Behaviour Flashcards
(16 cards)
Displacement activity and examples
A behaviour that has no relevant use in the current situation. Common in situations where activities are limited or unsure on what to do.
Examples: preening, scratching, yawning, grooming, sniffing
Stereotypes and examples
Fixed sequences of behaviour, this are usually repeated over and over again thag has no obvious function. It can aid with stress coping. This is usually not stress caused in given moment but behavioural scars. Examples are overgrooming, pacing, rocking, weaving, licking.
Inappropriate social grouping
Solitary species kept with others
Social species being kept alone
Too many (fe)males or too many young
Different species being housed together
Personality clashing
Tinbergen 4 questions
Function - peacock males flatter their feathers to attract females with all of their colours
Causation - the behaviour is controlled by the peacock females as it starts when they go into season
Development - the behaviour is innate as it’s a normal thing to see peacocks do all over the world
Evolution - it’s evolved as peahens pick out the bird with the best colours and breed so they can make a child with even better more vibrant colours
Learned vs innate
Learned behaviours are from observing other animals inside of their group, also can be done by teaching or trial and error until it’s perfected. Examples would be bearded capuchins evolved to crack coconuts with rocks to open for food
Innate behaviours are instincts that animals are born with as they naturally know it. Examples would be a monkey knows how to climb
Agonistic behaviours
- Behaviour associated between 2 or more animals
- indicated whether they will fight or retreat
- Prevents fights as it shows who will win the fight
- occurs when limited resources are in the area
Examples are:
Threat - adjusting size, noise, body language
Avoidance - pushing away, avoiding eye contact, running away, submission
Aggression - chasing, pushing, scratching, biting, fighting
Affiliative behaviours
A behaviour that aids in the bonding socially and emotionally.
Examples: allo grooming, allo parenting, play, boundary patrols
Benefits:
- increases chance of cooperation
- reduces agonistic behaviours
- mutually beneficial
- share resources
- protect genes (increase fitness)
- develops parenting skills
- safety from predators
Hierarchy and 2 types
Linear Hierarchy is a system of ranking in groups and it is deciphered by who dominates who. This is seen in chickens mainly and is established through numerous of social interactions.
Complex hierarchy is a system where animals rank eachother through social bonds. This is also ranked through how animals interact (relationships and bonds). This is seen in grey wolves
Types of social structure (groups)
Solitary, monogamous, eusocial, social group
Intra-specific vs inter specific communication
Intra-specific is when animals in the same species communicate when interspecific is different animals communicating. Intra examples are 2 penguins interacting and inter examples are an antelope and a lion interacting.
Altruism and examples
Altruism is when an animal does an act that benefits others but does not benefit themselves at all. An example of this is allo grooming in monkeys as it cleans the other monkey but the one who is doing this does not gain anything
Hamiltons rule: an animal will more likely do the behaviour if it’s related to the animal it’s aiding
Trivers theory: reciprocal altruism is when an animal will do a behaviour and expect them to return the favour in time.
Atypical behaviours
Atypical behaviours occur due to an animal not being able to complete its natural
Foraging
Definition:
Act of searching for food and provisions from the environment - includes when, where, how long and when to feed on the same patch.
Types of foraging:
Solitary, Group, Specialised.
Factors influencing feeding behaviours:
- Social factors
- environmental factors
- food palatability
- psychological factors
Foraging strategies:
- grazing
- trapping
- hunting
Characteristics:
- Search and decision making
- Adaptations of foraging
- Learning and memory
- Solitary/group foraging methods
Causes:
- Basic survival needs
- Food availability
- Competition
- Environmental factors
- Predation risk
- Social structures
Caching
Definition:
When an animal decides to store food for situations where food may be reduced or where animals may not be able to leave their home - mostly seen in birds
Clark’s nutcrackers:
- Able to remember thousands of cache locations even for 40 weeks later
Scrub jays:
- Remember what when and where caches have been stored and select rate of decay to decide what food they want to cache.
Scavenging
Definition:
The act of searching and collecting discarded waste.
They usually consume carrion (dead materials) instead of fresh food as it reduces risk.
It also aids the ecosystem as it removes waste.
Most scavengers have special gut bacteria to destroy any dangerous bacteria.
Characteristics:
- Opportunistic
- Highly adapted senses
- Specialised anatomy
- Group/solitary living
- Importance in ecology
Causes:
- Food scarcity
- Energy efficiency
- Environmental factors
- Behavioural adaptations
- Human influence
Hunting
Solitary hunting: Cheetah
- Females always hunt alone
- Males often hunt in cooperative groups
- They stalk prey before advancing slowly forward
- Once close enough they burst into a sprint
Group hunting: Lions
- Only females hunt
- Once prey has been spotted they spread out into a line
- Move closer with caution
- One lioness pushes forward ready for attack
- once the other zebras scatter the lions await orders until they strike
Sit and wait hunting: Frogfish
- Camouflage into rock or coral
- Lures prey with rod and lure attached to head
- Lure resembles worm, shrimp or fish
- Prey tries to catch lure and is engulfed by frogfish
Avoidance methods:
Safety in numbers:
- More lookouts
- Strength in numbers
- Scatter and confuse
Running:
- Relies on good fitness and diet
- Zig zag to confuse opponent
- Slotting/pronking
Looks and defence mechanisms:
Noxious chemicals - skunks use gas to deter enemies.
Poisonous chemicals - poison dart frogs have poison on their skin
Camouflage - certain butterfly’s have coloured wings to look like predators
