Animal Behavior Topics

Sensing and Responding to the Environment

The animal kingdom doesn't reward the lazy and inattentive. To survive, animals have to sense...

Movement

Sensing and learning from the environment is one thing, but responding to it is another beast all...

Finding Food

The first thing on an animal’s "To-do" list is survive. Surviving has a few steps: eating,...

Defense

It is a dog-eat-dog world out there, so animals have to defend themselves. The main trick to...

Communication

Communication is pretty freakin’ important in the animal world. It is a way of saying,...

Social Systems and Altruism

Some animals are loners, avoiding contact with others except when they get into a tiff over a...

Mating Behavior

As scandalous as it may seem to a 15th century pope, most animals do not settle down with one...

Finding a Mate

Finding a mate is a big deal in the animal world, and it accounts for a lot of animal behavior....

Raising Offspring

Do you ever wonder why your parents worry so much about you? Why do they get angry when you do...

Common Mistakes

Operant vs. classical conditioning: Both are types of associative learning, so two experiences...

Test Your Knowledge

1. What is the name for a fixed behavior, that does not vary based on experience?2....