(BENS) Behavior Lesson

Behavior Lesson

Water moccasin Phinizy Swamp is a nature park in Augusta, GA with several scenic walking trails. If you happen to see a water moccasin on a trail, you would most likely stop and turn around to walk away from that snake. You have been taught that snakes can move very quickly and strike when they feel threatened. Snakes have fangs that are used to bite their victims. The water moccasin that resides in the wetlands and woodlands of Phinizy Swamp park is a venomous snake. Most of the time a snake will feel the vibrations from your footsteps and will slither away from the trail. Sometimes a snake will become territorial and stand its ground against intruders by coiling their bodies and displaying its fangs. Your eyes, brain, and muscles work together to get you away from danger. The way you and the snake respond or react to each other is called behavior. Your reaction was initiated by a stimulus, the snake. The two main types of behavior are innate and learned behavior.

 

Innate Behavior

Innate behavior is inherited. It is present at birth and this type of behavior does not have to be learned. Animals use their instincts to help them survive. Territorial behavior is an example of innate behavior. An animal will claim and defend an area from other animals of the same species. Organisms need a place to find food, provide shelter, mate, reproduce, and raise their offspring. Urine marking is a territorial behavior displayed by dogs. A dog would spray a certain area with urine to let other dogs know that he is the dominant animal in that area and he has claimed that area as his territory.   Nest-building, flying, and courtship are also innate behaviors.

 

Learned Behavior

Learned behaviors are obtained by interacting with the environment and cannot be passed on to the next generation except by teaching.  

  • Observational learning - An animal learns by copying (watching or listening) another animal. Think about how you learned to tie your shoe, solve an algebraic problem, and eventually drive a car. All of these actions can be achieved by observational learning.
  • Trial and Error Learning - An animal learns from its mistakes or accomplishments. Then the organism remembers the outcome of its actions or behavior because it is usually associated with a reward or punishment. In the wild, an animal will learn which types of mushrooms are harmful. Little children may have also experienced this type of learning after putting their hand on the stove and realizing that it is hot and can burn their fingers. This method is also used to train pets and performing animals.
  • Imprinting - An animal bonds with the first object it sees, usually its mother. Imprinting is time sensitive and occurs immediately after birth. The young offspring learns how to survive from its parent.
  • Conditioning - An animal connects one stimulus with another stimulus. During Pavlov's experiment, his dogs associated the sound of a bell with food. The ringing of a bell would cause the dogs to salivate. The dogs learned that they would receive food when they heard the bell ringing.

Organisms can use their behavior (learned or innate) to help them not only survive but also reproduce. Inheriting traits from one generation to another generation helps a species evolve or change over time. Learning helps ensure that the genes of those organisms that are better suited to surviving environmental changes get passed on to future generations. 

 

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