Animal Reproduction – Characteristics of Animal Behavior

Introduction:

An animal’s behavior is essentially a response to an internal or external trigger in ways that will help them survive and reproduce.

Hibernation occurs when an animal enters a den or burrow, lowers its metabolic rate, and enters a state of inactivity throughout the winter to conserve resources when the weather is harsh and food is scarce.

Hibernation is frequently triggered by environmental factors. When the temperature dips below 0℃ degrees Celsius and snow begins to fall, brown bears go into their lair and hibernate.

An aestivation is a form of hibernation that takes place throughout the summer months. In reaction to dry conditions, several desert animals estivate. This change aids them in surviving the most abrasive conditions of the year.

Migration is a seasonal pattern in which animals move from one region to another.

Monarch butterflies from the northern and central United States, for example, migrate to Mexico in the autumn and spend the winter there.

Air temperature, day duration, and food availability are all factors that contribute to fall migration.

Explanation:

It’s also not uncommon for behaviors to be prompted by a mix of internal and exterior factors.

Mating behaviors, for example, may be activated only when an animal is in the correct hormonal state, which is an internal cue, and when it sees a member of the opposing sex, which is an outward cue.

Types of Behaviors

Innate Behavior

The behavior that occurs naturally in all individuals of a species is known as an innate behavior.

In order for inherent behavior to occur, it must be triggered by a specific stimulus.

Innate or instinctive behavior is a term used to describe an animal’s natural conduct.

The ability of an animal to do a specific behavior in response to a given stimulus the first time it is exposed to the stimulus is known as instinct.

To put it another way, instinctive conduct does not need to be taught or trained.

Innate behaviors can be found in almost all animal species. In general, a higher share of behaviors is intrinsic in species with lower intellect levels. Inherited behaviors include the ones listed below:

• Spiders weave webs.
• Birds build their nests.
• Male stickleback fish fight each other.
• Insects such as moths spin cocoons.
• Dolphins and other aquatic animals swim.

Learned Behaviors:

Learning is the process of changing one’s behavior as a result of experience.

Learned habits are more adaptable than natural behaviors.

They are adaptable to shifting situations. As a result, they may be more adaptable than innate behaviors.

Animals learn in a variety of ways, one of which is habituation. Animals learn to reduce the frequency of the behavior in response to a recurrent stimulus in this sort of learning.

The behavior of little songbirds when confronted with a toy owl or other “predator” is an example of habituation.

When the birds see a toy owl in their cage, they react as if it were a genuine predator. They act afraid and want to leave.

The opposite of habituation is sensitization.

An animal learns to react more frequently or more forcefully to a recurrent stimulus through sensitization.

When an animal is exposed to painfully loud sounds, for example, it has a significant reaction.

A type of learning known as classical conditioning is when an animal learns to correlate one stimulus with another.

A stimulus that ordinarily causes a specific behavior is linked to the second stimulus in this sort of learning.

When dogs sight or smell food, they will drool instinctively. When they believe they are about to be fed, they drool as well. When dogs heard a specific sound, such as a bell or whistle, Pavlov trained them to drool.

In Operant conditioning, an animal learns to either do a rewarded behavior or to quit performing a penalized behavior.

Edward Thorndike was one of the first scientists to examine this form of learning.

The cats found it challenging to find their way out of the mazelike boxes, but they persevered since they disliked being imprisoned. Later, with trail cats, they were successful.

Observational Learning:

This sort of learning is monitoring another animal’s behavior and then either copying or avoiding it.

For example, Wolves and other predatory animals that hunt in packs, for example, develop hunting skills through observation.

When young animals hunt together, they observe and mimic the behavior of older creatures.

Play:

Humans aren’t the only ones who like playing. When they’re young, most mammals and many birds play.

In many species, the need to play appears to be innate. You’ve probably seen kittens playing with toys. Likewise, other animals may join in the fun.

Deer and zebras, for example, play by a separate set of rules. When they play, they sprint, leap, and kick their hind legs.

Insight Learning:

To overcome difficulties, insight learning involves drawing on previous experiences and reasoning.

Intuition learning, unlike operant conditioning, does not require trial and error.

An animal, on the other hand, uses prior experience to think out a problem solution.

Apes (chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans), crows, and humans are among the creatures most likely to learn this manner.

Example: Chimpanzees “fishing” for termites are one example of apes in the wild developing insight.

Termites climb onto a “tool” like a twig that the animals place in a termite mound hole. The chimpanzee then takes the twig out of the hole and consumes the termites.