Studied by 2 people
cryptic coloration
the use of color as a form of camouflage to blend into the background
ex: a chameleon’s color matching the background
disruptive coloration
a form of camouflauge (usually spots/stripes) that break up the outline and shape of an animal, making it harder to see
ex: a leopard’s spotted coat blends in w/ grasses + leaf litter in the ground so it can stalk its prey
countershading
a form of camouflage where an organism’s dorsal surface is darker, and the ventral surface is lighter
ex: fishes + whales
batesian mimicry
a type of mimicry where two or more animals appear similar, but only one is dangerous to predators
ex: the scarlet king snake (not poisonous) + the coral snake (poisonous) both have similar red, yellow, + black stripe patterns
mullerian mimicry
a type of mimicry where two or more animals look alike and both have strong defenses against predators
ex: yellow jacket wasp + bumblebee both have bright yellow/black colors + use powerful stingers
taxis
an innate behavior that is the movement away or toward a stimulus
ex: birds, seals, + even dung beetles navigate by starlight
estivation
a dormant state that helps animals survive a lack of resources in hot, dry weather
ex: mudskippers use their fins on land, + then when its hot, they use their fins to dig a deep burrow to survive long, hot periods
classical conditioning
a learned behavior that associates one behavior with another unrelated one
ex: when there’s a yellow and blue bowl, and there’s honey in the blue bowl, a bee will go to the blue bowl. But when bowls are switched, the bee will most likely go to the blue bowl because thats’ where it was last. through trial and error, the bee will later realize that the honey is in a yellow bowl.
operant conditioning
a learned behavior to modify future behaviors based on the past
ex:
a rat running a maze + receiving a food reward will most likely run the maze again
a dog doing a trick + the trainer giving a treat after will most likely make the dog do it again
imprinting
a learned behavior that can occur only during a “critical period” shortly after birth
ex: a young Greylag geese learns to follow the first moving object they see, described by Konrad Lorenz
physical adaptation
a body part or shape that helps an animal survive in its environment
ex:
a duck’s webbed feet
carnivores’ sharp teeth + claws
bird’s feathers
owl’s beak
camouflage
a trait that enables an animal to blend in or hide in plain sight
organisms can have one or more kinds of this
body shape camouflage
a type of camouflage where the shape of an organism’s body helps it blend in with its background
ex: a katydid’s leaflike shape
warning coloration
the opposite of camouflage where animals use distinct patterns, contrasting colors, or bright colors to warn that they may have sharp spines, stingers, or a foul odor
innate behavior
an inherited behavior that is an inborn action in response to a stimulus
the animal doesn’t have to learn the behavior, it inherits it from its parents
ex: when a newly hatched sea turtle automatically goes to the ocean
reflex
an innate adaptation that is an automatic response to a stimulus
ex: when insects have a simple startle + escape response
migration
an innate behavior that is the movement of animals (usually in large numbers)
ex:
lesser black-backed gulls
pacific salmon that migrate from streams (where they begin life) + the ocean . they go back the same stream every 3-4 years
hibernation
an innate behavior where you are in a state of inactivity similar to sleep
in northern, temperate forests, some animals increase their body weight to store food when it gets scarce in the winter.
ex:
small hummingbirds may go semidormant for a few hours everyday
bears
learned behavior
a behavior acquired during the lifetime of an individual
habituation
a learned behavior where an animal learns to stop responding to a stimulus overtime
ex: when a worker of a restaurant stops noticing smells that used to make them hungry
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