Animanl Behaviour
What do we mean by Animal
Behaviour?
Animal Behaviour is the scientific study of the interaction of animals with each other, with other living beings, and with the environment. It explores how animals relate to their physical
environment as well as to other organisms, and includes topics such as how animals find and defend resources, avoid predators, choose
mates, reproduce, and care for their young ones. The study of animal behaviour begins with understanding how an animal’s Physiology and Anatomy are integrated with its behaviour. Both external and internal stimuli prompt behaviours External stimuli includes the sounds, smells, threats from other animals and weather. Internal stimuli includes hunger and fear. Scientists are drawn to the study
of animal behaviour for varied reasons and the field is extremely broad, ranging from research on feeding behaviour and habitat
selection to mating behaviour and social organizations.
Different types of Animal Behaviour:
There are several types of behaviours in humans and other animals that have been described and investigated by researchers.
The following types have been studied so far
1. Instinct
2. Imprinting
3. Conditioning
4. Imitation
Instinct:
Instinctual behaviours are the
behaviours that need not be learned. They
can be complex like making nest by birds,
choose mates and forming into groups for
protection etc.
What is going on in the figure?
Will you consider spinning the web
by spider as an instinct behaviour?
Why or why not?
If your hand touches something hot or
sharpened object, accidentally it
automatically moves away. This is because
of reflex action. Reflexes are also a type
of instinct behaviour. We do not have to
learn them.
Imprinting:
You might have observed this type of
situations. Chickens and ducklings are able
to walk almost immediately after hatching
from the egg. Duckling can even swim after
a few days. They recognise their mother
because of a behaviour type called
imprinting.
Ducklings will follow the first moving
object they meet after hatching. They
become socially attached to this object and
treat it as their mother. Imprinting lets
young animals recognise their mother from
a young age. They can follow her for food
and protection. Imprinting is useful if the first moving
object they see really is their mother. But
ducklings will imprint on people, balls and
even cardboard boxes if these happen to be
the first things they see.
Imitation
Imitation is a type of behaviour where
one animal copies another animal. Humans
often imitate each other, often without
realising it. When people talk to each other,
they may stand or sit in a similar way, and
copy each other’s movements. Scientists
think that this happens so that the speakers
feel more at ease with other.
Some scientists think that humans are
the only animals that copy each other. Other
scientists have observed chimpanzees and
other primates imitating each other. For
example Kohler observed that, chimpanzees
can use sticks to spear juicy grubs to eat.
Other chimpanzees copy this behaviour. In
this way they learn new skills. Do you ever
heard monkey imitate us. Read and discuss
about the story 'Monkey and Hat merchant.
Instinct
Humans have instincts, but it is
possible for us to overcome natural urges
to follow certain behaviour. For example,
hungry persons might start eating
immediately when they sit down at the
dining table, but they have learned that good
manners means they should wait until
everyone is seated and ready to eat.
Imitation
People often imitate each other. This
can help them learn something new and
useful, such as new skill in lessons, sport
or at work. It can also lead them to show
less useful or harmful behaviour. For
example, young people may start smoking,
drinking alcohol or taking drugs as a result
of copying each other to ‘fit in’. But it is
very dangerous to our health.
Conditioning
Conditioning can be used to change the
behaviour of people. Advertisers are very
skilled at this. They use pictures of their
products which make them look glamorous
or exciting, often by using famous actors
or sports people. By associating the
product with attractive images the
advertisers are trying to set up a
conditioned response to their product.
People will respond positively and buy the
product.
Investigating behaviour
Behaviour can be investigated in the
‘field’ or in the laboratory. It can be
observed and measured, and experiments
can be designed to test how it works.
Human behaviour is affected by many
variables. It can be more difficult to study
the behaviour of other animals.
Investigations in the field
Some scientists spend many hours
watching and studying the behaviour of
animals. They may be interested in how the
animals live alone, group into families or
form large groups such as herds.
Animals can signal to each other. For
example, they may call each other to warn
danger. Some scientists are interested in
such signals. They record and study them
to work out what the signals mean, you
would have observed how ants respond
when they meet one another.
Tagging
You have studied about bird migration
in the chapter biodiversity and its
conservation. Like birds some other
animals also migrate over large distances
to find food or nesting sites. Animals can
be ‘tagged’ by attaching tracking devices to
them. Tagging help scientists follow the
journeys the animals make.
Activity-1:
Let us observe the following behaviours
of different animals. Identify their
imprinting, instinct, conditioning or imitation.
Our pet dog barks only on
strangers. If you train your dog not
to enter your kitchen. Does it ever
enter into the kitchen?
Ants which usually go in a line
reach sweet kept in a tin. How do
they know the way to reach the tin?
Mosquitoes, cockroaches come
out of their places only when it is
dark. How do they know the
difference between light and dark?
Bats and owl move and search for
food only during night . How could
they know what is a day and what is
a night?
When you untie the neck of your
bull at the time of plouging, it
moves towards plough without any
instructions. In the same way, it
moves towards tub at the time of
feeding. How does the bull respond
differently?
Birds collect material which is soft
and strong to build its nest. How
do they know the quality of the
materials?
Puppies, kitten fight with each
other when they see a piece of
cloth. They try to tear it off, why?
In a particular season, some birds
in our surroundings migrate from
long distances. How do they know
their way?
Offsprings (kids) of different animals,
either they live on land or in water, perform
activities by instinct, imprinting, imitation
or conditioning. Animal behaviour is based
on different bio chemical reactions.
Identifying or smelling ability of dogs and
searching and communicating nature of
ants is because of pheromones. (ask your
teacher about pheromones)
Let us know some interesting behaviour
which reflects their intellectual abilities in
animals. It is very interesting to watch them
making nests. It varies from species to
species. Birds build their nests in different
ways. Tailor bird selects three broad leaves
one for bottom, two for top and sides they
also collect threads to make their nest for
stitching these three leaves. Some of the
birds build its nest only with leaflets.
Some experiments towards
animal intelligence
Let people believe or not, cheating /
bluffing, hiding are also characteristic
features of intelligence In other words,we
can say that you know what others think of
you and vice versa. In order to make them
confused, you do something that others can
not guess your plans. Not only humans, but
there are some other animals also that
show the same behaviour.
A bird called scrubjay hides its food.
But unfortunately when it searches back its
own food, it finds that another scrub jay had
stolen them. An experiment proved that a
scrubjay had hidden its food in presence
of another bird. After some time it was
found that the other bird had stolen it by
fixing a plan.
Squirrels too hide their food in a
fascinating way. They always behave in such
a manner that somebody is trying to steal
their food. In order to misguide others they
dig holes in many places and heap leaves,
straw etc., to cover them. Sometimes, most
of the holes does not contain any food. In
this way, they cheat others to make believe
that these holes contain food. Some times
it forgets the place. In nature it helps in
spreading of seeds.
If we think of logic, we must remember
Dolphins. Dolphins have great logical
thinking power.
It was proven by Hermon. Hermon
studied four bottle nose Dolphins at Kavalo
Basin mammal labarotory of Hawai islands.
He named them Akkikomoi, Phoenix, Allen
and Hippo.
He could understand by his study that
Dolphins can remember their names and
understand a code language if they are
trained by practice. Even they could reply
to complex code language. For example,
the closed fist shows a tub, raised arms
show a ball and one hand raised tells 'bring
here'. The altogether actions are understood
by the Dolphins. If we show the above
actions in a sequence, the Dolphins would
bring the ball from the tub. If we reverse
the actions they throw the ball into the tub.
They remember their names by short
and long whistles.Variety of whistles are
recognised by them. If a Dolphin of
particular whistle is called, all the dolphins
stare at ,while the particular one comes to
you.
Another wonder behaviour is remarked
with Alex, an African grey parrot. In 1977,
Irene Pepperberg bought a parrot and
trained it. Slowly she made it learn more
than 100 words. Then she arranged the
words in such a way that Alex could frame
its own sentences. After some days, She
showed Alex one yellow bowl and another
yellow dish.
The dialogues between them
are:
Pepperburg: What is the similarity?
Alex: Colour
Pepperburg: What is the difference?
Alex: Shape
No comments:
Post a Comment