Behavior

Mammalogy (Spring 2015 Althoff - reference FDVM Chapters 21-23)

LEC 12

Behavior

• Animal’s ________________ &__________________ equipment forms basis for behavior

• Interest because of flexibility & variability (compared to other vertebrates and vertebrates)

• __________ & __________ behaviors

Behavior

• Well developed ________ organs

• Brain capable of rapid evaluation of sensory information

• Therefore: facilitated ___________ of communication and social

behavior

Compared to other Vertebrates:

• Not completely unique from other vertebrates for innate behavior

• Difference: _____________________

_____________________________

Non-Social Behavior

• Feeding Behavior

• Hoarding Behavior

• Shelter Building Behaviora) nests (squirrels)b) burrows (gophers/moles)c) houses (woodrats, beavers,

muskrats)

Communication• Most highly developed in “________” way• Key categories:

a) visualb) olfactoryc) auditoryd) tactile

• Unknown to large degree: ____________thought to help some predatorsdetect prey. For example, _________ _____________ picks up electric field produced by earthworms

General Properties of Major Sensory Channels of Communication for Mammals

Range

Transmission rate

Travel around objects

Night use

Fade-out time

Locate sender

Cost to send signal

Long

Slow

_____

Yes

_____

Difficult

_____Table 2.1, p408 FDVMK

SIGNAL PROPERTY OlfactoryLong

Fast

Yes

Yes

Fast

Varies

High

Auditory VisualMedium

Fast

No

Little

Fast

Easy

Medium

Short

Fast

No

Yes

Fast

Easy

Low

Tactile

FEMALE

MALE

1. Tarsal gland

2. Metatarsal gland

3. Forehead (1rubbed with urinary pheromones)

4. Tail

5. Urine

6. Interdigital gland

Mule deer—sources of scent

Fig. 21.2, p409 FDVMK

Functions of Communication

• Group spacing and coordination (consider canid-based wind hypothesis)

• Recognition• Reproduction (see Reproduction lecture & Senses

lecture notes)

• Aggression and social status

• Alarm• Hunting for food (see canid vs. felid comparisons)

• Giving and soliciting care

• Soliciting play

Group Spacing & Coordination

• Documented in some primates…Cebus monkeys (aka white-faced monkeys) of South American rain forest

• When individuals spread out over 100 m diameter area, there are constant “________ _______”. Isolated member will even utter a “__________”.

Recognition• Besides species recognition (for

closely-related species), there is evidence that there is recognition of ___—even if no interactions early in the life of one or the other

• Value: behave “____________” & _____ possible costs of ___________ with close relatives. Belding’s ground squirrels shown to recognize littermates later in life—even when separated as neonates

Aggression and Social Status

• When in “close quarters” competing for food and space, being aggressive can be beneficial. For the inferior one, communicating that they will not “challenge” can ___________________—and that saves both energy and reduced stress

Hunting for Food• Reviewed by Kleiman and Eisenberg (1973) for

canids vs. felids

• Overall, structured communication would be favored in group living both for locating prey and cooperation in securing it

• African wild dog provides an example of an highly developed communication system: a) _______________________ (“rally”) that includes nosing, lip-licking, tail-wagging, and circling b) rallying ensures alertness & readiness

Soliciting Play

• Function of “play” remains under debate…especially amount mature/adult individuals

• For developing young, it likely serves the immediate function of __________________ development and coordination

• Observed in canids…among adults. Example is the “play bow” by dogs

FOCUS: Prey vs. Predatory

• Common: Reproduction/Parenting/Spacing

• Prey: oriented toward detection vs. reaction

• Predator: oriented toward detection & cooperative hunting

Spatial Relations• ____________ = area which is used by an

animal in its day-to-day activities and in which it spends most of its time. “Sallies” or “wanderings” outside the area are exceptions…depends on one’s definition.

__________ represents area of heaviest use within the home range.

Home ranges and core areas of baboons in Nairobi Park, KenyaFDVMK Fig. 21.12 p415

Spatial Relations• Territory = area is occupied by individual or

group exclusively…and is _______________ ___________________________…or both.

• By patrolling boundaries of space, vocalizing, visiting scent posts, and making other displays results in significantly __________ expenditure

• Key to establishment: __________________ = _____ (energy expenditure, risk of injury, etc.) ________(aka access to resources)

CASE STUDY: Felids vs. Canids

• Kleiman & Eisenberg (1973)Kleiman, D.G. and J.F. Eisenberg. 1973.

Comparisons of canid and felid social systems from an evoluntionary perspective. Animal Behaviour 21:637-659.

• Focused on evolutionary history, distribution, habitat preferences, morphology, and behavior

Background

• Long _________ evolutionaryhistory--diverged in Eocene...specialized predators for a longtime.

• Evolutionary trends paralleleddiversity and adaptation to ______________of prey species.

Felids

• Tigers: cool, moist biomes

• Leopards: dry, tropical

• Lions: ___________________(______ group dwelling felid)

Canids

• Wolf: prairie ecosystem(buffalo, deer, elk...as well as caribou and moose)

• African cape hunting dog:savanna

• Coyote: prairie ecosystem

Generally, “_______”

habitat

Felids - cat skeletons

• Most adapted to making leaps and striking prey with forepaws

Exception: _______________

• Large, retractile claws on fore-paw enable them to climb

Felids - cat skeletons...continued

• Skull: truncated and rostrumshortened when compared tocanids....__________________

________________

• Face dominated by ________...excellent “form” vision,sense mood of conspecifics

Felids ...continued

• ________ is dominant sensory systemused for hunting

• Overall, big “cats” _______ than________ canids

Canids - dog skeletons

• Long-legged, _____ well-adapted to leaping

• _________ runners

• _________ is long

• _________ vision not good but discriminates movement well

Canids...continued

• __________ sense of smell

• __________ sense of hearing

• …and sense of sight not too bad, either!

Method of Attack on HERBIVORES

• Felids: ______ attack large prey

vs.

• Canids: ______ attack of largeherbivores

Behavioral Specializations: Felid Hunting & Feeding

• Can kill prey equal to or greater than body size

• Kill is swift once contact is made

• Extra “leverage” allows bite to braincaseor neck

• Kill by suffocation

Felid Hunting & Feeding...con’t

• Initial stages of hunt: stealthyapproach, usually solo

• Chase, except for cheetah, is usually ______

• Also, some ________

• Almost all __________ carnivorous

(thus, more _________________ than ____________)

Reproductive Behavior

• Domestic cats—induced ovulators, extended estrus

• Courtship is brief (1-5 days)

• Repeated copulations

• Male finds female by odor cues but females do call

Reproductive Behavior

• Litter sizes 1-5 (mode = 3)

• Smaller litter sizes than most all carnivores

• Born in ______________ precoccial state than canids

• Litter size, precoccial-ness may be due to female only rearing

Visual Displays

• Domestic cat: 9 distinct facialexpressions, 16 distinct

body/tail postures

• Face-to-face encounters: eyesimportant...change in pupilsize

• “_________________” communication

TIGER

SIBERIAN LYNX

BOBCAT

“visual behind”

Felids: Social Systems

• Nearly all are solitary hunters, and solitary most of their lifetime.

exception is ___________

• Thus, main social grouping in felids is

______________________.

Felid: Social Systems ...continued

• Exception: Lions

Females have group that rears young

Males usually have their own group

Behavioral Specializations: Canid Hunting & Feeding

• Primarily ____________ existence(i.e., don’t climb trees)

• No _________________ characteristics to takedown large prey

• Small prey: killed w/ head shake• Large prey: ___________ bites to weaken

prey

Canid Hunting & Feeding...con’t

• Prey mainly located by _________& ___________ cues

• Many nocturnal, wolves diurnal• ____ strictly carnivores...especially

smaller canids. They seasonallyconsume fruit/vegetable matter

• ____________ on prey of larger predators

Canid Hunting & Feeding ...con’t

• “Peaceful” communal feedingresult of scavenging & group hunt

• Cooperative hunts much moreeffective

• _______ stomach capacity: consume large qty. at once

Canid Hunting & Feeding ...con’t

• Large “consumption” ability may reflect inability to defend a kill...also canids often cache food. Felids also carry off large carcasses

Reproductive Behavior

• Typically, only 1 estrus per year

• During breeding season, male-female interactions prolonged(weeks, months)

• Higher litter sizes (range 2-13)(mode is 5)

Care of Young

• Usually involves care of female & her litter

a) wolves & African huntingdog--_____ structure

b) foxes, coyotes,etc--____bond (male & female)

• _____________ of food

Care of Young...con’t

• Burrow construction (not done amongfelids)

a) _____________ for youngb) reduces _________

from predation

Communication

• Olfactory: urine & feces

• Vocalizations: 9-16 distinctvocalizations (wolves-foxes), including howling--long distance calling

• Visual: variety of ear, tail,& body postures

Communication--visual...con’t

• During close contact, generally an _____________ of direct eye contact

with dominants....plus tail wagging signals submission

Social Organization

• Tolerance of the sexes…results in permanent or at a minimum a seasonal pair bond

• _______ structure: wolves & hunting dogs (usually related):

differences--wolves M & Fhierarchy, not same structure for hunting dogs

Summary: Address these issues

• Social structures derived from different sources for felids & canids...what are they?

• What influences grouping tendencies?

• What are the major methods ofinformation exchange?