antagonist behavior, normally among members of the same species, often resulting from competition for resources
altruism
a behavior that benefits other individuals while reducing the fitness of the individual that performs the behavior
behavior
any observable activity of a living animal
communication
the act of producing a signal that causes a receiver, normally another animal of the same species, to change its behavior in a way that is, on average, beneficial to both the signaler and receiver
dominance hierarchy
a social structure that arises when the animals in a social group establish individual ranks that determine access to resources; ranks are usually established through aggressive interactions
ethology
the study of animal behavior
habituation
a type of simple learning characterized by a decline in response to a repeated stimulus
imprinting
a type of learning in which an animal acquires a particular type of information during a specific sensitive phase of development
innate
inborn, indistinctive; it is performed correctly the first time it is attempted
insight learning
a type of learning in which a problem is solved by understanding the relationships between the components of the problem rather than through trial and error
kin selection
a type of natural selection that favors traits that enhance the survival or reproduction of an individual's relatives, even if the traits reduce the individual fitness of the individuals bearing them
learning
the process by which behavior is modified in response to experience
operant conditioning
a laboratory training procedure in which an animal learns to perform a response (such as pressing a lever) through reward or punishment
pheromone
a chemical produced by an organism that alters the behavior or physiological state of another member of the same species
territoriality
the defense of an area in which important resources are located
trial-and-error learning
a type of learning in which behavior is modified in response to the positive or negative consequences of an action
waggle dance
a symbolic form of communication used by honeybee forages to communicate the location of a food source to their hive mates