ANSC 110 Chapter 22 Study Guide

ANSC 110 Intro to Animal Science

Ethology

Study of animal behavior in the animal’s natural environment.

Instinct

Inborn behavior.

Habituation

The gradual adaption to a stimulus or to the environment.

Classical conditioning

An association formed between an unconditioned stimulus (the sight of food, which caused salivation) and a neutral stimulus (the sound of a bell). The animal initially salivated at the sight of food; later, the mere sound of the bell produced salivation because of the previous association between the two stimuli.

Operant conditioning

Learning to respond in a particular way to a stimulus as a result of reinforcement when the proper response is made.

Reinforcement

A reward for making the proper response to a stimulus or condition.

Trial and error

Attempting different responses to a stimulus until the correct response is performed.

Reasoning

The ability of an animal to respond correctly to a stimulus the first time the animal encounters a new situation.

Intelligence

The ability to learn to adjust successfully to situations.

Imprinting

Learning associated with maturational readiness.

Rumination

The regurgitation of undigested food and chewing it a second time, after which it is again swallowed.

Shrink

Loss of weight–commonly used in the loss in live weight when animals are marketed or loss in weight from grease wool to clean wool.

Buller-steer syndrome

A behavior problem where a steer has a sexual attraction to other steers in the pen. The steer is ridden by the other steers, resulting in poor performance and injury.

Pheromones

Chemical substances that attract the opposite sex.

Flight zone

“personal space” for animals – if outside of it, animal inquisitive and quiet, if inside it animal will move away, size of flight zone depends on tameness of animal.

Cows that are in heat, for example, allow themselves to be mounted by others. Producers observe this condition of “standing heat” or estrus to identify those cows to be hand-mated or bred artificially. Other ewes do not mount ewes in heat, but vasectomized rams can identify them.

Describe sexual behaviors in animals.

When cows are in heat, allow themselves to be mounted by others.

Cows, ewes, and mares may have pheromones present in vaginal secretions and in their urine when they are in heat. Bulls, rams, and stallions will smell the vagina and the urine using a nasal organ that can detect pheromones. Flehmen, during which the male animal lifts its head and curls its upper lip.

Give 2 examples of sexual behaviors in animals.

Can originate from the sire or dam; however, most caregiving is maternally oriented.

Describe care giving behaviors in animals.

When the young of cattle, sheep, goats, and horses are born, the mothers clean the young by licking them.

Most animal mothers tend to fight intruders, especially if the young squeal or bawl.

Give 2 examples of care giving behaviors in animals.

Manifested when young animals cry for help when disturbed, distressed, or hungry.

Describe care-soliciting behaviors in animals.

Adult animals call for help when under stress.

The offspring usually nurses with its rear end toward the female’s head.

Give 2 examples of care soliciting behaviors in animals.

Includes behavior activities of fight and flight and those of aggressive and passive behavior when an animal is in contact (physically) with another animal or with livestock and poultry producers.

Describe agnostic behaviors in animals.

Unless castrated when young, the male of all farm animals fight or display aggressive behavior when they meet other unfamiliar males of the same species.

Bulls and other males may engage in prolonged physical activity when fighting, even to the point of exhaustion.

Give 2 examples of agnostic behaviors in animals.

When they eat and drink.

Describe ingestive behaviors in animals.

Rather than initially chewing their feed thoroughly, ruminants swallow it as soon as it is well lubricated with saliva.

After the animals have consumed a certain amount, they ruminate (regurgitate the feed for chewing).

Give 2 examples of ingestive behaviors in animals.

Involves fecal and urine deposition.

Describe eliminative behaviors in animals.

Cattle, sheep, goats, and chickens void their feces and urine indiscriminately. Hogs defecate in definite areas of the pasture or pen.

Cattle, sheep, goats and swine usually defecate while standing or walking.

Give 2 examples of eliminative behaviors in animals.

Some animals under intensive management systems, such as poultry and swine, are often kept in continuous housing to assure biosecurity and to maintain consistent temperature and humidity to reduce animal stress.

Describe things that add to or reduce animal stress during handling or restraint.

Cattle and sheep seek a shady area for rest and rumination if the weather is hot, and pigs try to find a wet area.

Describe shelter seeking behaviors in animals.

Cattle and sheep seek a shady area for rest and rumination if the weather is hot, and pigs try to find a wet area.

When the weather is cold, pigs crowd against one another when they are lying down to keep each other warm.

Give 2 examples of shelter seeking behaviors in animals.

Pigs, horses, and dairy goats are highly curious, investigating any nonthreatening strange object. They usually approach carefully and slowly, sniffing and looking as they approach.

Describe investigative behaviors in animals.

Pigs, horses, and dairy goats are highly curious, investigating any nonthreatening strange object. They usually approach carefully and slowly, sniffing and looking as they approach.

Sheep are less curious and more timid than some other farm animals. They may notice a strange object, become excited, and run away from it.

Give 2 examples of investigative behaviors in animals.

Describe allelomimetic behaviors in animals.

Useful in driving groups of animals from one place to another.

Cattle and sheep tend to graze at the same time and rest and ruminate at the same time.

Range cattle gather at the watering lace at about the same time each day because one follows another.

Give 2 examples of allelomimetic behaviors in animals.

Animals that cannot adapt to their environment may exhibit inappropriate or unusual behavior.

Describe maladaptive behaviors in animals.

Some animals under intensive management systems, such as poultry and swine, are often kept in continuous housing to assure biosecurity and to maintain consistent temperature and humidity to reduce animal stress.

Tail chewing can cause bleeding, and whenever bleeding occurs, the pigs are likely to become cannibalistic.

Give 2 examples of maladaptive behaviors in animals.