Animal Behavior
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Animals Exhibit Behavior
• innate behavior - a behavior that is preprogrammed into an organisms genes, no
learning is required
• learned behavior - a behavior that is not
pre-programmed into an organisms genes,
learning this behavior is required.
However, the ability to learn requires
genes.
• social behavior - a behavior that includes
the interaction between organisms. Can
be learned or innate.
Suckling
• Innate Behavior
• an innate
behavior where
mammals
receive milk
from their
mothers
Migration
• Innate Behavior.
• an innate
behavior where
organisms move
long distances
seasonally to
find food or
bread
• Immigration /
Emigration
Hibernation
• Innate Behavior
• an innate behavior where organisms sleep
through the winter to conserve energy
• This requires
storing food in
the den or
storing energy
as fat.
• Slow metabolism
Estivation
• Innate Behavior
• an innate behavior
where organisms
sleep through long
hot dry times to
conserve water and
energy
Circadian Rhythms
• Innate Behavior
• an innate
behavior where
organisms
remain fixed to
an internal clock.
• Some animals
are nocturnal.
Taxis
• Innate Behavior
• Moving towards something it needs to
survive.
• Phototaxis –
organisms
moving toward
the light.
Imprinting
• Learned Behavior or Innate Behavior?
• The first thing a newborn sees will be imprinted
as its “mother”.
• The chicks will follow the “mother” everywhere.
• Scientists can get
chicks to imprint
them as the
“mother”. The
chicks will follow
the scientist around.
Habituation
• Learned Behavior.
• The organism stops responding to a stimuli in
the environment.
• The bear will be naturally afraid of humans, but
when it gets food
near humans and
comes into
contact frequently
it is no longer
afraid.
Habituation
• Learned Behavior.
• The organism stops responding to a stimuli in
the environment.
• The chick sees a
shadow and dives
into the nest thinking
it is a raptor.
• Over time it learns
to ignore some
shadows because
they are harmless.
Operant Conditioning
• Learned Behavior.
• Associate an abnormal behavior with a reward
or consequence.
• Rat rings a bell and gets food when the green
light is lit.
• Rat gets
shocked when
the red light
is lit.
Classical Conditioning
• Learned
Behavior
• Pavlov’s
Dog
• Associate
an abnormal
stimulus
with a
normal
behavior.
Trial and Error
• Learned Behavior.
• The organism keeps
trying and failing until it
learns to do it right.
Courtship
• Social Behaviors
• Behaviors that animals do to impress a
mate.
• Male “Birds of Paradise” have many
feathers and dances to court a mate.
Territorial Defense
• Social Behavior.
• Animals will fight to keep other animals out of its
territory.
• This maintains the
food and mate
supply.
Male Siamese
fighting fish will
fight to the death.
Communication
• Social Behavior.
• Pheromones – chemical signals that can be
detected and used for communication.
• Ants leave a pheromone trail for other ants to
follow.
• Dancing – bees dance to tell other bees where
the good flowers are.
• Sounds – Animals will use sounds to warn of
danger, cry for a mother, or talk to each other.
• How do innate behavior patterns function
as adaptations for animals? Give some
examples in your answers.
• How are learned behaviors of greater
adaptive value than innate behaviors?
What is the value of learning?