Animals React to Stimuli to Stay in Favorable Conditions
Hibernation as a Stimulus Response
Animals respond to stimuli in their environment in order to maintain favorable conditions. For example, some animals hibernate during the winter months when food is scarce.
Key Stimuli and Fixed Responses
Key stimuli made up of multiple factors can produce a response in animals. Nikolaas Tinbergen's study of egg-retrieval behavior in herring gulls demonstrated this concept. When the bird hears the sound of its chick and sees a red spot on its back, it responds by retrieving the chick. Animals with a simpler nervous system, such as ants, tend to respond in a more fixed or stereotyped manner to stimuli.
Filtering Stimuli
Animals typically only respond to stimuli they select. They filter out certain stimuli that surround them and react to others they choose to accept. This selective response helps animals conserve energy and focus on the most relevant stimuli in their environment.
Defining Animal Behavior
Animal behavior encompasses all the ways animals interact with other organisms and the physical environment. It includes their movements, vocalizations, mating rituals, and social interactions. Animal behavior can also be defined as a set of responses to internal and external stimuli.
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