Instinct vs. Learned Behavior

instinct

• A skill learned in school.

• A behavior that is done automatically.

• A behavior taught by a teacher.

• Doing something by practicing over and over.

Learned behavior

• innate

• automatic

• is taught

• born with it

spiders spinning webs

• instinct

• learned

a tiger jumping through a hoop

• instinct

• learned

crying

• instinct

• learned

A monkey using a stick to get ants out of a hole

• instinct

• learned behavior

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

A dog rolls over and gets a treat, so she rolls over again. This is an example of a...

• learned behavior
• inherited behavior
• physical trait
• instinct

Crows are black birds with excellent hearing. In the wild they live 6-7 years. Some crows in Japan open hard-shelled nuts by dropping them in front of moving cars. Which of these is a learned behavior?

• excellent hearing
• dropping nuts in front of cars
• living 6-7 years
• having black feathers

Fox squirrels live in the trees of city parks in Texas.  Each spring they build nests of twigs and leaves in the tops of trees.   They are also often found near park benches, waiting to be fed by visitors.    
For fox squirrels, which of these is  a learned behavior?  

• Having brown fur 
• Taking food from people
• Having a long bushy tail 
• Having sharp claws 

Tags

NGSS.3-LS3-2

These behaviors must be practiced.

• instincts

• learned