BIOL 2154 Research Project
Fall 2009
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

Students will choose an animal to observe.
o They will email Miss Blumke their choice. Failure to notify Miss Blumke, or to change
animals without first informing the instructor will result in a loss of those associated
points.
o Zoo visits or other appropriate exhibits are encouraged though not required. An
attempt to choose a specific day and time to meet as a group will be attempted.
Vouchers for $5, reduced admission, is also available for enrolled students ONLY.
o Wild animals or domesticated pets are also possibilities. Students CAN NOT use their
own personal pets, or those they have close relationships with because it will likely
influence the behavior.

Students will create an ethogram of their own.
o If a zoo animal is picked then students may modify/recreate pre-existing ethograms.
When emailing Miss Blumke your animal choice, indicate your intent to visit the zoo.
You will then receive a file containing predetermined behaviors and descriptions to
assist you in preparing your ethogram. Warning: Instructor does not have all possible
animals, but can advise when choosing based on what is available.
o If a non-zoo animal is used (student doesn’t physically visit the zoo) then types of
behaviors and the ethogram must be determined by the student from scratch. (Minimal
research will likely be necessary.)

Students will create a glossary that explains each behavior that is to be observed.
o This is done regardless of the type of observation.
o See sample ethogram below for guidance in preparing the glossary; may also be helpful
in constructing/organizing your ethogram.

Students will observe their chosen animal.
o Students will perform 2 observations, each lasting 20 minutes. For the first observation,
complete this form in its entirety. (Scan sampling)
o For the second observation, complete your ethogram using the procedure described
below.
 Zoo visitors should focus on one specific animal, if multiple are present within
the enclosure, for this observation. (Focal sampling)

Students will turn in the following information no later than the last day of class, Thursday
December 3rd at 5:30pm. NO LATE PROJECTS WILL BE ACCEPTED.
o Completed observational sheet (first observation), completed ethogram, and glossary of
behaviors.
o Those attending the zoo or other appropriate exhibit must also provide the following
proof of attendance: ticket stub/receipt from the zoo with the date circled; as well as a
photo of themselves at the zoo.
GRADING SCHEME:

Students will be graded according to the quality, extent, and organization of both
their ethograms and their behavioral observations.
o Zoo visit:
 Creation of an appropriate ethogram:
15 pts.
 Glossary of what constitutes the behavior: 20 pts.
 Completion of animal observation 1:
25 pts.
 Completion of animal observation 2:
25 pts.
 Animal choice emailed to Miss Blumke:
5 pts.
 Documentation of visit:
10 pts.
 Total points associated with project:
100 pts.
o Non-zoo visit
 Creation of an appropriate ethogram:
 Glossary of what constitutes the behavior:
 Completion of animal observation 1:
 Completion of animal observation 2:
 Animal choice emailed to Miss Blumke:
 Total points associated with project:
25 pts.
20 pts.
25 pts.
25 pts.
5 pts.
100 pts
WHAT IS AN ETHOGRAM?
An ethogram is a comprehensive list or catalogue describing all of the naturally
occurring behaviors of that species, including individual behavior and pair or group interactions.
Ethograms are based on the results of observation of the species in its natural environment or
in semi-natural settings. Usually, the idea is to catalogue all the behaviors of a species in such a
manner that we can distinguish the relative frequencies and durations of the behavior patterns,
as the sequence in which they are typically displayed. As you can imagine, ethograms of a single
species may change seasonally or geographically. In addition, there may be gender and
developmental effects on the ethogram.
Some typical kinds of behaviors, especially when dealing with a group-living animal,
might be solitary behaviors, food-related behaviors, social behaviors and aggressive behaviors.
Many ethograms also include a code (letter and/or number) that the researcher can use on
their data sheet as a shorthand notation for a particular behavior.
MAKING AN ETHOGRAM
Make a list of different types of behavior that might be expected to occur (some provided if a
zoo or similar habitat is visited). You then make a chart showing those behaviors with a grid for
recording at specified time intervals, such as every two minutes. If more than 1 animal is present, give
each animal being observed a letter designation.
TYPES OF BEHAVIORAL DESCRIPTIONS:
Structure Descriptions:
Include detailed descriptions of the anatomical posture, movements, and sounds. For example,
you might record “the fish orients itself in front of the other fish, extends the pectoral fins until they are
90 degrees to the long axis of the body, and moves the caudal fin slowly from left to right.”
Consequence Descriptions:
These observations are simpler than structure descriptions and focus more generally on the
category of behavior, which is determined mainly by the consequence of such a behavior. For example,
you might record “the fish performs a frontal display”. This behavior, which you have previously defined
so that you can recognize it each time it is performed, is an aggressive display.
Relational Descriptions:
These observations ignore the actual behavior of the organism at the moment, but rather record
the location of an organism in relation to an object or another organism. For example, you may record
“the fish is within 5 cm of the partition” or “the fish is within one body length of the other fish”.
SAMPLE ETHOGRAM GLOSSARY
Type of
Behavior
Behavior Code Description of Behavior
Solitary
Groom self GS
Food
Related
Social
Aggressive
Locomote L
Animal engages in washing or smoothing its own fur or hair
using tongue or forelimbs
Animal assumes species-specific position for sleep, stays in
one place and is not alert to environmental changes
Animal stays in one place but may be roused easily by
environmental changes
Animal moves from place to place
Eat
E
Animal consumes food it finds in its environment
Look for
Food
LF
Animal searches the environment for food items
Drink
D
Groom
Others
GO
Play
P
Fight
F
Sleep
S
Rest
R
Steal Food SF
Animal consumes water or other liquids found in its
environment
Animal engages in washing or smoothing the fur or hair of
another animal in its environment
Animal engages in interactions with others that may involve
locomotion, climbing, manipulating objects or other activities
that show a relationship between two or more interacting
animals
Animal engages in physical conflict with another animal in ite
environment
Animal approaches another animal that has located food in the
environment and either by physical force or distraction,
removed that food item from the vicinity of the other animal