Communication in Animal Behavior
A cat’s tail hair standing on end to make it look larger and more threatening.
What is Visual communication in animals?
What are essential nutrients do herbivores seek?
Sodium and essential amino acids.
The ability of an organism to blend in with its environment.
What is camouflage?
Increased protection and survival through shared vigilance.
What is mutual protection in animal groups?
Reproduction involving a single parent, producing genetically identical offspring.
What is asexual reproduction?
The calls made by male birds to attract a female during mating season.
What is Auditory communication by male birds?
Herbivores need specific bacteria in their gut to help digest this.
What is cellulose?
Bad-tasting ladybugs have red and black coloration to warn predators.
What is aposematism?
Animal societies where certain individuals have greater rank and influence.
What are dominance hierarchies?
This leads to greater genetic diversity in offspring, and thus less vulnerability to change.
What is sexual reproduction?
The pheromones of the ant to indicate the location of the trail.
What is chemical communication in ants.
They only eat plants and need a varied diet for essential amino acids.
What is an herbivore?
Coloration where the upper side is darker and the underside is lighter, helping with camouflage.
What is countershading?
Helping a sibling to survive so they can pass on shared DNA.
What is kin selection?
Traits that attract mates, by advertizing health, but that may not aid in an individual's survival.
What is Sexual Selection?
A chimpanzee comforting another by putting an arm around it.
What is tactile (touch) communication in chimpanzees?
Wolves tiring the prey by taking turns leading the chase.
What is cooperative hunting?
An animal confuses a predator or prey with startling movements.
What is distraction behavior in animals?
An animal sacrificing its own well-being, or even its life, to benefit another, without any personal gain.
What is altruism in animals?
Mating for life, common in birds for parental investment.
What is monogamy in animals.
It helps animals convey information about their needs, mating, territory, and danger.
What is the significance of animal behavior communication?
If the energy lost in the chase is greater than the energy gained from the prey, the hunter will give up.
What is the cost/benefit ratio in hunting?
To watch for predators and enhance the survival of the group.
What is vigilance in groups?
Highly structured social behavior seen in species like ants, termites, bees, and humans.
What is eusociality?
Males introducing barriers, either physical or behavioral, to another male's ability to impregnate a female.
What is sperm competition?