Instructions for Lab 3 Animal Behavior Project You will apply the Scientific M

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Instructions for Lab 3

Animal Behavior Project
You will apply the Scientific M

Instructions for Lab 3

Animal Behavior Project
You will apply the Scientific Method to design an experiment around animal behavior. During this project, you will be observing, investigating, and analyzing the details of animal behavior. This is often one of the more interesting aspects of a general biology class and involves a hands-on approach to learning. The Lab Unit for this week will introduce you to animal behavior and the basics of analyzing behavior. This project is broken down into 3 weeks over the quarter with PowerPoint lectures and assignments and culminates in the design of an animal behavior experiment.

Objectives of the Project:
• To understand the concept of animal behavior
• To understand the importance of studying animal behavior for various fields, such as ecology, conservation, and animal welfare.
• To identify and differentiate between different types of behaviors
• To observe and quantify animal behaviors using live cameras.
• To understand the use of ethograms
• To recognize how scientists use the scientific method to guide inquiry, generate hypotheses, design experiments, reason, and draw conclusions based on empirical data.
• To understand the importance of using peer-reviewed literature in academic research.
• To gain experience summarizing information in scientific literature.
• To develop skills in formulating research questions, designing experiments, and proposing data collection methods using ethograms.
• To design an observational study on animal behavior using live animal cameras, incorporating an experimental variable, a control variable, and a dependent variable.

Introduction to Animal Behavior and Ethograms
Procedures – Part A.
1. First, learn what it means to track animal behavior – watch: 60 Minutes Presents: Secret Language of Elephants – YouTube
2. Watch the Introduction to Animal Behavior Power Point Presentation.
3. Watch the Animal Behavior Using Live Cameras PowerPoint Presentation
4. Watch the Animal Behavior – Data Analysis PowerPoint Presentation
5. Choose a wild animal to observe using live cameras at a zoo or wildlife sanctuary (see the list of websites to choose from in Part B, below).
a. The animal chosen cannot be a domestic animal or pet.
6. Familiarize yourself with the behaviors you will be observing and recording.
a. Research common behaviors of your chosen animal. Describe these behaviors: Detailed explanations of each behavior for accurate identification. See the example below.
b. Determine the codes that will be used to represent each behavior.
7. Complete a detailed Ethogram Table for that animal (use the table provided in the Lab 3 Unit).
a. The ethogram should list and define the behaviors you will observe and record. See the example below.
b. Ensure that the ethogram is comprehensive, specific, and tailored to your species.
c. Define the ethogram Reference codes.
d. You must include a minimum of 6 behaviors.
e. Upload the Ethogram Table to its Dropbox.
Part B. Observations and Data Analysis
1. Choose one of the following websites:
A. Explore.org – Explore.org offers a variety of live animal cameras, including wildlife cameras, bird cams, and underwater cams.
B. Africam – Africam features live cameras capturing wildlife in Africa, including elephants, lions, giraffes, and more.
C. San Diego Zoo Global – San Diego Zoo Global provides live animal cameras showcasing various animals, such as pandas, polar bears, tigers, and penguins.
D. Monterey Bay Aquarium – The Monterey Bay Aquarium offers live animal cams focusing on marine life, including sea otters, penguins, sharks, and jellyfish.
E. Cornell Lab Bird Cams – Cornell Lab Bird Cams features live bird cameras showcasing different species, such as hummingbirds, ospreys, owls, and eagles.
F. Smithsonian cams – Smithsonian features elephants, pandas, naked mole rats, lions.
G. Houston Zoo – the Houston Zoo features giant river otters, elephants, rhinos, giraffe, gorilla leafcutter ants.
H. Oakland Zoo – the Oakland Zoo features grizzly bears elephants, black bears, sun bears, candor.
2. Conduct 25 observations of your chosen animal in Part A.
a. Count the number of times each behavior occurs in a 30-second time frames.
b. Over several days, repeat this 25 times.
c. Collect data of these observations.
3. Fill in the Observation Table (found in the Lab 3 Unit Module, and example is provided)
a. Location – name of the zoo or sanctuary
b. Date/Time – date and time of the observation
c. Genus and species – write in the genus and species of your animal properly (italicized with the first letter of the genus upper case and species lower case)
d. Environmental conditions – Describe the environment during which the observation is made, for example: morning, evening, sunny, rainy, cold, etc.
e. Freq. Of _________ – Put the ethogram codes in the blanks for the 6 behaviors you are monitoring.
4. Calculate the Frequency of Behaviors:
a. Use the data you collected on the number of times you observed a behavior.
b. For each observation point, calculate the Frequency of Behavior by dividing the number of times that behavior happened by 6 (the total number of behaviors you are monitoring)
Example – in a sequence of 6 behaviors, if F happened 3 times the frequency will be 0.5 (3/6). If the behavior didn’t happen, it will have the frequency of 0.
c. Every box on the table should be filled in.
d. Hint: Since these are 30 second observations, it is highly unlikely that a behavior will occur more than 6 times in that time period, which means the values will typically be between 0 and 1.
5. Averages – Calculate the average of each frequency.
a. to calculate the average, add up the 25 behavior frequencies (each column) and divide by 25.
b. do this for each of the behaviors.
6. Upload the Observation Data Table to the Dropbox.
Part C. Create a graph of the averages in the frequency of behavior.
1. Make a bar graph using a graphing program or draw one by hand. Hand drawn graphs need to be done on graph paper (can be found online) and done neatly.
2. The graph must have a descriiptive title.
3. The graph must have labels on the X and Y axes that describe the data.
4. An example is shown below.
5. Upload the Animal Behavior Graph to the Dropbox.

Example of Ethogram Behavior Descriiptions for Meerkat behavior
Resting – inactive, possibly lying down or sitting somewhere in their exhibit. Eyes may be open or closed.
Locomoting – walking, running, or climbing in exhibit.
Feeding – digs and consumes various forms of food from the ground with their hands or mouths.
Aggression – Interactions towards another individual such as, biting, chasing or displacing one meerkat from another.
Play – manipulating an object with paws or running about with no intended purpose.
Look Out / Sentry – stands upright on hind legs, alert, looking at surroundings.
Eliminating – defecating or urinating.
Grooming: inspects the fur/hair of a partner and licks or gently nibbles others fur/hair.
Being groomed: animal is the receiver of grooming.
Huddle: two or more animals remain stationary, maintaining bodily contact.
Nuzzle: animal gently rubs its head against any body part of recipient.

Example of an Ethogram Table for Meerkat behavior

Behavior
Reference Code
Descriiption
Locomoting
L
walking, running, or climbing in exhibit.
Feeding
F
digs and consumes various forms of food from the ground with their hands or mouths.
Sentry
S
stands upright on hind legs, alert, looking at surroundings.
Grooming
G
animal inspects the fur/hair of a partner, and licks or gently nibbles others fur/hair.
Nuzzle
N
animal gently rubs its head against any body part of recipient.
Huddle
H
two or more animals remain stationary, maintaining bodily contact.
Play
P
manipulating an object with paws or running about with no intended purpose.

Example of a graph of the ethogram data for a domestic cat

Average Behavior Frequencies of Felis catus based on 25 Observations.

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