Animal Instincts and Behavior

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Animal Instincts and Behavior

• By Kellie Schetrompf

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What are Instincts?
Inherited action of a living organism toward a
particular behavior Generally inherited
Responses or reactions to certain kinds of
stimuli
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Fixed Action Patterns (FAP)
Complex behavioral sequence Runs to
completion FAPs are produced by the innate
releasing mechanism that responds to an external
sensory stimulus (sign stimulus) Innate
Releasing mechanism- Behavior Triggered by an
environmental stimulus to perform a stereotype
behavior Sign Stimulus- Visual stimulus that
brings on a FAP Examples Lion growling
Stickleback mating Human Yawning
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Other Sign Stimulus
Mating Dance -Birds dance around to attract
the female -Show off their bright feathers and
strength of their wings -Stimulus for male
is the presence of the female -Humans tend to
walk differently when trying to attract the
opposite sex Humans -Infants grasp their
mothers hands as a response to tactile
stimulus -Thought to be a vestigial mechanism
-Its a reflex action
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Instincts and Evolution
-Almost all animals have instinctive
behavior -Bacteria -Move towards beneficial
substances and away from harmful ones Darwins
Theory of Evolution -Natural selection -Mate
selected for strongest traits Instinctive
behavior occurs in terms of survival Ex
Migrating birds, Schools of fish, Penguins
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The Baldwin Effect
James Mark Baldwin -Characteristics are
indirectly inherited -Phenotypic Plasticity
Ability of an organism to adjust to its
environment -Ex Dogs finding food bowl
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Fight or Flight

• ?All organisms have this instinct
• ?Also called Acute Stress Response
• ?Animals react to threats with a general
  discharge of the sympathetic nervous system
• ?They either chose to defend themselves or flee
  
• Acceleration of heart and lung action
• Liberation of nutrients for muscular action
• Dilation of blood vessels for muscles
• Inhibition of lachrymal glands (responsible for
  tear production) and salivation
• Dilation of pupil Ex Bears commonly
  demonstrate this

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Pheromones
Types of Pheromones Aggregation Organism feels
threatened, sensed by both sexes Alarm To warn
other members of their clan Epideictic Female
insects release this after they lay their eggs,
so other females will know to go
elsewhere Primer These pheromones trigger a
change of developmental events Territorial
Released to mark their territory Sex Released
to attract a mate
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Human Pheromones
Humans have different pheromones -The human is
so developed that they dont realize them Types
of Human Pheromones Body Odor Has been linked
to being an aphrodisiac Adrenalin Humans can
sense an adrenalin rush at high
levels Menstruation Males can sense when
females are menstruating
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Human Instincts
Tanning The skin tans when exposed to the sun
(Phenotypic Plasticity) Yawning Triggers other
humans to yawn (sign stimulus) Calluses Form
after constant use to prevent skin from breaking
(Phenotypic Plasticity) Muscle growth Muscles
grow to prepare for the next day Disgust Causes
humans to gag or feel sick (visual stimulus) Face
perception Humans have ability to recognize
others by their appearance
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Websites used http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insti
nct http//www.psychology.org/links/Environment_B
ehavior_Relationships/Animal_Behavior-Instincts/