Animal Behavior

THE
ETHOGRAM
and ANIMAL BEHAVIOR RESEARCH
Supported by a Science Education Partnership Award from the National Center for Research Resources, National Institutes of Health science curriculum for grades 5-8
Janet Crews Stan Braude Carol Stephenson Terrilyn Clardy
THE
ETHOGRAM
and ANIMAL BEHAVIOR RESEARCH
Supported by a Science Education Partnership Award from the National Center for Research Resources, National Institutes of Health science curriculum for grades 5-8
Janet Crews Stan Braude Carol Stephenson Terrilyn Clardy
Authors: Janet Crews, Wydown Middle School, Clayton School District Stan Braude, Department of Biology, Washington University Carol Stephenson, Saint Louis Zoo Terrilyn Clardy, Sumner High School, St. Louis Public Schools Animal behavior films produced by Rosie Koch, BAO Productions Copyright 2002 Washington University in St. Louis. Teachers may copy materials as needed for classroom use. This curriculum was developed by A Partnership Linking Formal and Informal Education, funded by Science Education Partnership Award R25 RR 15603 from the National Center for Research Resources, National Institutes of Health. Principal Investigator: Ralph S. Quatrano, Professor of Biology, Washington University Project Director: Victoria L. May, Director of Science Outreach, Washington University Evaluator: Jennifer L. Heim, St. Louis Science Center Washington University Science Outreach One Brookings Drive, Campus Box 1137, St. Louis, MO 63130 (314) 935-6846, www.so.wustl.edu
CONTENTS
1 2 3 4 5
SECTION
Introduction and Overview of the Curriculum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
SECTION
The Ethogram: an Introduction to the Study of Animal Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
SECTION
Introduction to Scientific Inquiry and Sampling Methods and Data Analysis . . . 25
SECTION
Animal Behavior Research Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
SECTION
Appendices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Sample of a Student Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Animal Behavior Magazine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
SECTION
INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW OF THE
ANIMAL BEHAVIOR CURRICULUM
1.1
INTRODUCTION
The study of animal behavior is important for basic understanding of the world around us, and has practical applications for conservation, agriculture, and medicine. The study of animal behavior in the classroom also provides opportunities for teaching students about the process of doing science, as well as developing basic skills of observation, description, and quantification. It helps teachers address components of all four of the Missouri Show Me performance standards and includes content standards from science, social studies and communication arts. In this unit, students, will create one of the basic descriptive tools of animal behavior, the ethogram. A complete ethogram is a dictionary of all of the behaviors that a particular species performs. Biologists publish ethograms of their study species so that they can communicate with each other about the behaviors they investigate. Generating their own ethograms will give students multiple opportunities to hone their skills of observation, description and quantification. Students will make preliminary ethograms in the classroom and at home. They will then generate an ethogram of one exotic species at the zoo by viewing a video of that animal. They will then use their ethograms in completing a research project at the zoo. This unit uses the attraction of studying exotic species at the zoo to teach students about the process of doing scientific research. They will explore one zoo species in depth and then write up a research proposal.
Two visits are ideal for this unit. The preliminary zoo trip, if taken, gives students an opportunity to make observations that can help guide development of their scientific research proposals. In the second, third (or only) visit to the zoo, students will take data that will help them test a hypothesis that follows from a scientific question about their chosen study species at the zoo. Depending on time available, the class may spend part of the day visiting the sites of each study. Students can tell their classmates about their chosen study animal. It is the intent of this curriculum that teachers will use the zoo and other local resources, not just for entertainment field trips, but for powerful field classes. The power of a focused learning experience, coupled with intense pre- and post-field work in the classroom, is what increases student achievement. It is important for the teacher to wisely decide how this curriculum can best support existing district curriculum. Does it help you teach scientific method? Taxonomy? Explore native species? Or is it best suited for cross-curricular projects? Can it help you provide a rationale for a service learning project? The choice is up to the teacher. Finally, it is also up to the teacher to select the best time of the year to implement this curriculum. Testers suggest the spring, as you have had time to work with your students, and they have matured in their skills. It is also more appropriate weather for outdoor field classes. Whatever your situation, this curriculum is yours to adapt and incorporate to help you better teach and engage your students. The use of ethograms truly lets the students (and teacher) feel like real scientists.
While this unit is designed to utilize the resources of the zoo, it can be completed by using a local park, class study area on campus, or even using a class pet. Financial resources should not keep a teacher from using this curriculum.
Teachers have the option of planning one, two, or three zoo visits. See graph Zoo visit options for Section 4, page 11.
1.2
CURRICULUM OVERVIEW
SECTION
SECTION
THE ETHOGRAM: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF ANIMAL BEHAVIOR. . . . 13

2.1
INTRODUCTION TO SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY, SAMPLING, AND DATA ANALYSIS . . . . . . . . . . 25

3.1
What is Behavior? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
The purpose of this activity is to capture the interest of the students and excite them about observing and studying animal behavior. Primate species were selected because of the human similarities. They were videotaped in the wild to give the students a sense of natural behaviors. This lesson also introduces them to asking questions, with behavior as the focus.
Which Sampling Method Works Best? . . . 26

Students will observe animals using two different sampling methods with prepared data sheets. This introduces them to the idea that scientists use different tools for different tasks. It also encourages them to observe different aspects of behavior.
3.2
Sample Data Analysis: Jims Crickets and Marshalls Crows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Students participate in a sample analysis exercise to discuss factors of analysis. They sort through useful and irrelevant data. They look for patterns that help them decide whether their data supports the hypothesis in question.
2.2
Classroom Introduction to Creating an Ethogram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

An ethogram is like a dictionary of the behaviors of a particular species. Students have an opportunity to interact with actual animals and observe behavior first hand. They also will create class ethograms, learn about the different kinds of ethograms, and discover ways to define behavior.
3.3
How Do We Choose A Scientific Question to Investigate? Part I . . . . . . . . . . 45

Students evaluate sample questions about behaviors. They must determine if the questions are scientifically answerable, and what methods would be required for testing the hypotheses that follow from these questions. The lesson reviews writing a testable research question, and using a scientific method.
2.3
Development of Individual Ethograms at Home. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Students are now given the opportunity to use the skills developed in class to create ethograms on animals that they observe outside of class.
Zoo visit options for Section 4

Teachers may choose to make one, two or three visits.
SECTION
ANIMAL BEHAVIOR RESEARCH PROJECTS . . . 51
4.2
Choosing a study species for research on animal behavior at the zoo OPTIONAL ZOO VISIT (first visit of two or three) 4.3 Organism exploration at the zoo
4.1
Introduction: Considerations for Field Classes at the Zoo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Choosing a Study Species for Research on Animal Behavior at the Zoo . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
In this lesson, students will choose a zoo animal for their research project by viewing a video.
4.2
4.4
Ethogram Development of the Zoo Study Subject
4.3
OPTIONAL ZOO VISIT (second visit of three) 4.5 Field Study Research: Ethogram Supplementation 4.6 Library Exploration Note: Students may make this visit on their own time.
Organism Exploration at the Zoo (Optional first visit of two or three) . . . . . . . . . 57

Students go to the zoo to observe potential species for a behavioral study. For classes that can visit the zoo twice (this is preferable), this visit is for preliminary exploration and practice data gathering.
4.4
4.7 How do we choose a Scientific Question?
Ethogram Development of the Zoo Study Subject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Students will generate an ethogram of their chosen study species by viewing a moderate length film of the species in the zoo. This will prepare them to develop a research question and hypothesis that they can test during a zoo visit.
4.8
Research Proposal
ZOO VISIT (only or last visit) 4.9 Field Study Research: Collecting Behavioral Data
4.5
Field Study Research: Ethogram Supplementation (Optional second visit of three) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Students may go to the zoo to observe their chosen study species and supplement their ethogram on the species. Students may do this visit on their own, after school or on weekends. This visit is for continued exploration, practice data gathering, and familiarization with the study species at the zoo.
4.8
Research Proposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Too often student research projects fail because of lack of preparation and feedback before the data collection begins. In this lesson, students will develop or refine a scientific question about their animal. Students will generate a hypothesis to answer the question and choose a sampling method to help them test the hypothesis. Then they will write a research proposal that outlines the scientific framework for their research project.
4.6
Library Exploration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
4.9 After completion of the ethogram, students will be instructed to further explore their chosen species in the library and on the web. This exercise will further familiarize them with their study species and may lead them to interesting research questions.
Field Study Research: Collecting Behavioral Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Students will visit the zoo to observe their selected species and collect the data to attempt to answer their research question.
4.7
How Do We Choose A Scientific Question to Investigate? Part II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Students will apply the tools of developing scientific questions, hypotheses and tests to their own study species at the zoo.
4.10
Analysis of Results and Write-up of Research Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Students will synthesize the skills and information they learned in this unit by writing up a report of their zoo research project.
4.11
Reflection/Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Students have the opportunity to reflect over their conclusions and what they have learned during this project. This could also include students evaluating their peers presentations.
4.12
Further Investigations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Students or teachers may choose to continue with this topic in a variety of extension activities.
The following transparency master may be useful in giving your students an overview of the unit.
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T H E E T H O G R A M A N D A N I M A L B E H AV I O R
What is animal behavior? What can we observe? How do we study it scientifically? Developing an ethogram of your chosen species What is an ethogram? Practice in developing an ethogram in class Practice in developing an ethogram at home Learning about your chosen species in the library Asking your scientific question, proposing a hypothesis to answer the question, making predictions to test the hypothesis Writing a scientific research proposal Collecting your behavioral proposal How do we conduct an independent research project at the zoo? Choosing an animal species
What other scientific tools do we need to conduct behavior research? Since we cant observe everything, how do we take a sample of observations that gives a fair representation of what the animals are doing? What is the difference between a scientific question, a hypothesis, and a prediction? How do we use data to test a hypothesis? How do we choose a scientific question for an independent project?
Presenting the results of your research.
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1.3
S TA N D A R D L I N K S
Missouri Show Me Standards Performance Standards 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.5, 1.8, 2.2, 2.3, 2.7, 3.3, 3.5, 4.6 Knowledge Standards SC 3, 7; SS 7, CA 4, 6 Framework Standards Science 5-8; I.A.1-4, I.B.1-2, VII.A.3, VII.C.1-2
1.4
T I M E E X P E C TAT I O N S
Total time, if unit is done in its entirety, is approximately 19 class periods. It is possible to use many lessons in a stand-alone capacity. 2.1 2.2 2.3 3.1 3.2 3.3 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 4.10 4.11
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One period Two periods Week-long homework assignment One period Two periods Two periods One period One period Week-long homework assignment Optional Two-three periods Two periods Three periods plus week-long homework Field trip Week-long homework One period
SECTION
THE ETHOGRAM
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF ANIMAL BEHAVIOR
SECTION OVERVIEW
These three lessons are designed to give students an introduction to creation of an ethogram and the study of animal behavior. The lessons use inquiry methods to help students discover the need for ethograms and other scientific research tools. The "Animal Whys magazine explains why scientists study animal behavior, and activities introduce the basic methods for study.
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2.1
W H AT I S B E H AV I O R ?
Lesson Overview
The purpose of this activity is to capture the interest of the students and excite them about observing and studying animal behavior. Primate species were selected because of their human similarities. They were videotaped in the wild to give the students a sense of natural behaviors. This lesson also introduces students to asking questions, with behavior as the focus.
Timeline
1 class period
Group size
Whole class observation and teacher led discussion
Materials
TV with DVD player, or computer with CD-ROM or DVD and overhead projector The Wild Ones: Vervet Monkeys and Olive Baboons CD-Rom or DVD video, included with curriculum Dry erase or chalk board Copies of Animal Behavior Self-Assessment for each student, or an overhead transparency
Student Objectives
After completing this activity, students will be able to: 1 compare the behavior of two primate species from observational data they collect. 2 generate questions about a species, its behavior, and observations of its behavior based on data they collect.
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2.1
Procedure
1 Give out the Animal Behavior Self Assessment. Ask the students to answer the questions as best they can. This will allow you to see what they already know, and for the students to think about the question before you ask them. Ask the students, What is behavior? Ask them to generate examples of behavior they have observed. List on board or chart. Tell them they will observe two species of primates: olive baboons and vervet monkeys. Ask them to write down all behaviors they observe in the video. You can offer the challenge: Who can find the greatest number of different behaviors? After 10 minutes (or shorter intervals), pause the video and ask students to share observations. Create a class list. Write down questions they have, as well as problems they are having. This allows you to address concerns, as well as model appropriate answers for students. Refrain from telling them they are right or wrong about their behavioral names or interpretations. Simply facilitate the discussion. Continue with the video. Stop at the end of the baboon section. Discuss behaviors, questions, observational problems.
Tell the students they will look at a second species. Ask them to focus on similarities and differences. Show the second primate video, the vervet baboons. Again, collect class data. Ask the students if they see any categories of behavior arising (e.g. feeding, play, conflict, sleeping, locomotion). List possibilities. Ask the students if they observed similar behaviors in both species. List those. Similarities and differences can be organized in a Venn diagram. Ask Why are the monkeys doing the things they are doing? Do we know why? Ask what the students want to know about behavior. Create a master list of questions about the species, about behavior, about observing behavior based on their experiences in this activity. Now ask, How would we go about answering any of these questions using the tools of science? Facilitate a group discussion. Your students may or may not be able to infer a way to measure behavior.
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2.1
Teacher Tips
There is no sound on the video to keep the students focused on the behavior. Soundtracks often influence how we interpret behavior. (Think movie music!) Show some samples from other videos with and without the sound to see how it influences our interpretation. The teacher should stop and model the thinking process after the first 2-3 minutes of the video the first time around. Model what behaviors you notice and how you would record them. Remember to honor ALL answers AS GIVEN, no matter how wrong they are. Let the students find out they are wrong as the unit develops. If you are working with younger students, stop more often every 2-3 minutes and let them record. To increase participation, you may want to stop after 2-3 minutes and let students collaborate on a group list of behaviors. Continue to repeat this process.
Discuss how real scientists must develop the skill of patience, as observation can become tedious work! Keep a class question list to refer to during the unit. For special needs children, you may print a list of behaviors and have students check off those that they see. Some teachers have preferred to use Penguin Odyssey or films from the Trials of Life series for this introductory exercise. While the diversity of species may be more attractive to students, the dialogue can be very distracting and can stifle independent thinking. Therefore, be sure to turn off the sound if you use a commercially available film. You may also ask the students to work in small groups of 3-4 for this lesson.
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ACTIVITY
2.1
name
ANIMAL BEHAVIOR SELF-ASSESSMENT

Scientists study behaviors of animals in order to better understand how our world works. In this project, you will be asked to study the behavior of a number of different animals. Describe how you would gather information on an animals behavior, and how you would record that information so that it will be useful in answering scientific questions.
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2.2
C L A S S R O O M I N T R O D U C T I O N T O C R E AT I N G AN ETHOGRAM
Pre-Class Preparation
Assign for homework or read together: What is Animal Behavior and Why do Scientists Study Animal Behavior? in the Animal Whys magazine.
Timeline
1-2 class periods
Materials
At least two types of common classroom/school yard animals: crickets, isopods, fish, worms, hissing cockroaches, mice, etc. (1-2 organisms for every 2-4 students) Hand lenses Containers for organisms (petri dishes, bug boxes, margarine tubs, paper box lids, deep trays, aquaria) Animal Whys magazine for each student
Overview
Students have an opportunity to interact with actual animals and observe behavior first hand. They also will create class ethograms, learn about the different kinds of ethograms, and discover ways to define behavior.
Student Objectives
After completing this activity, students will be able to:
Procedure
1 correctly develop an ethogram from observational data. 2 explain the ways in which the ethogram is a basic tool of animal behavior studies. 3 describe and categorize behaviors they observe. 1 Ask the students, What is behavior? Ask them to generate examples of behavior they have observed. List on board or chart. Read and discuss articles What is Animal Behavior and Why do Scientists Study Animal Behavior? in the Animal Whys magazine. Distribute animal cages or aquaria, and ask students to log behaviors of the animals for 10 minutes. Stop the observation; ask students to switch animals with a group that has a different organism. Ask them to log behaviors of the second organism while focusing on similarities and differences between the organisms. Again, collect class data.
Key Terms
ethogram a list of behaviors performed by an animal species, along with precise definitions and detailed descriptions of each behavior. data information collected during an observable event anthropomorphism attributing human characteristics to a non-human object or organism.
Group Size
Small groups and then full class 5
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2.2
C L A S S R O O M I N T R O D U C T I O N T O C R E AT I N G A N E T H O G R A M
Ask the students if they see any categories of behavior arising (e.g. feeding, play, conflict, sleeping, locomotion). List possibilities. Ask the students if they observed similar behaviors in both species. List those. Ask Why are the animals doing the things they are doing? Introduce the word anthropomorphism. Discuss the perils of inferring emotions, preferences, etc. (Can you really tell that this is why they are doing this? Is that something you can measure?) Compare this to unidentified variables in an experiment. Ask the students What do you want to know about these animals? Create a master list of questions about the species, about behavior, about observing behavior based on their experiences in this activity. Now ask, How would we go about answering any of these questions using the tools of science? Facilitate a group discussion. Your students may or may not be able to infer a way to measure behavior. List questions or ask students to do so.
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Ask the students to group the behaviors into categories. Ask them to define the category names they select. Do any behaviors need to be combined or renamed? Share this data. Help the students to turn these categories into a tallying sheet. Introduce the word ethogram. Refer to What is an Ethogram and Categories of Animal Behavior in the Animal Whys magazine. Discuss the importance of defining the behaviors. Others must be able to specifically recognize what behaviors you are talking about (this is similar to being able to understand the procedures in a reliable experiment). In their groups or as a class, ask students to write definitions for each category and each distinct behavior. Ask the students to explain how ethograms are useful to scientists. Once finished, give the students 10 minutes to pool their information (tally the number of times each behavior is observed) and add this information to their ethograms. Have students test the validity of their ethograms. Have them exchange and try using the descriptions in each others ethograms and see if they recognize the specific behaviors. Share and discuss findings/problems. Ask them if this is enough data to draw solid conclusions. Explain that ethograms are the basic tool of animal behavior. Homework: Read the Behavioral Research at the Saint Louis Zoo section in Animal Whys. What question did the zoo researchers have to answer in each study? This leads to the next section.
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Suggested Stopping Point Day 2 Start

12 Allow students to collect cages or aquaria of one species they observed the day before. Ask students to revisit the behavior logs from the previous day. Ask them if they observed the behavior or inferred what they thought was happening. Remind the students about anthropomorphism. Give the students time to adjust/change their behavior labels based on this information. Continue collecting behaviors, discussing and adding to everyones list.
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2.2
C L A S S R O O M I N T R O D U C T I O N T O C R E AT I N G A N E T H O G R A M
Teacher Tips
Which animals work best? Well, that is up to you, but here is a list of pros and cons for each animal Crickets Cheap and easy to buy Perform a variety of behaviors (mating, fighting, laying eggs, singing) Release when finished with them Hard to tell apart Students less motivated to like them Isopods (roly poly) Easy to find free Students usually less creeped out Easy to mark them You have to go find them yourself Smaller range of behaviors Fish Cheap and easy to buy No handling necessary Usually easy to tell apart Often found in classrooms
Worms
Cheap and easy to buy Have to stay moist Smaller range of behaviors
Hissing Easy to observe (large) Cockroaches Larger range of behaviors Easy to tell male from female Harder to find/buy Sometimes less active Rodents Often in classroom Furry and familiar Easy to tell apart Wide range of easily identifiable behaviors
Mice and gerbils are social, but hamsters are solitary Males and females often need to be separated All are more active at night Regular cleaning is required More care is required ** Select a species that you have or will study anyway, or that you have access to in your classroom or school. Just consider the pros/cons of each species.
Set up and maintenance required Harder to set up individual stations
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2.3
DEVELOPMENT OF INDIVIDUAL E T H O G R A M S AT H O M E
Overview
Students are now given the opportunity to use the skills developed in class to independently create ethograms on animals that they observe outside of class.
Procedure
1 Ask students what study species they can observe outside of the classroom. You may require them to sign up for their study species to promote thinking about the project ahead of time. Have them read pages 5 and 6 in the Animal Whys magazine. Hand out the Homework Assignment: Ethogram Development. Discuss pages 5-6 in Animal Whys. The sample ethograms are models and can help extend students thinking. Let students know the Dog Ethogram in the magazine is a very basic version. Ethograms often have much more detail. Students will hand in their work after one weekend or one week. After the assignment is turned in, you may give feedback on descriptive definitions and ask students to elaborate on their work. Discuss ways of quantifying different behaviors. Discuss questions that students now have about their study species after observing them.
Student Objectives
After completing this activity, students will be able to observe, describe and categorize behaviors of animals they choose and use this information to independently develop an ethogram.
Timeline
Homework can be done over a weekend or over a one week period. Students can work on section 3 materials in class while working on this assignment at home. 4
Materials
Student notebooks, binoculars, watches Ethogram Development worksheet Optional Sample Flow Chart 5
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2.3
D E V E L O P M E N T O F I N D I V I D U A L E T H O G R A M S AT H O M E
Teacher Tips
You may want to break this assignment down into multiple days. (i.e., assign 1-3 first, come back and discuss then assign 4-5, etc.) Use your students as a guide for this decision. You may want to use the chart from 4.3 as a tool for kids who need help framing their assignment. It gives categories to start with when observing. Help students focus on the process not the product. It is more important that they notice that each animal has unique behaviors. They dont need to identify them ALL.
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ACTIVITY
2.3
name
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT: ETHOGRAM DEVELOPMENT

1 In class we have discussed the variety of questions about animal behavior that we can scientifically investigate. Your homework assignment is to develop an ethogram for a species that you can readily observe at home. Now you must choose a study species to work on outside of class.This could be a pet (dog, cat, goldfish, etc), a household pest (ant, cockroach, mouse, etc.), or neighborhood wildlife (cardinal, crow, gray squirrel, bumblebee, etc.). While pets have the advantage of being readily available for observation, you are likely to be limited to only being able to observe one, or few, individuals of the species. On the other hand, although you may have to spend more effort finding local wildlife to observe, you should be able to obtain observations of multiple individuals, including both sexes and even different ages. Observe your species for five to ten minute blocks of time spread out over the course of the days you have to work. Try to make your observations at different times of day and, if possible, on different individuals of the species. Remember, you will NOT see a full range of behaviors for the organism you are observing in this in this limited observation. Name and list all of the behaviors you observe. Be as specific as possible. For example, a rabbit eating lettuce isnt just eating. First she bites off the leaf at the base using her incisors, next she may strip out the rib or vein. Finally, she chews the leaf with her molars, perhaps while holding the leaf in her front paws. 4 Carefully describe what you mean by each named behavior. Your description must be complete and precise enough that any other person reading your ethogram will be able to picture the behavior you are describing and distinguish it from any other behavior. Organize your behaviors into functional categories so that behaviors which achieve a common function will be grouped together (e.g., holding food, biting, chewing, and looking for food can all be grouped together as foraging). Functional categories may include: foraging behaviors, resting behaviors, play behaviors, predator avoidance, reproductive behaviors, care of young. Note that these are each vast categories that include many different behaviors! Refer to Animal
Whys and the domestic dog ethogram if necessary.

6 Supplement entries by noting whether behaviors are common or rare and perhaps begin to quantify the frequency with which you see each behavior. Supplement entries by creating a flow chart of different behaviors and which ones are linked. (See sample chart on page 24.)
Your final ethogram should include 1) a list of 15 20 different named behaviors. 2) These should be organized into functional categories. 3) Each behavior should be described in detail so that the reader can picture the behavior in his/her mind. 4) Any additional information on the context (where or when the behavior occurs) or frequency (e.g., 5 times in an hour, or every minute) of the behaviors should be included.
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ACTIVITY
2.3
name
A BEHAVIORAL FLOW CHART

The arrows flowing from a particular behavior represent all the behaviors that follow it. You can make some arrows darker to represent more frequent sequences.
Sleeping
Walking
Grooming
Feeding
Playing
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SECTION
INTRODUCTION TO
SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY, SAMPLING, AND DATA ANALYSIS
SECTION OVERVIEW
These lessons are designed to give students an introduction to scientific inquiry, including data collection and data analysis. The activities give students an opportunity to compare sampling methods, interpret data, and identify the questions for which they are appropriate.
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3.1
WHICH SAMPLING METHOD WORKS BEST?
Lesson Overview
Students will observe animals using two different sampling methods with prepared data sheets. This introduces them to the idea that scientists use different tools for different tasks. It also encourages them to observe a variety of aspects of behavior.
Student Objectives
After completing this activity, students will be able to: 1 describe two sampling methods used in animal behavior research. 2 choose the most appropriate sampling method to answer a given research question. 3 explain the difference between behavior states and behavior events. 4 plan, use and analyze a time budget. 5 use prepared sheets to collect behavioral data.
quadrant one part of an area marked off in fourths, or four quadrants. scan sampling collecting data at specified time intervals, and noting what each animal is currently doing or where they are located. Still photos may be useful in doing this sampling. states behaviors that last for some period of time. They have a clear beginning and end, and some period of time lapses in between (e.g. rest, play, feed). tally record data by making hash marks; indicates numbers or counts. time budget a record of how an organism spends its time.
Timeline
1 class period
Group size
Whole class discussion and analysis; some time spent in small groups
Key Terms
all occurrences sampling recording each time a behavior is performed, either on a focal animal or among all animals present. events behaviors that last for a very brief time. It is occurs, and who each behavior involves (e.g. bite, vocalize, approach). focal animal sampling collecting data focusing on one, individual animal at a time, noting every behavior that animal performs, and then pooling the data for a number of different animals. Video is a useful tool for this type of sampling. Working in teams is also useful. interval one segment of time designated by the researcher for making observations.
Materials
Dry erase or chalk board 1 classroom rodent (mouse, hamster, gerbil, etc.) in a cage Empty aquarium with bedding and rodent supplies. Tape the bottom edge of the cage and label each corner with letters AD, creating quadrants. Stopwatch All Occurrences Sampling data sheet Scan Sampling data sheet: Habitat use Scan Sampling data sheet: Marked individuals Focal Sampling data sheet Looking for Patterns handout (optional) Which Sampling Method Works Best? worksheet
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3.1
Procedure
1 Ask students how we could find out how middle school students spend their time. Write possible answers on the board. Ask students what a time budget might be. Write possible answers on the board. Ask them what a time budget for a middle school student might look like. As a class, design one on the board. Hand out the All Occurrences Sampling data sheet. Discuss how to tally. What does all occurrences mean? What does tally mean? What is a focal behavior? Refer to key terms. Why are the behaviors defined? Discuss any unclear parts. Position the students in a circle with the rodent cage in the center on a desk. Start the time and have students tally all occurrences of behavior for 5-7 minutes. Have students total the tallies. To find the percentage, divide the total of each behavior by the total of all occurrences, then multiply by 100 (e.g., 5 sniffs of food divided by 52 total behavior occurrences multiplied by 100 = 9.6% of the time spent sniffing food). Discuss problems or questions. Many students find this part difficult. Hand out the two Scan Sampling data sheets. Discuss how to tally on these sheet. What does scan mean? What is a quadrant? What are intervals? What area is A? B? C? D? Refer to key terms. Again, group the students in a circle. Place the quadrant labeled cage into the center of the circle. Move the rodent into the new cage. Begin the time as soon as it is inside. Speak or ring a bell every 20 seconds to remind students to tally data. Students can work in cooperative groups with a timekeeper, an observer who calls out the observations, a recorder who writes, and one who takes care of the materials and sets up the quadrants. Ask students to total tallies and find percentages. Discuss problems.
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Have students look over their data and see if they can infer anything about rodents from the data they collected. What is missing? Can any clear understanding or answer come from these two samplings of data? Does it need to be compared to something else? Point out the different questions on the worksheets. How is each type of sampling suited to each question? Explain that all animals are engaging in some type of behavior all the time - even if it doesnt look like it and only one kind of behavior at a time. Scientists use two terms to separate types of behaviors states and events. Write these terms and definitions on the board or overhead. Have students look at the two different Scan Sampling data sheets. Are the behaviors listed mostly states or events? (These are mostly events. Eating and grooming can be states depending on length of time) What if the rodent was sleeping? Would this type of sampling method be helpful? (not for only 5 minutes but it would for longer periods of time) Now look at the All Occurrences Sampling data sheet. Are you recording states or events? (This should be mostly states it is likely that an event could be lost if it is between recording times. Ask students if this was observed by anyone.) How do scientists decide which type of ethogram to use? (It is determined by the question they seek to answer.) Hand out Which Sampling Method Works Best? or write the questions on the board. As a group, discuss which sampling methods would provide the most useful information in answering the questions, or assign the worksheet as homework. Have students summarize their understanding of each sampling type in their science journals.
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Teacher Tips
SAMPLING METHOD All Occurrences Sampling
DEFINITION Recording each time a behavior is performed, either on a focal animal or among all animals present.
C O N S I D E R AT I O N S Especially useful for studying rare or infrequent behaviors. Also useful if you are interested in whether a behavior occurs more in one setting, by one sex, by one age class, etc. Time budgets cannot be derived from this type of data. Not useful if you are interested in the amount of time spent in a given state; more useful in studying behavioral events.
Focal Animal Sampling
Collecting data focusing on one individual animal at a time, noting every behavior that animal performs, and then pooling the data for a number of different animals.
Video is a useful tool for this type of sampling. Working in teams is also useful. This is the only type of sampling that gives us data with which we can generate a flow chart. Time budgets can be derived from this type of data. Especially useful if you are interested in the amount of time spent in a given state; less appropriate if you are studying behavioral events.
Scan Sampling
Collecting data at specified time intervals, and noting what each animal is currently doing or where they are located.
Still photos may be useful in doing this sampling. This method is useful in asking question about habitat preference, food preference, or preferred nearest neighbor. Time budgets can be derived from this type of data. The fraction of time spent in a given state can be derived from this data. If you are studying behavioral events, you are likely to miss them with this sampling method.
Different sampling methods can be used to answer the same question. It can be an interesting exercise for advanced students to compare the answer they get from collecting observations with different sampling methods.
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ALL OCCURRENCES SAMPLING DATA SHEET

All Occurrences: Recording each time a behavior is performed, either on a focal animal or among all animals present. Uses: Especially useful for studying rare of infrequent behaviors. Also useful if you are interested in whether a behavior occurs more in one setting, by one sex, by one age class, etc. Time budgets cannot be derived from this type of data. Not useful if you are interested in the amount of time spent in a given state; more useful in studying behavioral events. What activity does a classroom animal spend most of its time doing? Prediction: ____________________________________________________________________ Species: ______________________________________________________________________ Start Time: _____________ End Time: _____________
Tally all occurrences of selected focal behaviors. POSSIBLE BEHAVIORS Sniffs food Looks around cage Enters shelter Climbs on object Self grooms Eats Runs on wheel Other Total behaviors 100% OCCURRENCES TOTAL PERCENTAGE
DEFINITIONS
Add to this list or change it as necessary for your species. Sniffs food nose within two centimeters and pointing toward food Looks around cage both paws are up on side of cage Enters shelter all four feet are under roof of shelter Climbs on object all four feet are on object Self grooms lick, scratch or rub any part of own body Eats chew on food in any way Runs on wheel all four paws are on the wheel and it turns Other any behavior not mentioned (specify)
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SCAN SAMPLING DATA SHEET: HABITAT USE

Scan Sampling: Collecting data at specified time intervals, either on focal animal or group. Uses: This method is useful in asking questions about habitat preference. If you are studying behavioral events, you are likely to miss them with this sampling method. How does your chosen species explore a new environment? Which substrate does the animal prefer? Prediction: _____________________________________________________________________________ Species: _______________________________________________________________________________ Start Time: _____________ End Time: _____________ Scan by quadrants at 15 second intervals. Record the number of animals in each quadrant or the behaviors observed in each quadrant. QUADRANTS B
TIME 15 30 45 1:00 15 30 45 2:00 15 30 45 3:00 15 30 45 4:00 15 30 45 5:00 15 30 45 6:00 15 30 45 7:00 TOTAL %age
What does your data tell you? Explain in a few sentences what you have learned about where your animal prefers to be.
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SCAN SAMPLING DATA SHEET: MARKED INDIVIDUALS

Scan Sampling: Collecting data at specified time intervals, either on focal animal. Uses: This method is useful in asking questions about habitat preference, food preference, or preferred nearest neighbor. Time budgets can be derived from this type of data. The fraction of time spent in a given state can be derived from this data. If you are studying behavioral events, you are likely to miss them with this sampling method. How do different classroom animals behave? Prediction: _____________________________________________________________________________ Species: _______________________________________________________________________________ Start Time: _____________ End Time: _____________
Scan by quadrants at 15 second intervals. Record the behavior of each animals at the moment of the scan. Use the behaviors identified on the All Occurrences sheet.
INDIVIDUAL ANIMAL IDENTIFIER (FILL IN BELOW) TIME 15 30 45 1:00 15 30 45 2:00 15 30 45 3:00 15 30 45 4:00 15 30 45 5:00 15 30 45 6:00 15 30 45 7:00 TOTAL %age What does your data tell you? Explain in a few sentences what you have learned about how these animals spent their time.
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FOCAL SAMPLING DATA SHEET

Focal Sampling: Collecting data focusing on one individual animal at a time. Uses: This is the only type of sampling that gives us data with which we can generate a flow chart. Time budgets can be derived from this type of data. Focal Sampling is especially useful if you are interested in the amount of time spent in a given state; less appropriate if you are studying behavioral events. How does your chosen individual behave? Prediction: _____________________________________________________________________________ Species:____________________________________ Individual ID:______________________________ Start Time: _____________ End Time: _____________
Focus your observations on one individual for the given period of time. Record every behavior the animal performs during the observation period. Different students may focus on different individuals.
TIME Behaviors
What does your data tell you? Explain in a few sentences what you have learned about how your animal behaves.
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FOR EACH OF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
Write in the sampling method that would best measure the behavior, and indicate the reason. Use your notes and work together as a group. all occurrences sampling: recording each time a behavior is performed, either on a focal animal or among all animals present. events: behaviors that last for a brief time. It is usually important to know how often each behavior occurs, and who each behavior involves. (e.g., bite, vocalize, approach) focal animal sampling: collecting data focusing on one individual animal at a time. Video is a useful tool for this type of sampling. Working in teams is also useful. interval: one segment of time designated by the researcher for making observations. quadrant: one part of an area marked off in fourths, or four quadrants. scan sampling: collecting data at specified time intervals, either on focal animal or group. Still photos may be useful in doing this sampling. states: behaviors that last for some period of time. They have a clear beginning and end, and some period of time lapses in between. (e.g., rest, play, feed) 1 Which part of the yard does my dog use the most?
How do birds spend their time?
Which area of a cats body is groomed the most?
What kind of dog food does my dog like best?
What does a squirrel do most eat or play?
Does the male cardinal take part in parenting?
How much of a ducks time is spent preening (grooming)?
When is a mouse most active?

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LOOKING FOR PATTERNS: DEVELOPING A BEHAVIORAL FLOW CHART

Look over your focal sample observations. Do you see any patterns? Does one behavior almost always lead to another behavior? Create a flow chart that shows the order in which behaviors occur and how often each behavior follows another. Explain a few of the major trends that your flow chart illustrates. Sample flow chart The arrows from a particular behavior represent all the behaviors that occur after it. The percentage shows how often the behavior is followed by each other behavior. In this example sleeping is followed by walking 77% of the time, and by grooming 23% of the time. Playing is always followed by grooming. In order to generate a flow chart like this, you need focal sample data, because it records sequences of events.
Sleeping
77%
23% 76% 82% 18%
Walking
Grooming
13%
91%
100%
Feeding
11% 9%
Playing
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Answers to W h i c h S a m p l i n g M e t h o d W o r d s B e s t ?
1 Which part of the yard does my dog use the most? Scan sampling, because it determines location. How do birds spend their time? Focal sampling, because long-term observations are needed. Which area of a cats body is groomed the most? All occurrences of grooming behaviors will answer this, or the cats body can be divided into different quadrants and a scan sample can be taken during grooming. What kind of dog food does my dog like best? Focal sampling, because data is needed on one animal, or if a number of food bowls are available, scan sample can get at how often the dog is eating each food. What does a squirrel do most eat or play? Focal sampling, because information about one animal over a period of time is needed. Does the male cardinal take part in parenting? All occurrences, because you are trying to determine if parental behavior occurs in males. You are not looking for a frequency just whether the behavior occurs. How much of a ducks time is spent preening (grooming)? Focal sampling can give you data on how much of their time is spent in preening, or you could take all occurrences data for just preening in a flock of ducks. When is a mouse most active?
Scan sampling determines time of activity. All occurrences data on active vs. inactive could also give you data with which to answer this question.
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Student Research Samples

Read the following descriptions of student animal research. Decide which sampling method was used in their experiment. A After observing the channel-billed toucan at the zoo, Emily wondered which parts of the exhibit the bird used the most. She thought maybe the toucans spent most of their time in trees, so she predicted that the toucan would spend most of its time in the part of the exhibit with a tree in it. What sampling method should Emily use to answer her question? _______________________ Kit was observing a group of white storks. He wondered how storks spend their time. He predicted that they spent most of their time standing. What sampling method should Kit use to answer his question? __________________________ Duane was studying the spectacled owl. It didnt seem to be moving around much the afternoon he made his observations. He wondered if the owl was more active morning, afternoon, evening, or night. He predicted that it was most active at night. What sampling method should Duane use to answer his question?_______________________ Keesha was watching the gorals at the zoo. She thought they groomed themselves right after playing with each other on the rocks. What sampling method should Keesha use to answer her question?______________________
Answers to S t u d e n t R e s e a r c h S a m p l e s
A B Scan sampling Either focal or a scan sample can give data on the frequencies of behaviors. If individuals are hard to follow because animals move away, scan samples may work better. Otherwise pooling the focal sample data from multiple individuals will give an answer. Focal sampling would give Duane this data on a single individual. Only focal sampling will give Keesha the sequence data which she needs to answer her question.
C D
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S A M P L E D ATA A N A LY S I S : J I M S C R I C K E T S A N D M A R S H A L L S C R O W S
Lesson Overview
Students participate in a sample analysis exercise to discuss factors of analysis. They sort through useful and irrelevant data. They look for patterns or trends that help them decide whether their data support the hypothesis in question.
Timeline
1 2 class periods
Groups Size
Small groups
Student Objectives
After completing this activity, students will be able to: 1 determine whether data support or refute a hypothesis. 2 calculate the mean, median and mode of data they collect. 3 accurately graph quantitative data. 4 identify whether a data set they collect has incomplete or missing data.
Materials
Jims Crickets handout Marshalls Crows handout Calculators Graph paper
Key Terms
analyze to examine in detail, to break a whole into parts descriptive statistics quantitative data pooled together and organized to describe the characteristics of a group statistical tests methods for determining whether trends, relationships, or differences in groups or treatments are the result of random variation in nature or indicate real patterns mean the average median the middle number of a list of numbers mode the most frequent number in a list of numbers axis the horizontal or vertical lines on a graph hypothesis the answer to your scientific question about the outcome of your experiment prediction an explanation of your hypothesis; the why
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Procedure
1 Discuss the ideas of: scientific question, hypothesis, and specific prediction. Hand out Jims Crickets.
Discuss how to go about analyzing the data. Take suggestions from the students. Discuss what analysis means. What statistical information would help? What do you do with the data? (mean, mode, median, patterns, or trends) Give the students time to analyze the data in small groups. Go over the answers to the exercise. See if students can spot the irrelevant data (courtship occurrence).
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6 Read the directions together. You might want to divide this exercise into two parts. The first three questions help students understand the differences between scientific question, hypothesis, and specific prediction. These can be discussed in one period. The remaining questions lead them through data analysis and can be discussed in a subsequent class period. 7
Discuss the importance of planning your data analysis before beginning your research project. Hand out Marshalls Crows. Either use this as an opportunity to test students understanding or as a second example of data analysis for more practice.
Teacher Tips
Depending on the level of your students, you can use these activities in a variety of ways. You can work on them as a class, break them into parts and work on them in small groups as guided practice (#1-3, #4-6), or have students work on the whole thing independently. Go through the description as a class and underline clue words like wondered and maybe to help students identify the question and prediction. Give your students cues as to how to read the data chart. Discuss any unknown terms (ovipositor, courtship). They could highlight the data that is relevant to Jims question and hypothesis.
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JIMS CRICKETS
WING BUDS ARE PRESENT IN JUVENILE CRICKETS, BUT FULL SIZE WINGS LIKE T H E S E A R E S E E N O N A D U LT S .
THE OVIPOSITOR IS THE ORGAN WITH W H I C H T H E F E M A L E C R I C K E T L AY S EGGS. IT EXTENDS STRAIGHT BACK FROM THE ABDOMEN.
Jim has been studying crickets all month. First he created a detailed ethogram of more than 40 cricket behaviors, including 5 different songs. During the long hours of observation, Jim thought he noticed distinct differences between the time budgets of different females. He wondered whether older females might have different priorities and constraints on their behavior. He thought that older females would need to consume more calories to maintain their larger bodies. He also expected that they would have to spend more time feeding than smaller, younger females. Jim marked individual females with tiny dots of paint and began collecting data on their behaviors. Here is a table from Jims journal. Your job is to decide whether his predictions were met and whether he should accept or reject his hypothesis.
Food Items Observed Eaten
Female Ovipositor Cricket # length (mm) Wings Weight (grams) Courtship Observed Apple Cat Food Lettuce
Behavioral Time Budget (%)

Feeding Behaviors Courtship Oviposition Hiding
1 2 4 6 7 9 12 15 16 17
5 6 8 3 6 3 3 4 6 3
Y Y Y N Y N N N Y N
2 2 3 1 2 1 1 2 2 1
0 3 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0
X X X X X X X X X
X X X X X X X X
14 13 12 21 15 14 19 17 15 18
7 5 6 0 4 0 0 0 6 0
4 2 4 0 2 0 0 0 4 0
73 76 73 75 74 80 79 81 71 75
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JIMS CRICKETS QUESTIONS

1 Clearly state Jims general research question.
Clearly state Jims hypothesis.
Clearly state Jims prediction. (What does he expect to see if his hypothesis is correct?) State Jims hypothesis and specific prediction in an if-then form: If _________________________________________ then _________________________________________
Highlight or circle the data that is relevant to testing Jims prediction. How can you decide whether Jims data supports his hypothesis or not? Present his data graphically to demonstrate whether it supports his hypothesis or not.
What statistics can you calculate to help decide whether Jims hypothesis is supported or not? How do statistical tests help us decide?
How might you modify or rephrase Jims prediction? Explain your reasoning.
What else does Jims data suggest to you? Why cant we just collect lots of data and decide what they tell us
after the fact? What risk do we run if we make our hypotheses and predictions after we see the data?
What should Jim do next? What other information does he need or what other data should he collect to test his hypothesis? Why? What other questions might these data point him to further investigate?
Write any words or phrases you dont understand.
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Answers to J I M S C R I C K E T S
1 Clearly state Jims general research question. Do older female crickets have different priorities than smaller, younger female crickets?
How might you modify or rephrase Jims prediction? Explain your reasoning. The smaller crickets spend more time eating because they are still growing. What else does Jims data suggest to you? Maybe the type of food makes a difference. Only small crickets ate lettuce. Why cant we just collect lots of data and decide what they tell us after the fact?
7 2 Clearly state Jims hypothesis. If older female crickets need to consume more calories than younger female crickets in order to maintain their larger bodies. Clearly state Jims prediction. Then older females have to spend more time feeding than smaller, younger females. How can you decide whether Jims data supports his hypothesis or not? Present his data graphically demonstrate whether it supports his hypothesis or not. Identify what is a large and a small cricket. 5-8 mm for ovipositor and >2 grams of weight)
If we dont know what we are looking for, we may not collect the kind of data that will best answer the question. Also, some variables may not have been controlled.
What risk do we run if we make our hypotheses and predictions after we see the data? If you make your hypothesis and predictions before seeing the data, the experiment is a real test of the hypothesis. It is possible to find patterns and trends in any large data set. Some of those are just accidents of random sampling. So if you collect data, and make a hypothesis and prediction afterwards, you are likely to make false conclusions. 8 What should Jim do next? What other information does he need or what other data should he collect to test his hypothesis? Why? What other questions might these data point him to further investigate? Conduct additional trials more crickets. Test specific food types. Is male feeding behavior similar or different? Why do crickets spend so much time hiding? Is there a relationship between feeding times and courtship times?
Find the mean, median and mode of the percent of time for feeding behaviors of large and small crickets. (graph the mean)
5 What statistics can you calculate to help decide whether Jims hypothesis is supported or not? How do statistical tests help us decide?
Large: Mean 13.8% Median 14% Mode 15%
Small: Mean 17.8% Median 18% Mode n/a
The larger percentage of feeding behaviors for small crickets indicates that they spend more time eating than larger ones, which is opposite of Jims prediction.
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MARSHALLS CROWS
Marshall has decided to study the trade-offs that crows need to make when feeding. He knows that if crows did not have to feed, they could stay very safe up in trees and always be looking around for dogs, cats, and other predators. But they do have to feed. And when a crow is busy eating, it cannot be looking around for dogs at the same time. Marshall has hypothesized that crows may get around this problem by staying in large groups or mobs. Even though this may lead to more competition for food, a crow in a mob might benefit from the early warning caws of its neighbors. Marshall has made the prediction that the larger the mob size, the more time each crow can spend feeding and less time each needs to spend watching for predators. Marshall made this hypothesis and prediction after watching crows in Forest Park for a total of 15 hours over four weekends. He has generated an ethogram which describes more than 30 different crow behaviors. Among the feeding behaviors are: perching on trash can, pecking at French fry bag, perching on roadkill, pecking at guts, flipping tidbit in the air, swallowing tasty morsel. Among the predator avoidance behaviors are: stretch neck and stand on tippy toes, look left, look right, hop onto higher perch and look around. Marshall has decided to spend his Thanksgiving break collecting data with which to test his hypothesis. Aside from the two hours he needs to spend at his grandparents house, he will be in Forest Park from dawn to dusk each day. He wants to collect data on at least ten different mobs of crows.
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MARSHALLS CROWS QUESTIONS

1 What group characteristics will Marshall need to note about each of the mobs that he plans to observe?
What data will Marshall have to collect on individual crows in each mob? What type of sampling will he need to do?
What will Marshall have to do to pool the behavioral data he collects for each different mob of crows? How many crows in each mob should he observe?
Make a data sheet that Marshall can use to collect his data on each of his mobs.
Did Marshall use anthropomorphism? Why/Why not?
Even before he has the data, we know what the axes of Marshalls final graphs should be. What type of graph should he use (bar graphs, scatter plot, pie chart)? Draw the axes of his graphs and label the axes.
Draw what you expect to see if the data supports Marshalls hypothesis. (Use red.)
Draw what you could see if Marshalls hypothesis is not supported by the data. (Use blue.)
9.
State another prediction that would follow from Marshalls hypothesis.
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Answers to M A R S H A L L S C R O W S
1 What group characteristics will Marshall need to note about each of the mobs that he plans to observe? He will need to note the size of each mob. What data will Marshall have to collect on individual crows in each mob? What type of sampling will he need to do? Marshall wants to know how much time crows in different size mobs spend feeding and looking for predators. He should do focal sampling on different individuals and quantify what percentage of their time is spent feeding versus looking around. What will Marshall have to do to pool the behavioral data he collects for each different mob of crows? How many crows in each mob should he observe? He needs to take an average or mean of the percent of time spent feeding and looking around. He should observe as many crows as possible per mob and at least 10 mobs of each size. Make a data sheet that Marshall can use to collect his data on each of his mobs. Mob number _________ Crow #1 (5 min.) List all behaviors and time spent at each. Crow #2 (5 min.) List all behaviors and time spent at each. 5 Did Marshall use anthropomorphism? Yes: tasty morsel, tippy toes
Draw what you expect to see if the data supports Marshalls hypothesis. (Use red.) Indicated by solid lines
average time spent looking
large mob 3 8
small mob
Draw what you could see if Marshalls hypothesis is not supported by the data. (Use blue.) Indicated by dashed lines
average time spent lfeeding
large mob 9
small mob
Even before he has the data, we know what the axes of Marshalls final graphs should be. What type of graph should he use (bar graph, scatter plot, pie chart)? Draw the axes of his graphs and label the axes. He should use bar graphs. (See graph axes after no. 8.)
State another prediction that would follow from Marshalls hypothesis. Predator avoidance behavior vs. feeding is at approximately the same ratio, no matter how large the mob is.
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HOW DO WE CHOOSE A SCIENTIFIC QUESTION T O I N V E S T I G AT E ? PA R T I
Lesson Overview Group Size

Students evaluate sample questions about behaviors. They must determine if the questions are scientifically answerable and what methods would be required for testing hypotheses that follow from these questions. Reviews how to write a testable research question, as well as the scientific method. Whole class
Materials Dry erase or chalk board (or overhead projector) Homework: Scientific or Not worksheet; Testable
or Not worksheet
Student Objectives
1 Students will be able to distinguish a scientific question from a hypothesis. 2 Students will be able to accurately identify scientific research questions. 3 Students will be able to describe appropriate tests of hypotheses.
Procedure
1 One of the most difficult steps for students doing independent research projects is the choice of a research topic and framing of a research question. The topics and questions most interesting to the student might be either inappropriate for scientific investigation or impossible to investigate given their time, experience and resources.The following worksheets are designed to help students distinguish scientific questions from unscientific questions and testable hypotheses from untestable hypotheses (either inherently untestable or untestable given the students experience and resources). Before they begin on the worksheets, a class discussion of successful scientific investigations should get them thinking along productive lines.
Key Terms
scientific question a question that can be answered by observing and analyzing data prediction An estimate of what will happen in an experiment. quantifiable able to be measured or counted variables range of situations or circumstances that could affect the outcome of an experiment such as temperature, sunlight, time, noise from the hall).
Timeline
2 class periods
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H O W D O W E C H O O S E A S C I E N T I F I C Q U E S T I O N T O I N V E S T I G AT E ? PA R T I
You can ask your class the open ended question: What are necessary and/or desirable features of a scientific question that we want to investigate? Scientific questions are typically: Interesting to the Researcher If you dont care about the answer, your data is apt to be less detailed. Simple and Straightforward Too many variables makes the test harder to control and the results harder to analyze. Answerable and Practical You need to have access to the necessary tools and have time to complete the experiment. Quantifiable Results that are measured and/or counted are helpful to other researchers. Questions about feelings, motivations or purposes are harder to measure.
iii Nathan wants to know if koalas prefer any particular part of the eucalyptus leaf. Nathan can observe the koalas eating and see if they eat certain parts first, or if they discard certain parts of the leaves. iv Azaria wants to know if koalas can digest other green foods like lettuce, cabbage, cucumber, spinach. Perhaps this could be tested by examining the stool of koalas who ate these foods and determining how far these different foods were digested. However, the koalas are unlikely to even taste foods and the zoo certainly wouldnt allow Azaria to tamper with their diets. v Christopher wants to know why koalas only eat eucalyptus leaves. Like Aubri, he might be able to find the answer to this question in the library, but not by taking his own data at the zoo. 2 Ask students to work through the Scientific Question? worksheet in groups of 2-3. Discuss their small group answers in the full class. Ask students to work through the Testable Hypothesis worksheet in groups of 2-3. Discuss the small group answers in the full class.
Alternatively, you can organize the class discussion around comparison of the following questions, and discuss whether they would be good choices for an independent research project. Try to determine if a middle school student could reach the question at our zoo, and what each student would have to do next: i Randy wants to know if koala bears enjoy eating only eucalyptus leaves.
3 4
Since we cant interview the koalas, it is difficult to determine whether they enjoy something.
ii Aubri wants to know if eucalyptus leaves provide enough nutrition for the koalas. Aubri might be able to answer this with library research, but we cannot test the nutritional needs of a species by behavioral observations in a zoo.
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SCIENTIFIC QUESTION?
FOR EACH OF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
Indicate whether or not the question is a scientific question, and why. If the question is not scientific, revise it. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Are otters in danger? Do naked mole rats like to eat carrots? Why do meerkats stand up? Are chimps closely related to humans? Do male and female hornbills have different physical characteristics? Is there any relationship between colors and behaviors of lizards? Are storks social? Why do honeybees like flowers? Are sea lions lions? If a boa constrictor and a tarantula fought, who would win? Where do flamingos spend their time in the flight cage? Do the rainbow lorikeets interact with other kinds of lorikeets in the aviary? Why are cheetahs in trouble?
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Answers to S C I E N T I F I C Q U E S T I O N ?
Are otters in danger? Not scientific. Are otters endangered? Do naked mole-rats like to eat carrots? Not scientific. Do naked mole-rats eat carrots in preference to other foods? Why do meerkats stand up? Scientific. Are chimps closely related to humans? Scientific. Do male and female hornbills have different physical characteristics? Scientific. Is there any relationship between colors and behaviors of lizards? Scientific. Are storks social? Scientific. 11 9
Why do honeybees like flowers? Not scientific. Why do honeybees visit flowers? Why do honeybees prefer to visit some flowers over other lowers? Like is an anthropomorphic term. Are sea lions lions? Not scientific. How are sea lions related to lions? If a boa constrictor and a tarantula fought, who would win?
10 3
Not scientific. How do tarantulas and boa constrictors defend themselves and capture their prey? These species dont fight each other because they dont compete for the same food.
Where do flamingos spend their time in the flight cage at the zoo? Scientific. Do the rainbow lorikeets interact with other kinds of lorikeets in the aviary? Scientific. Why are cheetahs in trouble? Not scientific. Why are cheetahs endangered?
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13
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TESTABLE HYPOTHESIS?
FOR EACH OF THE FOLLOWING HYPOTHESES:
Indicate whether or not the hypothesis is testable using quantitative data that you could collect by observing animals at the zoo. If the question is not testable, revise it. What data would you collect to test the hypothesis?sis? 1 2 3 4 5 6 Otters enjoy swimming. Naked mole-rats like to eat carrots. Meerkats stand up in order to look out for predators. Chimps are closely related to humans. Male and female hornbills act the same. Green lizards live in the crowns of trees and brown lizards live on the trunks of trees. Storks are social animals. Honeybees visit flowers that are likely to have the most nectar. Sea lions are a kind of lion. A boa constrictor could beat a tarantula in a fight. Flamingos spend most of their time in the northeast corner of the flight cage at the zoo. Rainbow lorikeets dont like to interact with other kinds of lorikeets in the aviary. Cheetahs are hunted for their furs because people think they are the most beautiful wild cat.
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3.3
Answers to T E S T A B L E H Y P O T H E S I S ?
1 Otters enjoy swimming. Not testable; we cannot know what they like. Alternative: Otters spend most of their time swimming. Generate a time budget for otters. Naked mole rats like to eat carrots. Not testable; we cannot know what they like. Alternative: Naked mole-rats will eat carrots in preference to other foods. Compare time spent eating different foods, or numbers of animals eating different foods. Meerkats stand up in order to look out for predators. Testable. Plot the number of meerkats standing and the number of people in front of their exhibit. Compare the number of meerkats standing when the foxes or sand cat are active versus when those predators are sleeping. Chimps are closely related to humans. Testable, but not with observations at the zoo. Chimps and humans spend similar proportions of their time feeding, resting and moving. Generate time budgets or the two species at the zoo using focal sampling. Male and female hornbills are the same. Not testable because the question is so vague. Male and female hornbills spend the same proportion of their time feeding young. Focal sampling and time budgets for the males and females would allow you to test this hypothesis. Green lizards live in the crowns of trees and brown lizards live on the trunks of trees. Testable. Scan sample and tally proportion of time spend on different surfaces.
Storks are social animals. Testable. Develop ethogram and determine whether they perform social behaviors such as alarm calling and allogrooming. Scan sample and determine whether animals are clumped, randomly distributed or evenly distributed. Honeybees visit flowers that are likely to have the most nectar. Testable, but not at the zoo. Honeybees rest in the nest after bringing home a crop full of nectar. Focal sampling of bees that have just returned to the hive will answer the question. Sea lions are a kind of lion. Not testable with observations at the zoo. Sea lions and lions spend the same proportion of their time resting and moving around their enclosures. A boa constrictor could beat a tarantula in a fight. Not testable with observations at the zoo. Most predators will stalk their prey, even if they are not fed live food. Focal sampling of various predatory species during feeding time will answer the question. Flamingos spend most of their time in the northeast corner of the flight cage at the zoo. Testable by scan sampling. Rainbow lorikeets dont like to interact with other kinds of lorikeets in the aviary. Not testable, because we cannot determine what they like or dislike. Rainbow lorikeets avoid interaction with other kinds of lorikeets in the aviary. Scan sampling and comparison of interspecific pairs versus intraspecific pairs interacting in the aviary will answer the question. Cheetahs are hunted for their furs because people think they are the most beautiful wild cat. Partly testable. Interview zoo visitors about which is the most beautiful wild cat.
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SECTION
ANIMAL BEHAVIOR
RESEARCH PROJECTS
SECTION OVERVIEW
This section contains activities centered around conducting an independent research project at a zoological park. Students will write up a proposal for their zoo research project, which will lay out the question, hypothesis, prediction and sampling method before the research begins. The final project will include a report or presentation of their results and analysis after completion.
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4.1
INTRODUCTION: C O N S I D E R AT I O N S F O R F I E L D C L A S S E S AT T H E Z O O
Animals on Exhibit
Because zoos exhibit live animals, please understand that sometimes there are circumstances beyond zookeepers control, and that animals may not always be on exhibit. As such, please have your students plan for alternatives. The zoo information line can often give you a heads-up on what is happening with different species around the zoo.
Consider how the students will move around the zoo. How will you group them? Will you move as one big group? Will small groups go to designated areas and meet at a central location at a specified time? Do you need additional adult supervision? Provide students with a written outline of the days activities, including times and meeting locations. This could be a small strip that they glue into their science journal.
Student Considerations
5 In order to make the best of your students visit, there are several things to keep in mind. 1 You will be much better able to direct students if you are familiar with the areas your students are visiting. You may want to visit the zoo ahead of time. Know where to direct students needing to find the nearest restroom. Are there students in wheelchairs or using crutches? What is the most accessible route to get to the exhibit? When observing animals, students often want to facilitate the animals behavior. By the time they are visiting the zoo, they should understand they are trying to observe the most natural behaviors. Also, if other visitors are doing things to try and get the animals to respond, they should note this occurrence in comments on their data collection pages. They may want to not include data collected during this time. Discuss proper behavior prior to arriving at the zoo. Remind students that the zoo is a museum, and the behavior they exhibit should be appropriate for any type of museum. They are not the only visitors, and should be respectful of others. Encourage them to pay particularly close attention to small children. Middle school students occasionally run over others, as they can be self-absorbed.
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4.1
I N T R O D U C T I O N : C O N S I D E R AT I O N S F O R F I E L D C L A S S E S AT T H E Z 0 0
VISITING THE SAINT LOUIS ZOO

1 The Saint Louis Zoo is free and open to the public. Your group does not need to register for a zoo visit unless you are interested in classroom programs or tours (for which preregistration is necessary). To visit the zoo for the activities in this section, simply come to the zoo there is no need to call ahead. Contact the education department at (314) 768-5466 with questions about the zoo visit, or to learn more about programs, tours or curriculum resources available through the teacher resource center. You can also call ahead and have a member of the education department meet your class and give them an introduction to the zoo. Your students can also send questions to education department staff by clicking on the WRITE US button on the zoo web page, www.stlzoo.org.. If you plan to have students dropped off at The Living World, direct the bus driver to enter Forest Park from Skinker Blvd. at Wells Drive. Turn left on Government Drive and approach The Living World traveling eastbound. Unload students in front of The Living World. If you plan to have students dropped off at our South Gate Entrance, direct the bus driver to enter Forest Park from northbound Hampton Ave., turning west (left) at Wells Drive. Unload students in front of the South Gate at the tall ZOO pylon. To assist both you and any zoo staff directing traffic to identify your bus, be sure your school name is clearly marked in the front passenger-side window. Please note that the heaviest school visitation occurs in April and May. Consequently, you will need extra time to allow for heavy bus traffic. Please plan your schedule accordingly.
Hours
The Saint Louis Zoo is open daily, year-round, except for Christmas Day and New Years Day. The zoo grounds open at 8 a.m., buildings open at 9 a.m. The zoo closes promptly at 5 p.m. in the winter and 7 p.m. in the summer (Memorial Day to Labor Day). Zoo entry is always free. The Childrens Zoo, Insectarium and Butterfly house are free between 9 and 10 a.m. Fridays are VERY busy at the Zoo you may want to avoid visiting on Fridays.
Parking
Limited parking is available on the streets surrounding the zoo. Parking is available on either of our two lots. We charge $7 per car to park on our lots. Bus parking is $14, and is available on the South Lot only. Parking fees are subject to change.
Bus Traffic
Please ask bus drivers to heed the following guidelines to help assure both a safe and convenient arrival and departure. Buses may not unload or load across the street from either of our two entrances. This practice is unsafe for students and creates traffic congestion. Further, by entering the park in the correct orientation, buses will not have to turn around, thus preventing traffic tie-ups and delays in the start of your visit.
Food Service
In order to make the most of your zoo visit, you may want to eat lunch at the zoo. There are a variety of opportunities, including having students bring their own lunch, pre-ordering meals through the zoo, or ordering that day from our food concessions.
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4.1
I N T R O D U C T I O N : C O N S I D E R AT I O N S F O R F I E L D C L A S S E S AT T H E Z 0 0
You are welcome to bring your own sack lunches. Please note, however, the zoo is unable to store lunches for you. Be prepared to carry your lunches or store them in your bus or vehicle(s). Perhaps you could have your students carry backpacks with their own lunches. You are welcome to eat your sack lunches at any of our outdoor tables, except those on the terrace outside the Painted Giraffe Cafe. Zoo concessions offer a variety of fare including burgers, hot dogs, pizza, salads and more. The Painted Giraffe Cafe is located in The Living World, and Lakeside Cafe is located in the Central Plaza. Bring your hungry herd and let us satisfy your appetites with sack lunches. Discounts are available for groups of 15 or more. To order, call our group sales office at (314) 781-0900, ext. 345, for menu and prices. Payment arrangements are to be made at the time of reservation. We accept cash, checks, American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa.
Staff Assistance
It is not necessary to speak to any staff before coming to the Zoo. However, a quick chat with a staff member may be beneficial to your students, depending on the purpose of the visit. If students have questions about a specific house or species, or if a quick overview of a topic would enrich the purpose of your visit, feel free to call the education department at (314) 768-5466. Additionally, there is an information help line that students or teachers can call to find answers to questions during their initial research. It is helpful if the students are very clear on what they need to know and have practiced asking their questions BEFORE calling the hotline. The number is (314) 768-5498, ext. 498. Students can also write letters to the Education Department, or e-mail the Zoo on the website www.stlzoo.org under Write Us.
Materials Checklist: Stopwatches Notebooks Maps Data sheets Video cameras/digital cameras Clipboards (students often need a firm
writing surface) Pencils (pens dont write well in the air) Lunch or money if necessary Agenda with time for meeting back up
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4.2
CHOOSING A STUDY SPECIES FOR RESEARCH O N A N I M A L B E H AV I O R AT T H E Z O O
Lesson Overview
In this lesson, students will choose a zoo animal for their research project by viewing videos of 11 different animals. This lesson begins the research project process, and can include one, two or three zoo visits (see chart).
Zoo visit options for Section 4

Teachers may choose to make one, two or three visits.
4.2
Choosing a study species for research on animal behavior at the zoo OPTIONAL ZOO VISIT (first visit of two or three) 4.3 Organism exploration at the zoo
Student Objectives
After observing the behavior of various species, students will be able to choose a study species for behavioral research at the zoo.
4.4
Ethogram Development of the Zoo Study Subject
Timeline
1 class period and one week outside of class
OPTIONAL ZOO VISIT (second visit of three) 4.5 Field Study Research: Ethogram Supplementation 4.6 Library Exploration Note: Students may make this visit on their own time.
Group Size
Whole class and individual work
Materials
TV with DVD player, or computer with CD-ROM or DVD and overhead projector Behaving in Public, CD-ROM or DVD video, included with curriculum
4.7
How do we choose a Scientific Question?
4.8
Research Proposal
ZOO VISIT (only or last visit) 4.9 Field Study Research: Collecting Behavioral Data
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4.2
C H O O S I N G A S T U D Y S P E C I E S F O R R E S E A R C H O N A N I M A L B E H AV I O R AT T H E Z 0 0
Procedure
1 The whole class will view a sampler video of 11 zoo species, Behaving in Public. Students will be given time to read a bit more about the species that attract their attention in the magazine that comes with this unit. If you plan two trips to the zoo, students can use the first trip to visit each of the 11 species before choosing their study species. Have students answer the following questions about all, or a subset, of the species they view. What interests me about this animal? What questions do I have about this animal? Would I like to spend time observing this animal? Why or why not? Is this animal my choice for a research subject? 4 Students must each choose one of these species for generation of an ethogram and research project. You may want to limit the number of students that can work on the same species (even though they will work independently) by having a sign up sheet. It is helpful to have small groups (not singles) for each species.
SPECIES ON VIDEO BEHAVING IN PUBLIC

Lion-tailed Macaque Ring-tailed Lemur
Butterflies Goral River Otter Naked Mole-rat
Malayan sun bear Flamingo Chimpanzee
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4.3
O R G A N I S M E X P L O R AT I O N AT T H E Z O O (OPTIONAL FIRST VISIT OF TWO OR THREE)
Lesson Overview
Students go to the zoo to observe potential species for a behavioral study. For classes that can visit the zoo twice (this is preferable), this visit is for preliminary exploration and practice data gathering. If students can visit the zoo twice or more, they can choose a species not on CD or in the Animal Whys magazine.
Direct students to exhibits they should visit. Indicate that they will observe each species to determine their level of interest in that species. They need to complete a preliminary observation sheet for each species that they visit. Discuss how to use the data sheet if necessary. In addition to recording the behaviors they observe, have them ask themselves the following questions: What interests me about this animal? What questions do I have about this animal? Would I like to spend time observing this animal? Why or why not? Is this animal my choice for a research subject?
Student Objectives
While observing the behavior of various species at the zoo, students will be able to describe behaviors and place the descriptions within appropriate categories.
Key Terms
exhibit enclosure in which an animal lives in the zoo 5
Timeline
3-4 hours
Have students turn in their choices and reasons for choosing their species. This can be done at the end of the class or for homework.
Materials
Map of zoo Observation sheets
Teacher Tips
Remind students to consider the time of day they did their observations. Students will need a Preliminary Behavioral Observation sheet for EACH species they will observe.
Procedure
1 2 Make sure all permission slips are signed. Depending on the age, size and maturity of your group, you can have your class visit each of the animals as a whole class, or assign students to visit each of the areas in smaller groups in a specific amount of time. Students can also make a short list of 4 possible study species to visit and subsequently choose from.
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ACTIVITY
4.3
name
PRELIMINARY BEHAVIORAL OBSERVATIONS

Species: _______________________________ Time: _____________ Weather: _____________ Date: __________
Number of Animals in Exhibit:__________
BEHAVIORS OBSERVED IN EACH CATEGORY feeding eliminating waste care giving parental behaviors care solicitation grooming nesting exploratory behaviors locomotion agonistic behaviors sexual behaviors communication social behaviors seasonal behaviors
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ACTIVITY
4.3
name
PRELIMINARY BEHAVIORAL OBSERVATIONS

General observations or questions about these animals (use Animal Whys natural histories if necessary):
Drawing of animal observed:
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4.4
ETHOGRAM DEVELOPMENT OF THE ZOO STUDY SUBJECT
Lesson Overview
Students will generate an ethogram of their chosen study species by viewing a moderate length film of the species in the zoo. This will prepare them to develop a research question and hypothesis that they can test during a zoo visit.
Procedure
1 Students will view the 20 minute video of their chosen species, and create an ethogram of the species. Students can view these 20 minute segments as many times as they wish. Since these videos are edited from many hours of observation, time budgets cannot be obtained from them. The natural histories in Animal Whys contain background information on most of the animals in the videos. Students will hand in the ethogram of their chosen zoo species. This ethogram should contain a list of behaviors observed, and a careful description of the behaviors. Drawings can be added for clarification. Behaviors should be organized into functional categories such as: feeding, locomotion, social, parental, etc. Students who take additional observations of their chosen species at the zoo can add information about the frequency of different behaviors and can supplement their ethogram with pictures of their chosen species. Refer students to the dog ethogram in Animal Whys for a model.
Student Objectives
While viewing a 20 minute video of their chosen study species, students will be able to construct ethograms of that species.
Timeline
One week outside of class
Materials
Computers with CD-ROM and Quicktime CD Sampler set with: Butterflies Chimpanzees Chinese gorals Goats Lion-tailed macaques Malayan sun bears Naked mole-rats Paper kites Pink flamingos Ring-tailed Lemurs River otters The Wild Ones: Olive baboons and Vervet monkeys
Teacher Tips
Remind students that the sampler videos will give them a broad spectrum of behaviors but are not shot in real time. They do not represent a valid behavior sample. They will work for practicing data collection, and to give them an idea of all possible behaviors of the animal. Students can support one another in data collection. One can watch the time, one record, one call out behaviors, etc.
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4.5
FIELD STUDY RESEARCH: ETHOGRAM SUPPLEMENTATION (OPTIONAL SECOND VISIT OF THREE)
Lesson Overview
Students go to the zoo to observe their chosen study species and supplement their ethogram on the species. Students may do the visit on their own, after school or on weekends. This visit is for continued exploration, practice data gathering, and familiarization with the study species at the zoo.
Procedure
1 2 Make sure all permission slips are signed. Direct students to the location of their study species. Indicate that they will observe their species to add new behaviors to their ethogram and to develop a time budget for their species. The sample student project in the Appendix can be shared with students, if you wish.
Student Objectives
While observing their study species at the zoo, students will be able to: 1 add newly-observed behaviors to an alreadyconstructed ethogram. 2 conduct scan or focal sampling to develop a time budget for their study species.
Key Terms
exhibit enclosure in which an animal lives in the zoo cage decorations suggestions of the animals natural habitat found in the exhibit.
Timeline
3-4 hours
Materials
Map of zoo Watches for each student Notebooks for recording observations
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4.5
name
PARENT VOLUNTEERS
Parent Volunteers, Thanks so much for helping make this science project a success. The students have been hard at work training in various data gathering techniques. For the zoo portion of the field trip, students will be assigned a particular area and a specific animal species with which to work. We would like to have parent volunteers at each area to monitor students.
6TH GRADE ZOO FIELD CLASS

Volunteers find your kids and head to the area to begin observations. Group 1: 9 a.m. 10:45 a.m. Volunteers Group 2: 9 a.m. 10:45 a.m. Volunteers
Animal/Area Puffin Penguin Lion Tailed macaque Lemurs Baboon Prairie Dogs Naked Mole Rats Otter
10:45 a.m. Leave areas and meet back at entrance Walk as a group to _______________________________ to have lunch. Lunch 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. 12:00 Leave picnic area: Volunteers find your kids and head to the area to begin observations. Group 1: 12:15 p.m. 1:45 p.m. Volunteers Group 2: 12:15 p.m. 1:45 p.m Volunteers
Animal/Area Puffin Penguin Lion Tailed macaque Lemurs Baboon Prairie Dogs Naked Mole Rats Otter
1:45 p.m. Leave areas and meet at entrance 2:00 p.m. Busses leave Zoo 2:15 2:30 p.m. Arrival at school
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ACTIVITY
4.5
PARENT VOLUNTEERS
Behavior Expectations
Respectful communication to all: peers, parents, volunteers, zoo staff, and teachers Positive participation in all activities Demonstrate responsible and respectful behavior towards all school, zoo, and personal property
The Animal Behavior Observation Project goal is to give students the opportunity to work in cooperative groups. They will gather data on their assigned animals through the use of various sampling techniques which they have practiced in class. Here is a quick list of information for you to help make the field experiences the best they can be!
Project Expectations
All students will participate positively in their lab groups.
Group Roles

Group Supplies Each group will have: 2 clipboards notebook paper lab sheets pencils stopwatches
Leader _____________________________________________ Materials Manger ____________________________________ Timekeeper _________________________________________ Chief Support _______________________________________
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4.6
L I B R A RY E X P L O R AT I O N
Lesson Overview
After completion of the ethogram, students will be instructed to further explore their chosen species in the library and on the web. This exercise will further familiarize them with their study species and may lead them to interesting research questions.
habitat the type of vegetation, geology and climate in which a species is found in nature. range the largest area over which an organism travels within its habitat interactions how an organism reacts to and affects other organisms. (plants and animals) conservation status if an organism is threatened, endangered, protected, or abundant. Based on population numbers and resource/habitat availability. library research this is information (data) gained about the topic from books (print), videos, websites, interviews, etc. field research this is data gained from conducting experimental trials (ethograms) or through observation of actual conditions (first hand).
Student Objectives
After conducting library research on their study species, students will be able to provide the species: scientific name, physical description, reproductive/lifespan facts, species-specific behaviors, habitat/range, food sources, interactions with other species/environment, endangered status.
Timeline Key Terms

2-3 class periods scientific name the Latin name assigned to each kind of organism, made up of the genus name and species name. life span the average life length for an organism of a particular species species the most specific group an organism is categorized in; the last part of the scientific name; a group of organisms which share an evolutionary lineage and which can successfully interbreed (if it is a sexual species).
Materials
Computer with Internet access Library access
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4.6
L I B R A RY E X P L O R AT I O N
Procedure
1 Explain to students that they need to have some more background information to better understand their animal and to help them develop a scientific question. To do this, they will do some library exploration. Discuss the difference between research and library exploration (often called library research). Go over what information they will need to find on their animal. Answer (or ask) questions about the specific categories. For example: What is a habitat? What does it have to do with behavior? What are species-specific behaviors? What is a scientific name?
Give the students 1-3 days to conduct their library exploration. Schedule time in a library and/or computer lab. Refer to the appendix for specific websites and resources. This is a good opportunity to discuss note taking techniques. Share several methods with students. Encourage students to create a questions page in their journal. As questions arise regarding their animal, have them record them all in one place. Some of them will be answered from their library exploration. Others may serve as potential experiment questions later. See student example in Appendix for a sample library research write up.
5 2
Teacher Tips
What does life span have to do with behavior? What is an organisms physical description, and how does that influence its behavior? What is a range? What food sources does an organism need? What is an animals endangered status? How is that determined? How do we find out about interactions of an animal? Provide an outlined form to organize research for students with special needs.
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4.7
HOW DO WE CHOOSE A SCIENTIFIC QUESTION T O I N V E S T I G AT E ? PA R T I I
Lesson Overview
Students will apply the tools of developing scientific questions, hypotheses and tests to their own study species at the zoo.
Procedure
1 Review the steps of one scientific method. In this method, hypotheses are tested by using controlled experiments. These steps include: Observe/Research Question Hypothesis Experiment/Data Collection Data Interpretation/Analysis Review Hypothesis Report Findings 2 Discuss the elements of testable scientific questions that they examined in section 3.3. Ask students to reflect on their ethogram and work through the experimental development worksheet as homework. The following day, students can compare their initial research plans in small groups of 3-4 and correct their work based on feedback from classmates before handing in the work.
Student Objectives
After completing this activity, students will be able to: 1 generate scientific questions and hypotheses. 2 describe appropriate tests of their hypotheses.
Timeline
Two classes
Materials Experimental Development worksheet
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ACTIVITY
4.7
name
EXPERIMENTAL DEVELOPMENT
1 List three scientific questions about the species for which you developed an ethogram at home.
Clearly state a hypothesis that follows from one of these questions.
Explain how you would test whether this hypothesis is supported. What comparisons would you make or what trends would you look for?
Describe the methodology you would use.
Describe the sampling technique you would use.
What results would support your hypothesis?
What results would not support your hypothesis?
What results might be inconclusive?
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4.8
RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Lesson Overview
Too often student research projects fail because of lack of preparation and feedback before the data collection begins. In this lesson, students will develop or refine a scientific question about their animal. Students will generate a hypothesis to answer the question and choose a sampling method to help them test the hypothesis. Then they will write a research proposal that outlines the scientific framework for their research project.
Key Terms
hypothesis a testable statement, with a cause and an effect. Often stated in IfThen form variables changeable factors that might affect the outcome of an experiment and/or impact an animals behavior materials a list of supplies needed in order to complete an experiment procedures a step-by-step list of what will occur during an experiment; very specific data information gathered during an experiment, could be qualitative or quantitative qualitative data that is sensory in nature, descriptive, whether the animal was red or white, whether the call was loud or soft; data not based on numerical measurements quantitative data that is numerical in nature, numbers of occurrences, time a behavior lasts, number of animals performing the behavior; data is based on numerical measurements
Student Objectives
At the end of this activity, students will be able to: 1 ask a scientific question about their selected species. 2 write a testable hypothesis related to their question. 3 choose a sampling method appropriate to their testing.
Timeline
3 hours in class, 1 week outside of class
Materials
Pre-Proposal Assignment sheet Research Proposal writing assignment
Group Size
Group and individual work
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4.8
RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Procedure
1 Ask students to use the Pre-Proposal Assignment to organize their thinking about their study species. Have small groups review each others sheets. Which research questions have they answered? Which ones are not testable? Of the remaining ones, which ones would make interesting research questions? The teacher needs to circulate and discuss questions as they are selected. Once they have selected a question, ask the students what their next steps are. Guide them to see that to answer this, they will perform an experiment, and that a sampling method is merely a way to collect data. Often students dont think animal behavior studies are real experiments. Allow time for groups to develop their experiments and data sheets for their samplings. The teacher needs to move around and answer questions, provide feedback and monitor on-task behavior. If students are unclear about which sampling method to use, tell them they may need more than one. Let students know when they will conduct their field research. Students will be assigned to write-up a formal research proposal for testing a hypothesis during their zoo visit. You may want to have students turn this in far in advance of their research trip to the zoo so that you have time to give more feedback and they have time to revise their project.
Teacher Tips
You may want to fill out a Proposal sheet as a class so students understand how to go about it. Then you can let them work independently after they have seen it modeled.
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ACTIVITY
4.8
name
PRE-PROPOSAL ASSIGNMENT SHEET

1 List three scientific questions about the zoo species for which you developed an ethogram from the video, CD or DVD.
Choose one of these questions, and explain why it is an interesting scientific question.
Clearly state a hypothesis that follows from this question.
Explain how you would test whether this hypothesis is supported. What comparisons would you make or what trends (patterns) would you look for?
Explain how you would test whether this hypothesis is false. What comparisons would you make or what trends would you look for?
Describe the sampling technique you will use. How many individuals will you observe?
a What results would support your hypothesis?
b What results would not support your hypothesis?
c What results might be inconclusive (unable to decide)?
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ACTIVITY
4.8
name
RESEARCH PROPOSAL WRITING ASSIGNMENT
Write a one to two page proposal explaining the research you plan to do at the zoo. Begin with some background information about your study species. Next explain the research question and why it is of interest. State the hypothesis you propose to test that will help you answer this question. Next, discuss how you will test your hypothesis, what data will you collect, and how you will decide whether the data supports or refutes your hypothesis. Include a sample data sheet.
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ACTIVITY
4.8
name
ALTERNATIVE PROPOSAL FORM

Animal Behavior Experiment Proposal
Species to observe: ___________________________________ Sampling method proposed: ___________________________ Question: ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ Hypothesis: ________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Procedure: Explain how you will setup and perform your experiment.
Group Roles
Leader_________________________________________ Materials_______________________________________ Timekeeper_____________________________________ Chief Support ___________________________________
What is the independent variable in your experiment?
What is the dependent variable?
Design a data table to record your results.
What will you need to complete your experiment?
How long will your experiment take to complete?
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4.9
FIELD STUDY RESEARCH: C O L L E C T I N G B E H AV I O R A L D ATA
Lesson Overview
Students will visit the zoo to observe their selected species and collect the data to attempt to answer their research question.
Have students gather all of their materials: data sheets, clipboards, map of zoo, clipboards, stop watches, colored pencils for sketching physical characteristics. Have all permission slips signed. At the zoo:
Student Objectives
While observing their study species at the zoo, students will be able to: 1 collect behavioral data. 2 record information from zoo signage. 3 sketch physical characteristics and the habitat of their selected species. 4 determine which variables might affect the behavior of their selected species. 4
Direct students to observe their animals and collect data. Remind them to do several trials during their visit. Remind them that each student must collect data. Encourage them to record information about their species from any signs around the exhibit. Have students sketch the physical characteristics of their animal, as well as the habitat displayed in the exhibit. Afterwards, ask them if there are any variables that could have affected their outcome. Have them record those variables.
5 6 7
Timeline
3 - 4 hours
Materials
clipboards stopwatches data sheets colored pencils
Procedure
Before the visit: 1 Students should have completed a research proposal and it should have been approved by the teacher.
Teacher Tips
Organize your observational areas at the zoo think about proximity then group students accordingly. Help groups of students to assign jobs in their groups to facilitate data collection (ie: timer, tallier, observer, caller). Practice these jobs before going to the zoo.
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4.10
A N A LY S I S O F R E S U LT S A N D WRITE UP OF RESEARCH PROJECT
Lesson Overview Alternative Project Ideas

Students will synthesize the skills and information they learned in this unit by writing up a report of their zoo research project. After completing this activity, students will be able to: 1 analyze data they collected. 2 evaluate whether the data support or refute their hypotheses. 3 organize and present findings from a research project they conducted. Written research paper Oral research presentation Visual research presentation (poster science fair structure) Technology research presentation (Hyperstudio, Power Point)
Student Objectives
Teacher Tips
Help kids see where they have been and where they are going in this project. Help them tie their question to their data. Refer back to Jims Crickets for data analysis. Discuss graph options and what each kind of graph is used for. Discuss what to do if your data doesnt support your question. Discuss experiment reliability (Is it repeatable from your write up?) and validity (Is it controlled?) Provide a template for students that need more scaffolding.
Timeline
One week outside of class
Procedure
Have students write a report of their zoo research using the following assignment sheet.
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ACTIVITY 4.10
name
ZOO RESEARCH PROJECT FINAL REPORT ASSIGNMENT

Your final research report should contain the following elements:
1 Cover page: Descriptive title including the name of the study species, a picture of the study species, your same. Introduction: Background information on your study species (e.g. where doesit live?, what does it eat?, is it endangered?), What is the zoo habitat it lives in? Why is it interesting to you? What is your research question? What is the hypothesis you tested? Methods: Where did you observe your species, how many individualsdid you observe, how long did youobserve them? What sampling method did you use? Number of observations you made? How long were your observations? What were the weather or other conditions that could have affected your observations? (This section builds reliability.) 4 Results: Present your results in a table or graph. Explain in a paragraph or two what you found that is relevant to testing your hypothesis and answering your original question. Your ethogram is not a result; it is a tool you used in order to get to this point. Discussion: Explain how your results are relevant to your original question. Why are they interesting? What can you now conclude? What did you learn or observe that wasnt related to your question? References: information that you included in this report that you learned from books, magazines, websites, etc., must be referenced. If you do not cite where you learned the information, you can be accused off plagiarism.
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4.10 A N A LY S I S O F R E S U LT S A N D W R I T E U P O F R E S E A R C H P R O J E C T
RESEARCH PROJECT SCORING GUIDE
NAME: __________________________________________________________ Grade: ______________________ Date: ________________________ Organism: ______________________________________________________ Group: _______________________________________________________________________________________
PROJECT PART COVER BEGINNING Incomplete DEVELOPING Name, date ACCOMPLISHED Name, date, common and scientific name EXEMPLARY Picture, color detail plus items in accomplished category Completed in ink, inference and question are thoughtful All described in detail; related but not required information included Well constructed, thoughtful question, observational data described in detail Both written and visual analysis included; well connected to question and possible variables; insightful observations made Word processed or neatly done in ink; bound or organized, well edited, visuals included On time
1 OBSERVATION FROM ZOO
Not included
Included but incomplete
Completely filled out, includes inference and question All 8 parts included; paragraph format used, references included Ethogram fits question asked, question included, definitions included Connected to question, paragraph format used, data supports conclusion; variables mentioned reliable and valid experiment
2 LIBRARY RESEARCH
Less than half included, no references
5-7 required parts included, sparse references, incomplete Included but not well connected or constructed, definitions incomplete Connected but not well-documented to question using data from ethogram; some variables not controlled; methods unclear
3 DEVELOPED ETHOGRAM
Included but incomplete or unrelated; no definitions Included but not connected to question and/or incomplete
4 DATA COLLECTION ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION
NEATNESS
All in pencil, sloppy, unedited
In ink but sloppy, smeary and/or unorganized
Neatly done in ink, parts in order listed, mostly edited
ON TIME
1 week or more late
2 days late
1 day late
Comments: _____________________________________________________________________________________
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4.10 A N A LY S I S O F R E S U LT S A N D W R I T E U P O F R E S E A R C H P R O J E C T
SCORING GUIDE FOR EXPERIMENTS USING THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD
A LT E R N AT I V E S C O R I N G G U I D E : G R O U P M E T H O D
Research Conclusive: answer contains an exceptional amount of prior knowledge 3 points exceeds Correctly stated with both variables identified 3 points exceeds/meets All variables are identified and explained well 3 points exceeds Easily followed containing all procedural steps in their correct order. Metric units are used where necessary 3 points exceeds Neat, complete and correctly labeled 3 points exceeds All variables are stated correctly 2 points meets Partially conclusive: answer contains a reasonable amount of prior knowledge 2 points meets Inconclusive: answer indicates lack of prior knowledge 1 point does not meet
Hypothesis
No hypothesis 1 point does not meet
Variables
One of the variables is missing or incorrectly stated 1 point does not meet Procedure missing two or more critical steps; metric units not used 1 point does not meet
Procedure
Written, but some steps are vague or unclear. Metric units are used 2 points meets
Chart of Data (raw data)
Complete, but lacking a clearly explanatory title and/or labeling 2 points meets
Incomplete, lacking any of the following: a title, dependent or independent variable, or collected data 1 point does not meet Incomplete, lacking any of the following: a title, dependent or independent variable, or collected data 1 point does not meet Inconclusive demonstrating limited vocabulary terms 1 point does not meet Provides insufficient information for two or all of the following conclusion, inferences, recommendations 1 point does not meet
Graph of Results
Neat, complete and correctly labeled 3 points exceeds
Complete, but lacking a clearly explanatory title and/or labeling 2 points meets
Observations
Thoughtful, very descriptive using a variety new vocabulary terms 3 points exceeds Tells whether hypothesis was proven correct or incorrect by providing sufficient information for all of the following conclusion (a statement of the results), inferences (assumptions that can be drawn form the conclusion) and recommendations for the design of an experiment 3 points exceeds Student performed experiment honestly, accurately, and independently 3 points exceeds Exceeds = 25 27 points
Partially conclusive using some new vocabulary terms 2 points meets Provides sufficient information for any two of the following conclusion, inferences, recommendations 2 points meets
Conclusions, Inferences
Teacher Observations
Student performed experiment honestly and accurately, but needed teacher assistance 2 points meets Meets = 18 24 points
Student did not perform the experiment honestly and/or accurately 1 point does not meet Does not meet = Below 18 points 77
Overall Rating
4.11
R E F L E C T I O N / E VA L U AT I O N
Lesson Overview
Students have the opportunity to reflect over their conclusions and what they have learned during this project. This could also include students evaluating their peers presentations.
Procedure
1 Have students share their projects with each other. This could be for the whole class or in like-species groups. Ask students to record questions, comments and compliments about their peers projects. Allow time for students to comment after each presentation. Hand out Student Self Reflection. Ask the students to demonstrate what they have learned by answering the questions as completely as they can. Encourage them to use specific examples from their research. Have the students compare what they knew when first started doing animal observations and what they know now. Have their knowledge and understanding increased?
Student Objectives
3 After completing this activity, students will be able to: 1 answer reflective questions on various aspects of research they conducted. 2 compare and contrast their prior knowledge of animal behavior research with their post-research knowledge. 4 5
Timeline
1 class period 6
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STUDENT SELF-REFLECTION
1 What causes behavior?
How do scientists measure, test, or explain behavior?
How certain do you feel that the conclusion you reached regarding behavior of your animal is accurate? Why?
Is your research project repeatable by any other scientists, just from using your report? Why or why not?
What did you see in other projects that you would add to your own? Why?
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4.12
F U R T H E R I N V E S T I G AT I O N S
Lesson Overview
Students or teachers may choose to continue with this topic in a variety of extension activities.
Student Objectives
Students will continue to expand their knowledge of behavioral studies by completing a deeper investigation.
How well can your students apply their ethogram skills to other species? Show the monkey and/or baboon tape from the first lesson again. This time, ask the students to write a question, make a hypothesis and create an appropriate ethogram for the animal. Then show it again and let them collect their data. Have them write a conclusion. This could serve as a final exam. Use your new found knowledge to do a behavioral study of an animal close to home. Study a classroom pet (hamsters, fish, lizards), or one from your school yard (birds, squirrels, rolypolys, worms, ants) or one from a nearby park. You could even study other students in your school. Try to solve a problem that currently exists that is behavioral in nature. Use the same process. Justify a behavior change in your school or community (service project) by collecting human behavior data. Examples: recycling issues, SUV usage, test out a proverb or saying youve heard. Share what you have learned with other experts. Invite zoo personnel to your school, or go there, and share your findings. If you do a study of your school, school ground or local park, invite concerned parties to your presentations. Use this scientific methodology to solve a problem that affects all citizens.
Timeline
Varies. Based on the project chosen.
Procedure
1 Either give the students choices to select from, ask them to brainstorm topics of interest, or select one of your choice to proceed with. Suggested extensions include: Just as the zoo provided you with a video on your species, produce your own video/hyperstudio on your species, or one of your choosing. Will yours be used to practice ethogram techniques? Or will it be like a National Geographic Explorer Report? If no technology is available, create a written natural history of zoo species like the ones in this unit. If each student creates one, you might have the whole zoo covered! Did your project raise more questions about your animals behavior, or about a similar animal? If so, use your scientific question to develop a science fair project. Submit it to your school or communitys science fair!
Make your own extension! Be creative!
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SECTION
APPENDICES
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5.1
CARE TIPS FOR CLASSROOM ANIMALS
CRICKETS IN THE CLASSROOM

Field crickets are excellent subjects for studying behavior in the classroom because they have a wide repertoire of social behaviors. However, in order to see these behaviors we need to observe the right crickets in the right environment.
Housing
Males will defend a burrow against other males. If you house your crickets in an aquarium, give each male a small burrow to defend. (A toilet paper tube cut in half and then lengthwise, or a large tampon tube, will work well.) Males will behave differently in class depending on their experience before class. Males who are housed together will behave very differently than males who are isolated until class. Isolated males will scramble to find and then defend the new burrows. Females will lay eggs in moist (not soaking wet) sand or loose soil. A petri dish can make a suitable oviposition site. If a female is kept away from oviposition sites before class, she is more likely to have eggs to lay during class. She will probe the soil with the ovipositor and deposit eggs if the humidity is appropriate. A female isolated from males before class is also more likely to respond to his courtship song during class.
Age
Many pet stores sell large and small crickets, but size does not guarantee maturity. Juveniles will not engage in territorial, courtship, or oviposition behaviors. Juveniles, even large juveniles, do not have wings; they merely have wing buds or pads. Adults have dark hard forewings that the males use to produce their songs. Comparisons between juveniles and adults would be an interesting project if you have enough crickets of both age categories.
Sex
Males and females behave very differently. Males are territorial and will sing to attract females. Males are distinct in having thick veins in their forewings, which produce their song when wings are moved past each other. Females are most easily distinguished by their ovipositors. This long thin organ extends from the tip of the abdomen and is lowered into the soil where eggs are deposited after the female copulates.
Distractions
Crickets are more likely to sing at night (hence the sound we associate with camping in the woods) but will sing and behave during the daytime. Try to keep the lights a bit dim and be very careful to avoid bumping the table that the animal container is on. Crickets have their acoustic organs (ears) on their forelegs and therefore pick up vibrations from the surface they are standing on.
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5.1
DOS AND DONTS

FOR MICE IN THE CLASSROOM
DO keep your mice clean. Your mouse cage should be cleaned at least once a week. Be guided by your nose. If you smell ammonia around the cage area, then the time to change the bedding is past due. Put the mice in a secure place, dump out the old bedding, wipe out the bottom with a little soap and water, dry out the cage, add fresh bedding, food, water and mice. DO handle the mice yourself, DONT delegate this responsibility to members of the class. The mice will respond by being much calmer when handled regularly by the same person. Having you the teacher handle and care for the mice is a requirement and has the added benefit of reducing escapes and nipped fingers. DO keep your mice warm but not hot. DONT place in direct sunlight or in drafts from open windows and air conditioners. DO keep your mice dry. Sometimes water bottles leak and flood the cage. Check your water bottle every day. DO provide your mice with fresh drinking water. Water bottles should be filled with fresh water twice weekly and washed with a mild soap once a week.
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5.1
DO make sure your mice have plenty of nutritious food. The Rodent Lab Chow provided has everything necessary to raise healthy litters of mice. Seeds and other treats should be used sparingly for observations of food preferences and foraging behaviors. DONT let the class decide what to feed the mice. Some of their suggestions might be very good such as treats of seeds, fresh vegetables and fruits, but others might be harmful to the mice in the long run. Some foods might be preferred by the mice but be nutritionally incomplete. DONT trust the mice to eat what is best for them. DO use the filter material provided for the top of the cage. This material, when attached to the cage, acts as a two way barrier by keeping unwanted objects out of the cage and keeping dust and animal danders out of your classroom. DO use your mice as a resource and observational tool for classroom discussion. Your class can learn a lot about animal behavior by keeping a daily log of the activities and behaviors shown by individual mice. DO use the collected information from your class to prepare an ethogram of mouse behavior. DO limit the number of children observing the mice at one time. Small groups of 3-4 work well. DONT allow children to tap on the cage to make the mice active. Varying the time of day for observations should expose the class to a range of behaviors. DO use the mice for simple experiments that give the mice a choice, such as; do they prefer cotton or kleenex for their nest? do they prefer to build a nest in the open or in a tube from a toilet paper roll?
DONT use your mice as experimental subjects and offer them objects that might be potentially harmful. DO let your mice breed. Raising a litter of mouse pups is a fascinating experience for the class. Mice have a gestation period of 20-21 days. Try to clean the cage a few days before the expected birth and then not again for about a week after the female delivers. Most mice choose a corner of the cage for urination. You should clean these wet spots every 3-4 days to keep odors under control. You may safely move the litter when they are seven to ten days old for a more thorough cleaning. DO remove the male and house him separately if you dont want another litter right away. The female will be receptive to the male immediately after giving birth. If the male remains, youll have another litter in about 3 weeks. DO be careful when cleaning a cage containing young mice of about 3 weeks. They are very excitable and have amazing jumping abilities. DONT allow the cage to become overcrowded. Overcrowding will be stressful to the mice and cause aggression. A pecking order will be established by fighting among the mice and the losers could be severely injured. Overcrowding might also result in cannibalism of new litters. DONT send the surplus mice home with members of your class. Once out of the classroom you cant control what happens to the animals and their welfare may be at stake. DO bring surplus animals back to the university. We will gladly take back progeny and parents when your projects are finished. If you have mice from another source, like a pet shop, ask if you can give them your surplus mice.
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5.2
SAMPLE EXAMS
DIAGNOSTIC EXAM A
Ellie has been observing the mice in her classroom for months. Last semester, Ellie noticed that the mice play with each other like kittens or puppies. Ellie wondered why mice play. Her friend David suggests that it is good exercise for the mice and helps keep them fit. However Ellie has heard that human play is an important part of learning how to behave as an adult, and thinks that mice could play for the same reason. The adult female mouse in Ellies class is pregnant again and Ellie wants to study the pups for her behavior research project. Ellie thinks that the pups will behave differently than the older mice since they are still learning how to behave. Ellie has convinced her classmates to help her collect data on the new mice but she has to organize her ideas and organize the data collection so that it can be used to test her hypothesis. 1 2 3 Clearly state Ellies research question. Clearly state Ellies hypothesis. What predictions has Ellie made that should be found if her hypothesis is true? Clearly state a prediction that Ellie and her classmates can test by making observations of their class mice over the next month. Ellies classmates are going to help her collect data. How can Ellie help make sure that the observations recorded by different people are comparable and can be pooled together? 7 6 Since the observers cannot watch every animal, all of the time, explain how they can make their observations so that they get the fairest test of their hypothesis? Make a data sheet that Ellies classmates can use to collect data for her. Even before she has the data, we know what kind of graph will best illustrate Ellies results. Draw the axes of her graph and label the axes. Fill in what you expect Ellies graph to look like if the data supports her hypothesis (in red ink). Draw the lines you expect to see if the data do not support Ellies hypothesis (in blue ink).
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5.2
SAMPLE EXAMS
KEY EXAM A
1 2 3 4 5 Why do mice play? Mice play in order to better learn how to behave as adults. Pups will behave differently than adults. Pups will spend more of their time playing than adults. Or, pups will play less as they become adults. Ellie can define what play looks like or teach her classmates what different behaviors look like so they all call the same behavior the same thing. They can watch each animal for the same amount of time each day.
6 7
Animals Name Mother Father Pup 1 Pup 2 Pup 3
Minutes observed playing
Minutes observed not playing
8 and 9 Average time spent playing
or
adults
pups
age
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5.2
SAMPLE EXAMS
DIAGNOSTIC EXAM B
David loves gray tree squirrels. He always has a bag of peanuts in the pocket of his parka so that he can feed the squirrels that he meets walking to or from school. He noticed that some squirrels are very calm when they take his peanuts and even sit next to him to eat the nuts. Others seem very nervous and run away as soon as they get a nut. David is curious why the squirrels behave so differently. His friend Ellie suggests that the girl squirrels are larger and braver and that the boy squirrels are the small, scared ones. However, David is pretty sure that the same squirrels are calm sometimes and nervous other times. David has noticed that as soon as a dog comes in sight all the squirrels run up the nearest tree. He thinks that the squirrels might feel more secure when he is feeding them near a tree. He has convinced his friends to help him collect data to test his hypothesis. They agree to meet at Oak Knoll Park on the following Sunday afternoon. 5 Davids classmates are going to help him collect data. How can David help make sure that the observations recorded by different people are comparable and can be pooled together? Since the observers cannot watch every animal all of the time explain how they can make their observations so that they get the fairest test of their hypothesis. Make a data sheet that Davids classmates can use to collect data for him. Even before he has the data, we know what kind of graph will best illustrate Davids results. Draw the axes of his graph and label the axes. Fill in what you expect Davids graph to look like if the data supports his hypothesis (in red ink). Draw the lines you expect to see if the data do not support Davids hypothesis (in blue ink).
1 2 3
Clearly state Davids research question. 7 Clearly state Davids hypothesis. What predictions can David make that should be found IF his hypothesis is true? Clearly state one prediction that David and his classmates can test by making observations in Oak Knoll Park on a Sunday afternoon. 8
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SAMPLE EXAMS
KEY EXAM B
1 Why are the squirrels sometimes calm and other times nervous when they take his peanuts? Squirrels feel safer when they are near a tree. Squirrels will act more nervous and run away faster if they are far from a tree. The farther you are from a tree, the more quickly a squirrel will take your peanut and run away. David can define what he means by run away, walk around, beg for more and other behaviors his friends are likely to see. He can also make sure they offer the same kind of peanuts and offer them in the same way. They can test each squirrel at different distances from the nearest tree. Or they can test each squirrel only once but test different squirrels at different distances from the nearest tree.
8 and 9 Minutes spent taking and eating peanuts before moving back to a tree.
2 3
Distance to Nearest Tree
Animals name or number
Distance to nearest tree
Time squirrel takes peanut
Time squirrel moves back to tree
Total minutes spent taking and eating peanuts before moving back to a tree.
If one animal is tested at different distances, then column 1 can be omitted and each friend gets a data sheet for each animal.
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animal
WHYS
Stan Braude, an animal behavior researcher at Washington University, has identified previously unknown behaviors of the naked mole-rat.
?
T
their young.
WHAT IS
BEHAVIOR?
he study of animal behavior is the scientific study of everything that animals do. Animals may be single-celled organisms, invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, humans, or other mammals. Animal behavior involves the investigation of the relationship of animals to their physical environment as well as to other organisms. It includes topics such as how animals find and defend resources, avoid predators, choose mates and reproduce, and care for
Why Do
Scientists Study Behavior?
cientists have long studied animal behavior in order to better understand them. From anthropologists studying humans, to biologists observing animals in the wild, to
zoologists trying to help animals in captivity to survive, behavior is a source of knowledge and evidence to scientists. Zoos allow us to observe animals at a much closer level, just as class pets do in a classroom. By gaining this understanding of animals in captivity, scientists can then look for those behaviors in the wild, testing out theories and answering questions about the organisms.
People who study animal behavior are Additionally, studying animal behavior helps scientists to predict how human actions will affect animals and their environment in the future. Both are dependent on humans for their continued existence. Humans have a responsibility to study animal behavior to determine the needs of the animal kingdom and to determine when certain species are being threatened. Human survival, as well as animal survival, depends on healthy populations of diverse species. typically trying to answer one or more of the following four kinds of questions about behavior. These questions are often referred to as Tinbergens four questions after the animal behaviorist Niko Tinbergen, who first described them (see below).
Tinbergens Four Questions about Animal Behavior

1 What is the cause of the behavior? What mechanism is underlying it? What triggered it just now? 2 How did the behavior develop within the individuals lifetime? 3 What function or functions does the behavior serve? 4 How did the behavior evolve over time?
Answers may include both the external stimuli that affect behavior, and the internal hormonal and neural mechanisms that control behavior.
Helps scientists learn how behavior changes over the lifetime of the animal, and how these changes are affected by both genes and experience.
Helps determine the behaviors effect on the animal and its value in helping the animal to survive or reproduce successfully in a particular environment.
Helps determine the origins of behavior patterns and how these change over generations.
from http://acunix.wheatonma.edu/kmorgan/AB_Careers/animal_behavior_careers.html
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RESEARCH Saint Louis ZOO

at the ZOO STUDY
he Saint Louis Zoo applies animal behavior research in its conservation efforts both at the zoo and in the field. The zoos efforts to breed threatened and endangered animal species is enhanced where knowledge of specific, interactive behaviors and animal physiology is known. Here are brief descriptions of three studies being conducted at or by the Saint Louis Zoo. For more information about these or other studies, visit at the Saint Louis Zoo online at www.stlzoo.org.
BEHAVIORAL
MOTHER / INFANT ANTELOPE
The zoo is developing a profile of typical behavior of mother and infant pairs of antelopes during the first 30 days after birth. It will be used as a baseline comparison of the species. The study evaluates the behavioral interactions of the mother and infant that are likely to be related to successful bonding and care. They include, for the most part, measures of proximity, grooming and ursing. In the wild, young hoofstock can be categorized either as hiders or followers, depending on the species survival strategy. Forest antelope species are known to hide their young in the brush and return to nurse at very infrequent intervals (sometimes as little as three times in a 24-hour period), reducing the chance they are bringing the fawn to a predators attention. In contrast, species from open grasslands give birth to precocial young that are able to follow their mothers. Consequently, these young nurse much more frequently. In the zoos commitment to leave infants with their mothers whenever possible, it is in their best interest to understand what is normal nursing behavior for each captive species. Knowing, for example, that an individual species is a hider, animal care staff will not be alarmed if they do not see a mother nursing her young constantly. Data for this study is collected via 24-hour video filming of the exhibit, then tabulated by computer.
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ZOO STUDY
MEXICAN WOLF
Saint Louis Zoo researchers are conducting studies at Washington Universitys Tyson Research Center to increase the numbers of the endangered Mexican wolves. Scientists have a strong interest in understanding the behaviors related to reproduction in order to support breeding efforts at the Wolf Sanctuary. Researchers count the occurrence and duration of behaviors on a clipboard and simple data sheet.
CAREERS IN ZOO STUDY

Previous zoo studies have focused on the great Indian hornbill. The zoo is satisfied with the results of this species breeding efforts. More recently, the zoo began looking at another hornbill species whose reproductive habits are quite similar the Blyths hornbill. In fully understanding the intricate behaviors and rituals of these birds, we can better provide the environment for their breeding success. We can also help other zoos and in situ (in the country of origin) conservation efforts find similar success. The reproductive behaviors of hornbills are fascinating. They are housed in mating pairs, since these birds are among those who will form monogamous pair bonds. Females interview potential mates by mimicking the behaviors they will use during nesting. A male will appropriately respond by exhibiting food-giving behavior, proving that he will care for the female when she walls herself into a log/tree cavity, leaving only a small opening through which she will receive food and carefully excrete her waste. During this time she will lay her eggs, incubate and hatch them. She will emerge when the chicks are ready to fledge. Researchers collect data on a laptop computer.
BLYTHS HORNBILL
animal behavior
hese careers require a doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) or doctor of veterinary medicine (D.V.M.) degree. Animal psychologist College professor/researcher in biology, zoology, psychology, others Conservation field researcher Health researcher Research assistant Veterinarian Zoo curator or researcher Zoo director
hese careers require at least a bachelors degree, and probably a masters degree. Animal care facility manager Animal caretaker Animal control officer Animal caretaker Companion animal trainer Veterinary assistant Zoo educator Zookeeper
from http://acunix.wheatonma.edu/kmorgan/ AB_Careers/animal_behavior_careers.html.
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What is an
ETHOGRAM?
Ethograms are essential tools for scientists and students who want to study animal behavior and communicate their results to others. A complete ethogram describes the social or environmental setting for each behavior, includes information about the timing and frequency of the behaviors, and organizes the behaviors into functional categories. When we suggest a function for a behavior, we are making an implicit hypothesis that may require further observation to verify. The name we assign to a behavior can also imply a function for that behavior. For example the same body posture can be labeled lying down and resting. Lying down only describes what the animal is doing; resting implies why the animal is doing it. In fact many animals lie down for reasons other than rest. Social animals may lie down as a sign of submission and predators or prey may lie down to hide from each other.
AN ETHOGRAM IS A DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF ALL BEHAVIORS OF A PARTICULAR SPECIES.
In order to be a useful scientific tool for studying behavior, an ethogram must be unambiguous in distinguishing different behaviors. Descriptions of behaviors must be clear and complete. Data shown in graphs and tables helps others understand it better. Ethograms can also contain pictures, or drawings of the animal to help the reader understand exactly what behavior is being described.
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CATEGORIES OF BEHAVIOR
1 2 3 4 5
BEHAVIOR SAMPLING TOOLS

Time budget:
a record of how an organism spends its time
Tally:
record data by making hashmarks, indicates numbers or counts.
STEPS IN ETHOGRAM DEVELOPMENT
Eating Elimnative Care-Giving Communicative Care-Soliciting Maintenance Shelter-Seeking Territorial Exploratory Aggression Sexual Density-dependent Social Hibernation/Migration Environmental
List behaviors and name individual behaviors. Organize behaviors into functional categories (feeding, resting, traveling, etc.). Describe each behavior (including pictures and diagrams). Tally frequency of behaviors and calculate the time budget. Give context of behavior (social or environmental).
Scan sampling:
collecting data at specified time intervals, either on focal animal or group.
Focal sampling:
collecting data focusing on one individual animal at a time.
All occurrences sampling:

recording each time a behavior is performed, either on a focal animal or among all animals present.
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QUESTIONS TO FOCUS OBSERVATIONS

feeding Are food and water ingested differently? Is food transported or stored? Are different foods handled differently? eliminating waste Are there special postures associated with
elimination? Are certain locations chosen for elimination? Are feces consumed? By whom?
agonistic behavior Are there agonistic vocalizations and

postures? Do animals of different ages respond to aggression differently? How do the animals defend themselves from aggression?
sexual behavior How do males and females behave

differently during courtship? What environmental circumstances are associated with courtship behaviors? What behaviors are associated with sexual maturity in each sex? What behaviors proceed or follow mating?
care giving What communicative behaviors are

associated with care giving? Which care giving behaviors are associated with different types of individuals?
care soliciting What communicative behaviors are

associated with care giving? Which care giving behaviors are associated with different types of individuals?
communication What visual, auditory, tactile or chemical

signals does your species use? Are some signals used together? Are some signals used exclusively by animals of certain ages or one sex? Are there signals used only within your species? Are there signals used for interspecific communication?
grooming Do individuals groom at certain times or in

certain situations? Do individuals groom each other? Are different parasites removed with specific behaviors?
social Is the species social or do animals live alone? What types of animals normally make up
a group? How large are typical groups? Do animals behave differently depending on the size of the group?
nesting When do animals enter their nest? What behaviors are associated with
constructing the nest? What behaviors are associated with cleaning the nest? Are nests defended or abandoned in the face of danger?
seasonal Do animals respond to changing climate by

hibernating, migrating or other modification of behavior? What triggers these changes? How do migrants navigate?
exploratory behavior How do animals respond to new objects? How do animals of different ages respond
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to new situations or places? How do animals find their way home or navigate in their neighborhood?
a sample ethogram:
resting behaviors
DOMESTIC DOG
social behaviors/humans
Amicable human: lick, paw, allogroom human, often with tail wag Threat human: snarl, raise hackles to human Attack human: bite, snap or chase human Defensive human: evade human, cower, roll over Competitive human: defend object or food from human Sniff human: nose to any area of human Solicit play human: bow, metaplay with human Play human: bouncing gait, play face, wrestle, play chase Pat dog: human pat dog
Rest: lying down with eyes open or closed Sit: sit on hind legs Stand: stand on four legs
locomotive behaviors
Walk: ambulatory gait Trot: trotting gait Run: running gait Hind legs: standing on hind legs using forelegs against a wall to support the body Circle: repetitive circling around pen Tail chase: repetitive chasing of tail Pace: repetitive pacing usually along a fence Social pace: repetitive pacing along fence with a dog on the other side Jump: repetitive jumping so that hind legs leave the ground Wall bounce: repetitive jumping at wall, rebounding off it Flank suck: repetitive and prolonged auto-grooming of flank
vocal behaviors
Bark: staccato vocalizations Howl: long drawn out vocalizations Bark at passers: recorded where object of barking could be seen
social behaviors/dogs
Contact dog: lying in contact with dog Amicable dog: lick, paw or allogroom dog often with tail wag Threat dog: snarl, raise hackles to dog Attack dog: bite, snap, or chase dog often with aggressive vocalizations Defensive dog: Evade dog, cower, roll over, lick face Competitive dog: defend object or food from dog Sniff dog: nose to any area of another dog Solicit play dog: bow, short charges with bouncing gait, often barking T-dog: muzzle placed across neck of another dog Mount dog: hetero/homosexual mounting of another dog Mounted: focal animal mounted by other dog
solitary behaviors
Autogroom: lick, pull at body/pelage Dig: dig at ground with forepaws Urinate squat: urinate in squatting position Urinate raised leg: urinate with one leg cocked Kick ground: scratching ground usually following urination or defecation Sniff ground: Nose to ground Eat: eating food Drink: drinking Coprophagy: eat own or other dogs feces Chew: chew nonnutritive material Eat grass: eating grass Mouth toy: chew toy
from Serpell, J. (ed.). The Domestic Dog: its evolution, behavior, and interactions with people. 1995 Cambridge University Press.
105
natural histories
These natural histories give a general overview of each animals characteristics and behaviors in the wild.
lion-tailed macaque
Macaca silenus
They are medium-sized monkeys with stout bodies and strong limbs. They have a ruff of long grayish hair on each side of the face.
appearance: size:
764 mm in head and body length. Weight average is 18 kg; males are generally 50 percent heavier than females.
food: wild and cultivated fruits, berries, grains, leaves, buds, seeds, flowers, bark,
fungi, insects, lizards, tree-frogs, snails, giant squirrel babies
range: Western Ghats Mountains, India habitat and basic behavior: While some monkeys can live in urban areas, the
lion-tailed macaque is a true rain-forest dweller and is unable to adapt to cities. All macaques are primarily diurnal, and all have an arboreal capability, but most species come down from the trees at least on occasion to forage or move over long distances. The lion-tailed macaque spends less than one percent of its time on the ground. They carefully inspect surroundings for a long time before descending from the trees. Lion-tails have cheek pouches which they quickly stuff as they forage for food in dangerous places. They are good swimmers. At night, they huddle in a sleeping cluster high in the canopy. In captivity, the lion-tailed macaque has been observed manufacturing and using tools to extract syrup from containers. Macaques live in social groups of 10-20, including one to three adult males. Females do not have their first offspring until they are 5 years old and males do not reach sexual maturity until 8 years old. The species has a low reproductive rate, which may contribute to its endangered status.
threats:
Major threat is habitat loss to hydroelectric power, timber and tea plantations, and harvesting of firewood and other forest products for human use. They are also hunted by the Nilgiri hills natives for their skin and meat.
from Ali, Rauf. Lion-Tailed Macaque: Status and Conservation. 1985, Alan R. Liss, Inc. New York Nowak, R.M. Walkers Mammals of the World," 6th ed. John Hopkins Univ. Press, Baltimore, 1999 Singapore Zoological Gardens Docents, 2000, http://www.szdocent.org/pp/p-mclion.htm
106
goral
Naemorhedus goral
appearance: Goat like mammals, with short, woolly undercoats and long coarse
guard hairs. Vary in color from gray to dark brown to reddish, with white or yellow throat patches. Both sexes have conical horns, 127-78 mm in length, which curve toward the rear. Stout, long limbs are well adapted to climbing.
size: Head and body 820-1200 mm, tail 76-203 mm, shoulder height 570-785 mm,
weight 22-35 kg
food: Diet consists of twigs, low shrubs, grass and nuts. range: Gorals are found across most of the southern slopes of the Himalayas of
northern India, west China, and north to Korea, at elevations of 1,800-2,000 m. Gorals tend to rest on sunny rock ledges, where they are difficult to recognize even in full view. They are found on rugged, wooded mountains, and seem to prefer the most difficult terrain possible. When motionless, their color blends with the rocks. They live together in groups of 4-12, but males commonly live alone most of the year. When frightened, gorals emit a hissing or sneezing sound. They may spend most of the year within a home range of just a few dozen hectares, but move a few kilometers to a more favorable wintering areas. They are most active during early morning and late evening, but on cloudy days roam throughout the day. After eating in the morning, they usually drink water and then retire to a sunny rock ledge. They can be difficult to recognize in full view, because their color blends with the rocks. Gorals reach sexual maturity at age 3. Gestation lasts 6-8 months. One to two offspring are born.
habitat and basic behavior:
threats: Gorals are often hunted for meat and sport, even in protected areas. The
most significant threat to them is severe habitat disturbance and alteration, particularly in the lower portions of the Himalayas and in northeastern India. However, goral can survive in areas that have limited disturbance of shrubs and forest cover.
from Shackelton, D. M. (ed.) and the IUCN/SSC Caprinae Specialist Group. Wild Sheep and Goats and Their Relatives. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan for Caprinae." IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK, 1997. Nowak, R.M. Walkers Mammals of the World," (6th ed.), John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 1999. Mochi, U. and T.D. Carter. Hoofed Mammals of the World." Singapore Zoological Gardens Docents, 2000, http://www.szdocent.org/pp/p-mclion.htm
107
ring-tailed lemur
Lemur catta
appearance:
Monkeys with long pointed muzzles, large eyes, and triangular ears. Upper parts are brownish gray, underparts are whitish, tail ringed with black and white. Palms and soles are long, smooth and leatherlike. Head and body length 385-455 mm, tail length 560-624 mm, weight 2.3-3.5 kg. Lemurs have been considered as territorial, however, territories overlap considerably. Lemurs vigorously defend areas being used. Disputes generally involve two opposing groups of females running at each other and vocalizing, but direct contact is rare. Researchers have identified 15 different vocalizations, including a howl audible to humans at 1,000 meters. Mating occurs in spring and births in late summer to fall. Births often occur within a period of days in a troop. Single young are most common, but twins are not rare. Weight at birth is 50-80 grams. During the first two weeks of life, the young cling to the mothers underside, then rides on her back. Females generally conceive at 19-20 months. Males are sexually mature at age 2.5, but may not be allowed to mate by older males. Madagascar is one of the worlds most threatened biodiversity hotspots, with 80 percent of its forests already gone and most of what remains at great risk. The ring-tailed lemur is the only surviving semi-terrestrial diurnal lemur. Its preferred habitats, of forests along rivers, are disappearing because of fires, overgrazing, and cutting trees for charcoal. Hunting for pets and zoos is also a threat.
size:
food:
fruits, leaves, other plant parts; rarely insects. The kiley tree is the mainstay of their diet.
southwestern Madagascar, in wooded and thinly wooded country
range:

Found only in Madagascar, lemurs are among the most diverse primate faunas on earth, and highly unusual. They live in large family groups called troops, consisting of 5-30 lemurs. The troops forage for food throughout the day, and can be active at night, as well. Troops have no consistent leadership, and feature much agonistic behavior and fighting. The sexes have separate dominance hierarchies, with females dominating the males. The troops are organized around a core group of adult females and their infants. Females remain in the troop of their birth, but males move among the troops.
threats:
from Mittermeier, R.A., I. Tattersall, W.R. Konstant, D.M. Meyers and R.B. Mast. Lemurs of Madagascar. Washington D.C., Conservation International, 1994. Nowak, R.M. Walkers Mammals of the World," (6th ed.), John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 1999.
108
butterflies and moths

Multiple species within order Lepidoptera
note: More than 160,000 species exist within Lepidoptera; students may compare
and contrast two or more species. Insects with large, easily distinguishable wings. Among the most popular and easily recognized insects, butterflies and moths are separated mostly by observable differences. Most butterflies fly by day and most moths fly at night. Most butterflies are brightly colored and most moths are dull. Despite these differences and others, there is no single feature that separates all butterflies from all moths.
appearance:
size: Range of sizes from very small to wingspans of 180 mm Idea tamb sisiana.
generally plants. The Pyralid (Laetilia coccidivora) is carnivorous; in the caterpillar stage, it eats scale insects and aphids.
food:
range: Butterflies and moths are found around the world.

Butterflies and moths each go through four different life stages: egg, caterpillar, pupa, and adult. Life spans vary greatly between species, from a few weeks or several years. Some of the wood-boring larvae of the Cossid moths may spend months, or even years, in the caterpillar stage. Many moths and butterflies have complicated courtship behavior, including performing elaborate flights and dances. They often use chemicals called pheremones to attract members of the opposite sex. When a male finds a female who shows interest in him, they both land. The mating pair will often tap each other with their antennae, detecting other scents. Mating may last for 20 minutes to several hours, during which time the insects do not move. Most males proceed to look for other females after mating, but females seek a place to lay their eggs. Some scatter their eggs, but others seek a food plant for the new caterpillars. Some butterflies, such as the Orangetip (Anthocharis cardamines), have distinctly different appearances for males and female. This is known as sexual dimorphism.
Whalley, P. Butterfly and moth. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 2000. Feltwell, J. The encyclopedia of butterflies. Great Britain: Quarto Publishing, 1993.
109
river otter
Lutra canadensis
appearance: Mammal with prominent whiskers, medium size eyes, small ears, thick neck and long, heavy tail. Legs are short with webbed feet. Color is dark brown or black, light brown or gray on belly, and silvery on face or throat. size: 90-135 cm with one-third of length consisting of the tail; 4.5-11.5 kg food: Mostly fish and crayfish, sometimes frogs, salamanders, snails, clams, snakes, turtles, muskrats,
birds, insects, earthworms
range: North American lakes and rivers habitat and basic behavior:
Otters usually live in family groups. They live in burrows in the banks of rivers or lakes, usually ones that were built earlier by muskrats, beavers or woodchucks. Home ranges may include 80-160 miles of shoreline. Otters are powerful swimmers that often swim with just the top of the head and eyes above water. They can swim 10 km/hour on the surface and submerge for up to 4 minutes. Even the adults regularly engage in social behaviors that are best described as play. They are particularly fond of sliding down steep slopes that have been made slippery with mud or ice, and that terminate either in a deep pool of water or snowdrift. They will climb up such a slope and slide back down repeatedly, particularly if accompanied by other members of the group. They also spend prolonged periods in small groups tossing rocks or clam shells into the water and then diving for them. One of the most common ways of traveling on snow is to run for a few feet, then slide on their bellies as far as they can.
threats:
Hunting and trapping for fur has greatly reduced populations, and river otters are considered endangered today. They are parasitized by tapeworms.
Saint Louis Zoo
110
naked mole rat

Heterocephalus glaber

Naked mole-rats are the only mammals that exhibit eusocial behavior. This type of behavior describes the colony lifestyles of bees, ants and termites. Eusocial animals live in large colonies within which only one female, the queen, and a small number of males participate in reproduction. The rest of the colony members share such tasks as feeding and defending the queen and raising her offspring. In honey bee colonies, the queen produces a chemical which prevents other females from breeding. In naked mole-rat colonies, the queen fights other females, often to the death, to prevent them from breeding. A queen may breed for 12 years, or until she is displaced by a more aggressive female. The queen has four litters a year, with an average size of seven to ten pups. When a litter is born, a group of non-reproductive colony members forms a living carpet on which the queen and her pups lie for three to four weeks while the queen nurses them. The first solid food the pups eat are feces that they actively solicit the adults to produce for them. The young then begin to help keep the tunnels clear and to gather food for the nest. Older individuals dig new tunnels in search of food and defend the burrow against intruders.
Cylindrical mammal completely lacking hair, except for a few sensory whiskers (vibrissae) on face and tail, plus a fringe of hair on feet. Short legs, tiny eyes and no external ears. Very powerful jaw muscles and large protruding incisors used for burrowing. Skin is very wrinkled because no fat layer is underneath. Color varies from pink to yellow to white or gray.
appearance:
size: 7.0-8.5 cm body length, tail length

3.5-4.0 cm, weight 30-60 gm; queen may be 90 gm.
food:
Mole-rats are strict herbivores; food includes roots, tubers and underground plant parts found while burrowing.
range:
Eastern sub-Saharan Africa, central and eastern Ethiopia, central Somalia and Kenya.
threats: Burrowing reptiles,

especially the rufous-beaked snake.
Saint Louis Zoo
111
goat
Eight species in genus Capra
appearance: Goats with varied sizes and horns. Males
are odorous, with beards. In wild species, horns of males are 500-1,600 mm long and horns of females are 150-380 mm long, with much variation between species. Some are long and curved, some curlicued.
size: Sizes are varied, but males are generally larger than
females.
food: All species graze for grass and vegetation. range:

Europe, Asia, and Africa
habitat and basic behavior: Most goats are well

adapted to mountainous areas and are good climbers. Adult males and females are often separate for most of the year. The Cretan wild goat (Capra aegagrus) lives in groups of five to 25 individuals, which vary through the year. Females remain in the groups except to give birth. Males usually stay apart in small bachelor groups. They form dominance hierarchies and compete for mating privileges. Conflicts involve threats, visual displays with the horns. They may rear up and crash horns together.
threats:
Hunting for horn trophies and meat has decimated many species. The domestic goat is maintained worldwide for milk, meat and wool. It often competes with wild species for food. The European ibex was reduced by sport hunting and a demand for body parts to only about 60 individuals in northern Italy in the nineteenth century. Those animals were carefully protected and used to reintroduce the species to the Alps. By the 1980s there were more than 12,000 in Switzerland and elsewhere.
from Nowak, R.M. Walkers Mammals of the World," (6th ed.), John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 1999.
112
chimpanzee
Pan troglodytes
appearance:
Monkeys with prominent ears, protruding lips, arms that are longer than legs, a long hand with a short thumb, and no tails. Face is bare and usually black, color ranges from deep black to light brown. Hair on the head may grow in any direction, and baldness occurs in both sexes at maturity. socialized societies that may have as many as 80 members. Social position in the hierarchy is extremely important. Chimps communicate by facial expressions, vocal sounds and posture. They have a long childhood, with young dependent on their mothers until age 5, and maturity at age 13. Bonds between mother and young, especially females, can last a lifetime. Chimps can live up to age 50. The chimpanzee is renowned for its ability to make and use tools. They often feed by carefully poking a stick or vine into a termite nest to collect the insects. Chimps also use sticks as hooks to pull down fruit-laden branches. They may fight with sticks as weapons. They use stones as hammers to crack nuts.
size:
Head and body length about 635-940 mm, height 1.0-1.7 meters, weight 34-70 kg for males, 26-50 kg for females. Captive animals can weigh as much as 68-80 kg.
food:
Fruit, seeds, honey, insects, eggs and meat. They may prey on other monkeys and small animals. Tropical rainforests and savannah in Gambia and Uganda
range:
threats:

Most chimpanzees spend daylight hours in trees. Young individuals may swing from branch to branch (brachiate), but the most common form of locomotion is knuckle-walking: walking on all fours with the fingers turned under. They live in highly
Hunting for pets, and habitat loss threaten the chimpanzee in the wild.
from Nowak, R.M. Walkers Mammals of the World," (6th ed.), John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 1999.
113
malayan sun bear

Ursus malayanus
appearance:
These small bears are mostly black, with whitish or orange breast mark and grayish or orange muzzle. The body is stocky, muzzle short, paws large and claws are strongly curved and pointed. The soles are naked. 1,000-1,400 mm, tail length 30-70 mm, shoulder height about 700 mm, weight 27-65 kg. Mothers give birth to one or two young, about 325 gm each. Cubs are blind, nearly naked and helpless. They are very dependent on their mothers for at least three or four weeks. Once out of the den, cubs learn to climb very quickly. They stay with their mothers for at least a year, possibly longer. Captive bears can live up to 31 years
size:
threats: Sun bear cubs are popular as pets, but food: omnivorous, including honey, insects, larvae,
coconut palm, termites, fowl, rodents, fruit juices larger animals are unruly and often sold as parts, which are used in the medicinal trade. Logging of forests and conversion to rubber plants has contributed to habitat loss and population decline. They are considered endangered. Tigers and other big cats are predators.
range: Dense forests in central China, Burma, Thailand, Indochina, Malay peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo habitat and basic behavior: Sun bears
are active at night, usually sleeping and sunbathing by day in trees. They break or bend tree branches to form nests and lookout posts. The walking gait is unusual in that all feet are turned inward. The species is very shy and retiring and does not hibernate. An expert tree climber, it is cautious, wary and intelligent. A young captive observed the way in which a cupboard containing sugar was locked with a key, and later opened the cupboard by inserting a claw in the keyhole and turning.
from Nowak, R.M. Walkers Mammals of the World," (6th ed.), John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 1999. Stonehouse, B. Bears: A Visual Introduction to Bears. AND Cartographic Publishers Ltd. New York, 1998.
114
flamingo
Phoenicopterus ruber ruber
appearance: Large, brilliantly colored aquatic birds. Long sinuous necks, long
legs and webbed feet. Slim, rose colored wader. Bill is specialized for filter feeding and sharply bent in the middle.
size: 90-155 cm tall, males are a little larger than females. food: Small marine life, including mollusks, crustaceans, blue-green algae and diatoms. range: Mudflat areas of southern Florida, South America, Africa and Asia. Highly
adaptive to chemicals in water, including chlorides, sodium carbonate and sulfides. Can exist in very hot and high altitude climates.
Family is one of the oldest bird groups still alive, with fossil evidence going back to early tertiary. The birds are highly social and gregarious, living in large flocks of up to tens of thousands. In east Africa, over a million lesser flamingoes can gather. Birds often spend the day resting, and feed at night. Starting several months before breeding and continuing afterwards, flamingoes often devote considerable time to the performance of collective displays, which may be carried out by hundreds of birds. They consist of a series of ritualized postures and movements. One of the most common, head flagging, involves stretching the neck and head up as high as possible and turning head from side to side. The purpose of these displays is to synchronize, by means of hormonal stimulation, the breeding attempts of as many birds as possible. In this way, populations can make the most of the periods when conditions are optimal. A characteristic feature of flamingoes is their resting posture of standing on one leg. In this way, the amount of heat lost through the leg and foot is reduced. This posture is also used in hot weather, so it is likely comfortable for the birds.
Humans have been mostly threatened by human capture for zoos. Wetland habitat destruction also threatens the birds.
threats:
from Harrison, Bird Families of the World, New York: Abrams, 1978. del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A & Sargatal, J. eds. Handbook of the Birds of the World, Vol. 1. Lynx Edcions, Barcelona, 1992.
115
O B S E RVAT I O N S
116
NOTES
117
RESEARCH
118
Washington University Science Outreach One Brookings Drive Campus Box 1137 St. Louis, MO 63130 (314) 935-6846 www.so.wustl.edu

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THE

and ANIMAL BEHAVIOR RESEARCH

and ANIMAL BEHAVIOR RESEARCH

Introduction and Overview of the Curriculum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

The Ethogram: an Introduction to the Study of Animal Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Introduction to Scientific Inquiry and Sampling Methods and Data Analysis . . . 25

Animal Behavior Research Projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW OF THE

ANIMAL BEHAVIOR CURRICULUM

THE ETHOGRAM: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF ANIMAL BEHAVIOR. . . . 13

INTRODUCTION TO SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY, SAMPLING, AND DATA ANALYSIS . . . . . . . . . . 25

Which Sampling Method Works Best? . . . 26

Sample Data Analysis: Jims Crickets and Marshalls Crows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Classroom Introduction to Creating an Ethogram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

How Do We Choose A Scientific Question to Investigate? Part I . . . . . . . . . . 45

Development of Individual Ethograms at Home. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Zoo visit options for Section 4

ANIMAL BEHAVIOR RESEARCH PROJECTS . . . 51

Ethogram Development of the Zoo Study Subject

Organism Exploration at the Zoo (Optional first visit of two or three) . . . . . . . . . 57

Ethogram Development of the Zoo Study Subject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Field Study Research: Ethogram Supplementation (Optional second visit of three) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Field Study Research: Collecting Behavioral Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

How Do We Choose A Scientific Question to Investigate? Part II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Analysis of Results and Write-up of Research Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Presenting the results of your research.

ANIMAL BEHAVIOR SELF-ASSESSMENT

Suggested Stopping Point Day 2 Start

Set up and maintenance required Harder to set up individual stations

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT: ETHOGRAM DEVELOPMENT

Whys and the domestic dog ethogram if necessary.

A BEHAVIORAL FLOW CHART

SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY, SAMPLING, AND DATA ANALYSIS

WHICH SAMPLING METHOD WORKS BEST?

WHICH SAMPLING METHOD WORKS BEST?

WHICH SAMPLING METHOD WORKS BEST?

Focal Animal Sampling

ALL OCCURRENCES SAMPLING DATA SHEET

SCAN SAMPLING DATA SHEET: HABITAT USE

SCAN SAMPLING DATA SHEET: MARKED INDIVIDUALS

FOCAL SAMPLING DATA SHEET

WHICH SAMPLING METHOD WORKS BEST?

How do birds spend their time?

Which area of a cats body is groomed the most?

What kind of dog food does my dog like best?

What does a squirrel do most eat or play?

Does the male cardinal take part in parenting?

How much of a ducks time is spent preening (grooming)?

When is a mouse most active?

LOOKING FOR PATTERNS: DEVELOPING A BEHAVIORAL FLOW CHART

23% 76% 82% 18%

WHICH SAMPLING METHOD WORKS BEST?

WHICH SAMPLING METHOD WORKS BEST?

Student Research Samples

Behavioral Time Budget (%)

JIMS CRICKETS QUESTIONS

Clearly state Jims hypothesis.

Write any words or phrases you dont understand.

Large: Mean 13.8% Median 14% Mode 15%

Small: Mean 17.8% Median 18% Mode n/a

MARSHALLS CROWS QUESTIONS

Did Marshall use anthropomorphism? Why/Why not?

State another prediction that would follow from Marshalls hypothesis.

average time spent looking