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How do these social behaviors develop in individuals?
How do these social behaviors develop in individuals?
Teaching in Animals
Teaching in Animals
Criteria for teaching:
The teacher modifies its behavior in the presence of a pupil.
The behavior is costly for the teacher.
The pupil acquires a new skill and is more effective at the task in the future (Nordell & Valone, 2016).
Teaching in Beavers
Building and maintenance of the lodge is left to older members of the family which creates a long teaching period for juveniles. This prolonged learning period can improve their fitness and survival rate. They are able to refine and developed their skills in a safe environment before going out on their own (Patenaude, 2010).
Development Timeline
Development Timeline
Phase 1: 1-5 Weeks
Phase 1: 1-5 Weeks
Confinement in lodge
Physical maturity (balance, locomotion, eating)
grooming developed
Socialization with other famility members established
Phase 2: 5weeks - 10monts
Phase 2: 5weeks - 10monts
Leave lodge and swim
Use of castor gland and waterproofing
Explore home range
Learing of building, foraging, and communication from older famility members
Phase 3: 10months - 2 years
Phase 3: 10months - 2 years
Begin to be more independent
Building behaviors developed
Take care of younger siblings
Same behaviors as adults
disperse to live on own after 2 years
Behavior development
Behavior development
Tail slapping - Learned in the lodge at young age. Appears at around 19 days but is mastered at around 1-1.5 months once balance is better (Patenaude, 2010).
Social play - Newborns climb over each other right after birth. at 10 days, play fighting will occur between siblings. This helps develop motor skills and aggressive behaviors that can be used to defend their territories in the future (Beaver Solutions, 2018).
Vocalizations - Whines occur from newborns. After 2 years, the high-pitched whines turn into medium-pitched whines and low-pitched whines which is correlated to a "frightened call". Hissing and growling is developed early in play fights with siblings. Can be as early as 2-4 days after birth (Patenaude, 2010).
Building behaviors - Studies show that solitary young beavers could still build lodges and dams without conspecifics around to learn from which shows its innate. however, building responsibility is on the older members of the family group which give juveniles a chance to learn more effective methods (Patenaude, 2010).
Historical Influence
Historical Influence
Beavers are in the rodent family which explains their large front teeth and gnawing behavior. These characteristics make cutting down trees and eating bark much easier. Swimming abilities and forest exploration in high altitudes likely emerged when the genus Castor migrated from Eurasia to North America in the Pliocene era. This expansion also reached into colder areas with less water. This could be the reason beavers started making dams and lodges. Dams were to create a habitat more like they were used to by creating a slower water source in high elevation areas. Lodges were created to keep warm in the winter months. Research is unsure if ancient beaver ancestors created dams or not (Muller-Schwarze, 2011).
In more recent history, beavers have gone through many stages of population demise and growth due to human activities and public opinion. In the early 17th to mid 19th century, the fur trade occurred and drove many people to hunting beavers for their pelts. This depleted the beaver populations in Europe and in North America. Activist rose up once the populations got really low to save the species. Once conservation efforts started the population boomed. Today, beavers are respected as a keystone species but are also considered a nuisance because they change habitats. This can disrupt study areas, change people's land, or change recreation areas. The changing of population sizes throughout history has an effect on their social behavior, especially scent mound building.
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