by Don Green

Created on: July 07, 2008

Ethology is the study of animals in their natural environment. Studying how and why animals behave the way they do can help us give them the proper living conditions for healthy living. Looking at their behavior in natural settings tells us why they act as they do, and can tell us if they are sick or need our help in some way.

A scientific ethology study has led to certain discoveries, which can be codified in the following manner.

1. Fixed action patterns- These are intrinsic behaviors of animals encoded on their genes.
2. Specific imprinting- This is a window of opportunity for learning in early stages of life. This is when most mammals identify with their parents.
3. Vacuum activities- This type of activity is associated with repetitive behavior for no apparent reason, like a dog chasing its own tail.
4. Sign stimuli- These are responses to some external trigger, which usually involves survival. For instance, adult birds feed their young when their chicks peck on their beaks.
5. Displacement behaviors- These occur when an activated drive is shut down, For instance, in their natural environment two apes would groom each other, but if only one is in captivity, it will groom itself.

If your a pet owner, there are certain things you should know about your pet's behavior in order to give them a safe, healthy and happy environment. Owners need to know the signs of aggression, distress or fear in their animals. For instance, during a thunderstorm your pet may cower with his ears flat back. This expression of fear or distress may require you to reassure them of their safety. Realizing that dogs mark their territory by urinating might help you intervene on his negative habit of lifting his leg on your furniture. Knowing their habits in the wild can help you train them to walk on a leash or go to the bathroom outside.

Now that we have some idea of ethological manifestations we can correlate them to human behaviors. Ever wonders why some people freeze in their place when they hear a loud sound? This is prevalent in animal behavior, and also carried over to human behavior. When you see a dog pacing feverishly, it might remind you of your own nervousness when you are under stress. A dog is the same way; the pacing takes the place of predatory stalking. When you see some children writing very carefully, stopping every few seconds to erase and correct what they have written, that is an example of fixed action patterns.

Ethology is a very interesting subject that continues to discover new and exciting facts about the animals we love. It also helps us raise farm animals better. By understanding animals we may even understand ourselves better.

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