1 / 15

Animal Behavior

Animal Behavior. What is Behavior?. Webster’s Definition Conduct or Action The individual and group actions which take place in animals in order to allow them to live and function in their environment. Animal Behaviors. Environmental Comfort Social Behavior Mating behavior Nest building

orien
Download Presentation

Animal Behavior

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Animal Behavior

  2. What is Behavior? • Webster’s Definition • Conduct or Action • The individual and group actions which take place in animals in order to allow them to live and function in their environment.

  3. Animal Behaviors • Environmental Comfort • Social Behavior • Mating behavior • Nest building • Post-partum behavior

  4. Environmental Comfort • Environment is too cold • huddling • piling up • Environment is too hot • cattle & sheep seek shady areas for rest & rumination • Pigs seek wet areas • Why?

  5. Environmental Comfort • Examples of discomfort behavior? • Tail biting & ear chewing (swine) • feather picking & cannibalism (poultry)

  6. Social Behavior • Male animals of all species fight when they meet other unfamiliar males • Cows, sows, & mares develop a pecking order, but fight less intensely • Ewes seldom fight

  7. Social Behavior - Cows • Social order in cow herds are influenced by: • Age • Size • Strength • Presence of horns • Previous experience

  8. Social Behavior - Pigs • Develop a social order at birth • Closely confined pigs in pens of greater than 30 head per pen have some difficulty establishing social order

  9. Social Behavior - Poultry • Pecking order found in: • Feeding • Nesting • Roosting • Low status individuals often: • get less feed • appear nervous & frightened • feed early in the morning & later at dusk while dominant birds roost

  10. Mating Behavior - Threat Displays • Bulls • Arching of the neck • Protrusion of the eyeballs • Erection of the hair along the back • Pawing the ground • Turning of the shoulder toward the threatened individual

  11. Mating Behavior - Threat Displays • Stallions • Rearing on the hind legs • Laying back the ears • Rams • Vigorous stamping of the forefoot

  12. Nest Building - Sows • Three days before labor most of the time is spent sleeping & feeding • As labor draws near: • Attempt to clean & dry the nesting site • Chew long grass or straw to provide bedding • Use forelegs to build nest by pawing • Resist any human attempt to move her bedding • The amount of nesting time varies with the individual

  13. Post-Partum Behavior • Mares • Following birth mare will lay exhausted for 20-30 minutes • Do not eat the afterbirth, but will groom their foals

  14. Post-Partum Behavior • Cows • Will lick the uterine discharge from herself • Will rest for a period of time & then lick the fetal membranes & fluids from her calf • Usually will eat the placenta & sometimes any bedding that is contaminated by fetal & placental fluids

  15. Post-Partum Behavior • Ewes • Chews & eats parts of the fetal membranes, but do not consume the entire afterbirth • Recognition of both ewe & lamb is very important • Often will reject their young if they are taken away immediately after birth & returned later

More Related