Ethology is the science that studies the behavior of animals . Although human beings have always been interested in the customs of animals – often for practical reasons – ethology is a relatively recent science and its objectives and methods were not formally established until the second half of the 20th century. More specifically, in 1963 Nikolaas Tinbergen, a Dutch scientist who spent a good part of his professional career in Great Britain, published a scientific article entitled, precisely, “On the objectives and methods of ethology“Some years later, Tinbergen, Lorenz and von Frisch would receive the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for their studies on the behavior of animals, so that ethology would become a science with its own entity.
In a very simple way , Ethology has two objectives: to describe and explain the behavior of animals. For this reason some authors say that ethology aims to study what animals do and why they do it . The description of the behavior of animals is done through observation , and hence the characteristic image of an ethologist is that of a person who spends many hours observing and recording the behavior of animals. The explanation of behavior, on the other hand, requires experimental work or comparison between species. According to the article by Tinbergen to which we have referred before, explaining behavior involves studying its control –that is, the physiological mechanisms that are responsible for it-, ontogeny –how it changes throughout the animal’s life-, function – how it contributes to the survival and reproductive success of the individual that manifests the behavior – and evolution – in which way the behavior has been modified throughout the evolutionary history of the species. These four aspects of animal behavior – control, ontogeny, function, and evolution – are often referred to as Tinbergen’s four questions.
The term ” clinical ethology“It was used for the first time in the 1970s to refer to the study of behavioral changes that veterinarians use to diagnose diseases in animals. Currently, the goal of clinical ethology is broader and includes prevention, diagnosis and the treatment of behavioral problems in domestic animals. Behavioral problems are those behaviors of animals that are dangerous or annoying for people, or that can cause injury or illness in the animal that manifests them. Some examples behavioral problems of the dog and cat are aggressive behavior , elimination in inappropriate places , barkingexcessive or self-mutilating behaviors. Some behavior problems are the result of illness, while others are the expression of normal behavior that is, however, inappropriate in the home environment.
Behavioral problems are relatively commonand they diminish the satisfaction that comes from having a pet. On the other hand, many behavior problems diminish the welfare of animals and, in the case of aggressive behavior, can pose a danger to people or other animals. Fortunately, most behavior problems in domestic animals can be solved, although, as with any other problem, treatment is all the easier and more effective the sooner the problem is identified and the ethology veterinarian is consulted.
Ethology is the science that studies the behavior of animals, either in their natural environment or in captivity. Although field studies are more common than laboratory ones.
The goal of ethology is to investigate how animals relate to their environment. This, particularly in aspects such as mating, aggressiveness, socialization, the evolution of their behavior over time, among others.
In simple terms, what ethology seeks is to identify whether the animal’s behavior is due to an internal factor, perhaps genetic, or to a learned response as a result of interaction with the environment. In some cases, the combination of both variables may occur.
Characteristics of ethology
The main characteristics of ethology are the following:
- It is a branch of biology.
- You can study both those innate behaviors, typical of instinct, and those that are learned in relationship with the environment or with other animals. Also, as we mentioned earlier, some behaviors result from a mix of various factors.
- When the human being is considered an animal as well, there is the so-called human ethology, which is a branch within psychology.
- Taking into account the above, it can be concluded that ethology is related to both zoology and human psychology.
- Anyone who specializes in this matter is known as an ethologist.
- This science also seeks to identify the level of consciousness of animals, which varies by species.
- Study how fauna behaves to ensure its survival. For example, scientists have identified that some animals practice monogamy as a way to preserve the species because both parents will care for the young. This would be the case, for example, of penguins.
- Studies are usually carried out on the animal in its natural environment, although there are also experiments in controlled environments.
- It differs from behaviorism (or behaviorism) in that it does not consider that the animal’s behavior can always be explained as a response to a stimulus. Instead, it includes the internal or innate component, so behavior could not always be taught or conditioned.
Origin of ethology
Ethology appeared in the early 20th century, with renowned researchers such as Konrad Z. Lorenz and Nikolaas Tinbergen.
In the case of Lorenz, for example, he studied the phenomenon of imprinting, by which animals develop a connection with the first being they see at birth.
Lorenz studied in particular the case of goose chicks that follow the animal, or even people, whom they recognize as their mother. This would be explained because it was the first being they saw when they opened their eyes.
The method of ethology
Ethologists, like most scientists, generate hypotheses about animal behavior. To test them empirically, Tinbergen proposes that any researcher should keep the following four questions in mind when formulating hypotheses if a full explanation of the phenomenon is to be given:
1. Function
The researcher must ask himself in what way the behavior is adaptive . What aspects facilitate their survival and, therefore, that they are more likely to pass their genes on to the next generation.
2. Mechanism
The researcher has to answer the question of what stimulus or stimuli triggers the behavior to be studied . Also, if the answer has been modified by some recent learning.
3. Development
How does this behavior change throughout the life cycle of the animal? The experimenter must elucidate if there are some early experiences that are necessary for the animal to acquire this behavior.
4. Evolution history
The researcher must find the answer to whether the behavior under study resembles in any way that exhibited by other species. In this sense, it must also be formulated how behavior may have evolved through the development of the species or group itself .
Key concepts of ethology
One of the fundamental ideas of ethology is the existence of modal action patterns (MAP) . PAMs are stereotyped behaviors that occur in a rigid sequence, in certain situations in response to a specific stimulus. A kind of “behavioral reflex” that happens inevitably and always in the same way.
For example: the goose, whenever it sees one of its eggs outside the nest, will roll the egg back to its place with its beak. If we removed the egg, the goose would continue to roll an imaginary egg. It will also try to move any object with an egg-like shape like a golf ball, pommel, or even eggs too big to be laid by a goose. You can’t help doing it reflexively because MAP is embedded in your brain like a circuit.
Behavior as adaptation
Since ethology is born as a branch of biology, ethologists are very concerned with the evolution of behavior in terms of the theory of natural selection . It is important to note that this approach is purely speculative. It is not possible to find fossilized behavior nor can we examine geological data to locate it throughout history.
The most concrete evidence for the theory that behavior evolves is limited to small instances of evolution that occur within a species, but we have never directly witnessed behavioral change between chained species. There is a certain level of extrapolation when ethology deals with these issues.
Animals use PAMs to communicate
Above we have discussed what ethology calls modal action patterns and how they resemble a reflex. Once MAPs have been identified, they can be compared from species to species to contrast similarities and differences in those similar behaviors.
A well-known example of how PAMs are involved in animal communication is bees. These fascinating insects communicate with each other through aerial dances in the shape of eight. When dancing, taking the “axis of the eight and the sun as reference points, they form an angle that indicates to the other bees in the colony where there is nectar, and its duration indicates how far away it is.
Imprinting is a type of learning
A related concept of ethology is that of imprinting. This is a special type of learning that occurs during a critical period, outside of which it can no longer occur, during which the young animal will learn some pattern of social behavior towards its parents or siblings. Learning cannot occur outside of this critical period.
For example, Konrad Lorenz observed that from hatch, birds such as ducks, geese, and swans are able to spontaneously identify and follow their parents . He showed how hatchery-born ducklings could form an imprint with the first stimulus they perceived at birth, for example, Lorenz’s own footwear.
