NAME ____________________________
Due_____________________________
Animal Behavior Investigation
Background information:
One characteristic that all life shares in common is the ability to respond to stimuli
and adapt to their environment. Behavior is an organism's response to stimuli.
Stimuli can be internal or external
 External - light, gravity, temperature, odor, moisture, etc.
 Internal - thirst, hormones, etc.
Behaviors can be innate or learned
 Innate behavior - response to stimuli that is performed spontaneously the
first time the stimulus is encountered (startle response, sucking, crying,
etc.) Influenced by genes

Learned behavior - behavior that develops as a result of experience.
Innate behaviors can be modified by learned behavior
Activity Part 1: Taxis observation
Taxis – Directed movement towards or away from a stimulus.
Kinesis – Random movement in response to a stimulus.
If by shining a light to the right of an animal, it turns and walks directly to the right,
this is taxis. If instead it starts moving randomly around, this is kinesis. Kinesis can
still cause an animal to move towards or away from a stimulus, it just takes longer to
reach it. For example, if the animal wants to move toward the light and when it
senses light it starts moving in random directions, but slows down when it gets to an
area that has more light than what it was previously in, it will eventually get to a lit
area and stop.
To put it into more human terms, taxis is knowing where you want to go and
walking right to it. Kinesis is not really knowing where you want to go, but you
know you need to be somewhere else, so you just keep moving around; when you
find yourself in a “better” location, you slow down and when you find yourself in a
“worse” location you speed up.
NAME ____________________________
Due_____________________________
1. Choose a stimulus that you will be introducing to your mouse. You will be
using this to try to illicit a taxis or kinesis response in your mouse. List your
chosen stimulus below.
2. Did you select an internal or external stimulus? Explain your reasoning.
3. Do you predict your mouse will use taxis or kinesis when encountered with
your stimulus? Explain your prediction.
4. Clear off your desk, place your stimulus on the desk and introduce your
mouse to the area. Write detailed observations of your mouse’s behavior
below.
5. Did you observe taxis or kinesis behaviors with your mouse?
NAME ____________________________
Due_____________________________
6. Compare the behaviors expected in a mouse with the behaviors you would
expect to see in an animal without a developed brain and sensory system.
Which behavioral responses would you predict to see in each animal? Why?
Activity Part 2: Stimulus-Response patterns
In this activity you will try to observe an innate behavior, or an instinct, in your
mice. It will be your job to select a stimulus that you believe will illicit an innate
response and then observe the mouse’s behavior that follows.
1. What stimulus are you selecting?
2. Did you select an internal or external stimulus? Explain your reasoning.
3. Create a table on a separate piece of paper to collect your data. You will be
observing your behavior in three separate mice so make three separate
columns.
4. Introduce your stimulus to your mouse and pay very close attention to the
response. Things to watch for are ear movement, breathing rate, freezing,
creeping, running, tail movements etc. Record your observations for mouse 1
in your table.
5. When another group is ready trade mice with them. Give the mouse a chance
to settle down a bit before introducing your stimuli to the second mouse.
Record and repeat with a third mouse.
NAME ____________________________
Due_____________________________
Data Collection: make a table in the space below to collect your data.
Lab Analysis:
1. Compare and contrast the behavioral responses between your three mice.
2. Based on your data, can you determine whether you were studying a
innate behavior or a learned behavior? Explain.