Animal Behavior

Which of the following instincts allows mammalian young to latch onto a mother’s nipple?

• courting
• hibernation
• suckling
• estivation

Many birds fly to warmer regions during winter months and return in the summer.  Which term best describes this type of behavior?

• Habituation
• Hibernation
• Migration
• Social

The males of a bird species do a "dance" and "sing a song" each spring. What is the main purpose of these behaviors?

• to scare off young birds
• to imprint young brids
• to clean their feathers
• to attract female birds 

At night, moths travel toward light. Which type of behavior does this describe?

• habituation
• imprinting
• innate behavior
• learned behavior

A duckling’s mother dies shortly after birth.  A family with a dog takes in the duckling and provides it shelter, food, and protection.  After a few days, the duckling can be found following the family dog everywhere it goes and even sleeping curled up between the dog’s legs at night.  What best explains the duckling’s behavior?

• The duckling became habituated to the safety of the dog.
• to imprint young birds
• The duckling imprinted on the dog as its mother
• The duckling believes it is actually a dog and not a duck

A male lion lives with and mates with a pride of female lions.  If another male lion approaches the pride he will chase him off or try to kill him.  What type of animal behavior is this?

• migration
• to imprint young birds
• territorial defense
• habituation

In the summer, some organisms reduce their metabolism and sleep for weeks at a time.  What best describes this practice?

• Habituation
• Estivation
• Social
• Migration

In the ocean, plankton move towards the surface at night when the sun goes down and move away from the surface when the sunlight increases during the day.  What term best describes this?

• Phototaxis
• Chemotaxis
• Estivation
• Pheromones

A student receives a new video game for Christmas which is very challenging.  He is constantly dying.  Every time he dies though he tries a new method to get through the level.  What type of behavior is this an example of?

• Habituation
• Imprinting
• Courtship
• Trial and Error

A student tries to perform an experiment several times until she gets it correct. This is an example of ___________.

• instinct
• conditioning
• trial and error
• insight