. 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
Positive Reinforcement - response good,
behavior continues
Negative Reinforcement – response bad,
behavior is punished,
may discontinue
4. Reasoning
 Analyze problem & devise solution using
past experiences
 Dogs? No, can’t unwind leash from tree
10
 Primates? yes
e.g. chimp, bananas, boxes
e.g. Japanese macaques float grain in
water
Communication = interaction between animals
Modes of Communication
1. Visual
2. Sound
3. Chemicals / Pheromones (any chemical
signal that causes a change
in behavior)
4. Body Posture / facial expression
5. Language? Signs, gestures
Why does Communication occur?
1. Defense (warn away)
2. Alliance (get helper or mate)
3. Elicit play
(see Jack Hanna video with Alex the Parrot)
11