Animal Behavior
Animal Behavior
Animal Behavior – an action or a group of
actions performed by an animal in response
to some stimulus
There are 3 types of animal behavior:
Innate Behavior
1. Innate behavior – genetically determined behavior (animal
is born with the ability to know how to do it)
a. Reflex – simple, automatic response that involves no
conscious control
Innate Behavior
b. Instinct – complex innate behavior; ex.: suckling,
nest building, web spinning
Innate Behavior
c. Taxis – response made
by the whole organism
to an environmental
stimulus
- insects moving away
from or toward light =
phototaxis
- moving toward
chemical substance =
chemotaxis
Innate Behavior
d. Migration – seasonal
movement of animals,
usually to a warmer
area
Innate Behavior
e. Estivation – a state of reduced metabolism that
occurs in animals living in conditions of intense
heat
Innate Behavior
f. Hibernation – a deep sleep in which body
temperature, oxygen consumption, and breathing
rate decrease (conserves energy)
Learned Behavior
Learned behaviorsquirrel gets food
from a bird feeder
Habituation- deer
checking out a car
at a state park
2. Learned behavior – obtained through practice or experience
a. Habituation- occurs when an animal is repeatedly given a
stimulus that is not associated with any punishment or
reward
-
horse not moving when cars go by on a road
Child keeps misbehaving when there is no punishment
Deer at Stone Mountain State Park (not camera-shy)
Learned Behavior
b. Imprinting – an animal
forms a social
attachment to an
object during its
“critical time”
– if you pick up a baby
bird, it might think you
are its mama
Learned Behavior
c. Classical Conditioning (stimulus association)animal learns to associate one event with another
event
– Pavlov’s dog experiments with bell and food
Learned Behavior
d. Trial and error – keeps trying until the correct
response is made; there must be a reward
– Mouse in a maze (gets faster each time); basketball
Social Behavior
3. Social Behavior
a. Communication within social structure using pheromones
(ex. Bees and ants)
–
–
Pheromone = a chemical released by an animal that affects the
behavior or development of other members of the same species
through the sense of smell or taste
Ants leaving a trail to food, bees identifying and defending hive,
attracting mates
Social Behavior
b. Courtship dances – movements to attract mate
– Spiders, birds, humans 
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=322_1185412350
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=c56_1191324254
Social Behavior
c. Territorial defense (ex. Fighting fish) – animal
defends its physical space against other members
of its species
– Prevents overcrowding and increases survival