Animal Behavior

What’s going on?

Sensation

Perception

Stimulus

Proximal/Proximate cause

Ultimate cause?

eyeblink

rooting

Human reflexes

Innate/Instinctive behavior

(Lorenz) sign stimulus = releaser

Fixed Action Patterns

eg: greylag goose egg retrieval

releaser: egg or round object

Fixed action patterns

eg: 3-spined stickleback aggression

releaser: “fish body” with red streak

“cute”

parent gulls release food

Learning

habituation

Spatial learning

eg: digger wasps

Konrad Lorenz & 1 of his families

Imprinting

Associative learning

Classical conditioning: Pavlov’s dogs

Associative learning

Operant conditioning eg: Skinner’s rats

(Wikipedia)

Operant conditioning

Imitation

mockingbird (Wikipedia)

Cognition

innovation

Alex

Not good at innovation

Cognition: Self-aware

Play

Movement

kinesis = change in activity level or turning radius

taxis = oriented movement toward or away from a stimulus

Migration: piloting, orientation, navigation

Self care

Foraging behaviorGrooming

Self care

self protection

Social behavior Communication

smellvisual

bees

Social behavior Communication

complex

sound

Agonistic

dominance hierarchies

territoriality

Courtship & mating

individual display

mutual display

Mating systems

Promiscuous

Monogamous

Polygamous

“cheating”

eg: sneaker males

males

female

Parental care

Altruism

Kin selection

inclusive fitness

Reciprocal

Animal societies

Insects: solitary, somewhat social, eusocial

eg: termite castes

Animal societies

Vertebrates: solitary, somewhat social, eusocial (very rare)

eg: mole rats

Culture