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Introduction
In this post, we will be introducing animal ethology. Scroll down to learn more about different examples of ethology and book recommendations!
Ethology:
the scientific study of animal behaviour—including animal communication, predation, defence, aggression, mating, imprinting, fixed action patterns and releasers, and migration—most often in their natural conditions
studied through direct observation, tracking movements, and analysing behavioural and physiological changes
Related fields include:
neuroethology, behavioural ecology, sociobiology, wildlife biology, evolutionary psychology, comparative psychology, neuroanatomy, neurobiology, and zoology
Here are examples of Animal Ethology:
Migration of birds
Birds migrate to warmer climates during the winter months when food resources in their native habitats become scarce
Many migratory birds undergo changes in their body mass and fat stores to prepare for the long journey → physiological changes are crucial for their survival during migration
Communication between bees
Bees communicate flower location using special dances inside the hive
Bees in a colony work with each other to gather food by trying to find the most pollen and nectar in the least amount of time possible
Waggle Dance
waggles back and forth as it moves forward in a straight line at a specific angle to indicate direction, then circles around to repeat the dance
length of the middle line, called the waggle run, shows roughly how far it is to the flower patch
Round Dance
walks in a circle, turns around, then walks the same circle in the opposite direction repeatedly
showing that the flower patch is close to the hive
What does an ethologist do?
Study the behaviour of animals in their natural environment
Develop ethograms (catalogues of animal behaviour)
Research animal behaviour
Write or publish their findings
Why is it important to study ethology?
Pet training
-> Allow us to better understand how to encourage desirable behaviours of our pets and discourage undesirable ones
Animal welfare and conservation
-> By understanding the naturally occurring behaviours of an animal species, we can understand how to keep them safe
Human safety
-> Having a basic understanding can help us stay safe when encountering animals in any situation
-> E.g. Seeing a dangerous wild animal while outdoors
Books related to ethology
King Solomon’s Ring by Konrad Lorenz
about a magic ring that enabled the main character to speak to the animals in their own language
Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? by Frans de Waal
explores the oddities and complexities of animal cognition to reveal how smart animals really are, and how we’ve underestimated their abilities for too long
On Aggression by Konrad Lorenz
talks about the evolution of aggression throughout the animal world through an insightful and characteristically entertaining survey of animal behaviour
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