Animal behavior?

[Foggy]

My longest lasting obsession has been on animal behavior, cognition and welfare. I am currently unable due to physical and mental health to go to school to learn about it, so I am educating myself through books, videos and MOOCs. Is anyone else interested in this area? I would love to discuss it! My memory is very poor but I have copious notes to compare. Haha.

 

[Outdated]

I like studying animal behaviour because it relates so much to human behaviour. I'm not much of one for reading text books though, I like to go out and just watch animals. I'm someone who can spend a whole day just watching an ant nest.

 

[Jeff T]

Yes, I've been looking into mammal cognition too. Interested in the physical aspects, but also the ability to learn beyond its lifestyle in the wild. Strengths and 'weaknesses'. How it may perceive the world (sense differences from humans). It's unfortunate that there are not a standardized battery of tests for all / each species. The mirror-self recognition tests are interesting!
I don't have scientific training- just high school and college.
Interested in what particular aspects you find fascinating!

 

[Luca]

Yes, I'm a certified professional dog trainer and dog behaviorist. I'm also knowledgeable about the specific behaviors of pretty much every breed of dog. This has been a lifelong special interest.

This book has been of particular interest to me:

 

[Rodafina]

I’m super interested, but more on an anecdotal level than a scientific one. I’m certainly interested in the science and the literature, just never spent much time reading about it. I would be fascinated to absorb what people have learned on this thread.

Much of my interest comes from walking packs of dogs, and also my strong opinion that taking care of small children (5 to 8-ish years old) is almost exactly the same as taking care of a pack of dogs.

I find animals fascinating and I do not distinguish humans as being too far from their animalistic instincts and so, I think much of what we learn from nature can be applied to our own understanding of ourselves in the world.

 

[Forest Cat]

I have always been interested in that, I enjoy watching animals, just trying to understand them and the things they do. Maybe especially birds. Animals make sense and they live in harmony with nature, people are often just a weird mess.

 

[Outdated]

Drunken Parrots.

This happens every few years across the top of Australia, if you have a long wet season then the nectar in some flowers ferments. Small nectar eating parrots deliberately seek out these trees in order to have a big party and get drunk.

At first it really is a party and they flit around all over the place squawking and carrying on. Then they go through a period where they start getting all lovey and smooching up to each other. Just after that all the fights start, but the fights don't last long because that's also when they start dropping out of the tree.

Too blind to even stand up, let alone try and fly. Then you have to go and pick them all up and put them somewhere safe so cats won't get them but you have to be very careful. They might not be able to stand up but they can still bite like you wouldn't believe.

Sounds just like people to me.

 

[Fino]

I've never understood the idea that animal behavior teaches us about human behavior. The fact that a monkey does something has no relevance.

 

[Shevek]

Although I don't think we are a hybrid, I think that human behaviour hits the sweet spot between that of Chimps and Bonobos. There were many other hominids tinkered up from apes, and we out-competed them all. When I introduced an article on baboons to my study group, the reactions were extreme - they were not just thinking it was an unrelated animal, but an uninhibited relative.
I had a dog that knew how to behave so well I never needed to use a leash or even a command. On a residential street, he'd stay in the same block. On a commercial street, he'd be within a few meters, and in a store or office, he would heel so well I was never challenged. If I was not going to take him out, about a half hour before I left, he would lay under the kitchen table and not move. If I was going to take him, about ten minutes before I decided it was time, he'd have moved to the door mat. The only thing he didn't know was why I was going out, but if it was just for a walk, I'd stop and look at him when we hit the sidewalk. He'd glance at me, spin a couple of times, and head off, ranging around but leading at a comfortable pace. When I'd stop again, he'd turn and take us home another way I would never have found myself.
My friend Don has a farm, and had a bull that would follow him around like a devoted dog. When his cows broke the fence, they'd come to the house for a visit, to the astonishment of his neighbours, who would usually have hours of chasing to do. His chickens all had personalities.

 

[SusanLR]

I've had so many experiences with animals. Much more than humans really.
Birds are of a special interest and I've raised many from babies that have fallen
from their nests. Sometimes in conjunction with it's mother! We worked together.

I had fish tanks all through the house when I was in my teens.
It was like a zoo out back for a few years age 13-16.
Exotic birds, pheasants, chickens, pigeons, ducks, cats, dogs, turtles, even kept a
Boa in the house. Made connections with them all.

The large marsh birds by the sea are some of my favourites.
Wild wood storks in particular. The stories I could share on those!
I like insects as well and have beetles in fishbowls where I can watch them
and learn their behaviours, sitting by the table where I eat.
Have a farm of them.

One cat in particular had a connection that was almost telepathic.
He obeyed no one but me.
We could be outside and I never had to worry about him running off or going
under the house and hiding. He just stayed by me, whatever I was doing.
Sixteen years together. I stayed by his side all day the day he died. He stretched
out his paw for my hand and took his last breath.
I can't talk about him without tears. If such a place exists, we'll be together again.
Sorry, I'm getting emotional now.

 

[Atrapa Almas]

I found this one to be interesting. Its from Temple Grandin:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animals_in_Translation
Just in case.

 

[Duna]

Is anyone else interested in this area? I would love to discuss it! My memory is very poor but I have copious notes to compare. Haha.

I'm I to that, too.
I studied biology with physics as a minor, but couldn't finish because I couldn't deal with student life (I was overloaded). So I studied IT instead, which at that time was already available as distance learning.
Now, many years after I started to study psychology (distance) because it's the closest I can get to learn about cognition and behavior. I have to try to "ignore" the strong focus on humans though. Still learning a lot, and though I won't have any use for the BSc, I still intend to get it.

 

[Catherine Read]

My particular focus in these area's is on reptiles.

This article below was a good read regarding reptilian cognition. People often underestimate the cognitive capacity of reptiles, understanding their cognitive abilities can also have an impact on how an owner approaches their care, thereby effecting their welfare.

https://www.researchgate.net/public...ooded_Cognition_Reptilian_Cognitive_Abilities

 

[Rodafina]

I've never understood the idea that animal behavior teaches us about human behavior. The fact that a monkey does something has no relevance.

What about beyond the monkey? It sounds like, perhaps you are alluding to the idea of evolution… Maybe I am way off there… But with that whole argument aside, do you think that we, as living creatures surviving nature’s elements, could we not learn things from other creatures doing the same? Not trying to confront your beliefs here, just curious if you think there is value in observing animal behavior.

 

[Outdated]

We are in fact only animals ourselves. The fact that we happen to be the prime apex predator on the planet is where all our advantages began. Our behaviour is not so different from so many other animals because we are also animals from the same environment. Similarities with other animals shouldn't surprise us.

 

[Fino]

What about beyond the monkey? It sounds like, perhaps you are alluding to the idea of evolution… Maybe I am way off there… But with that whole argument aside, do you think that we, as living creatures surviving nature’s elements, could not learn things from other creatures doing the same? Not trying to confront your beliefs here, just curious if you think there is value in observing animal behavior.

I wasn't necessarily referring to evolution, but evolution is probably why my brain chose monkeys as the example. I understand what you mean, I just don't know of any examples. There is value in observing animal behavior so that we can deal with them properly, I've just never understood how it could shed light on our own behavior.

 

[Outdated]

...as living creatures surviving nature’s elements, could not learn things from other creatures doing the same?

I believe that a lot of this has happened throughout our history. One of our greatest weapons as a predator was always our combination of intelligence and curiosity. There are animals that farm other animals, there are animals that use tools, there are animals that have spoken languages.

Who learned from who?

 

[Outdated]

I saw a great experiment once, with Prairie Dogs in the US. They always have one of their village on the lookout for predators while the rest of them graze, the lookouts take it in turns in rotating shifts.

When prairie dog sings out about a predator it’s not just making noises, it calls out the coordinates of the predator and all eyes snap to that direction. As part of the experiment they recorded one of the lookouts giving a warning, and a little later on they played back that recording. All eyes snapped up to that direction in the sky, then some of them started arguing with the one who’s voice it was.

 

[Shevek]

I wasn't necessarily referring to evolution, but evolution is probably why my brain chose monkeys as the example. I understand what you mean, I just don't know of any examples. There is value in observing animal behavior so that we can deal with them properly, I've just never understood how it could shed light on our own behavior.

Some things we learn from animals include which foods are probably safe for ourselves, and where danger lies. Dogs make excellent hunting partners, sensing and doing things that we can't. The very first canine movie star was a huge celebrity, often charming hundreds of visiting fans per day. His movie company took him to a board meeting to show him off, and he instantly lunged for one board member, who was later discovered to be embezzling. My friend Don and his buddies were camped on a remote coast, and low on food. Their dog Walter had seen how the Wolves would chase deer into the water, and soon chased one himself so his friends with canoes could finish it off.

When we see squirrels hiding nuts for the winter, it reminds us to do the same, and when we see them re-hiding them, it reminds us to watch out for theiving spies. When the birds go silent, we know to watch for a predator. If we learn to co-exist with bears, we also learn how to get along with moody, strong people. When we see our pets getting jealous of each other, it reminds us that we often do the same in less obvious ways.

A.V. Roe used to take his vacations where he could get close to cliff-soaring birds, and then helped to invent the airplane. My tree surgeon once supplied a Beaver lodge with fresh food one dry and dangerous for them winter. In the spring, a Beaver walked right up to him and his lady, and dropped a green branch at their feet to say thanks.

Sailors used to follow birds to find small, isolated islands. A Dolphin named Pelorous Jack used to pilot ships through treacherous Pelorous Strait. Watching the mating behaviour of animals, and how they cooperate as parents can often help to illuminate and explain our own, less obvious or frequent behaviours. Observers of Carmine Bee-Eaters, who nest near each other on cliffs, say that it is like watching a popular TV series with frequent infidelity, sped up a thousand times.

 

[Duna]

There is value in observing animal behavior so that we can deal with them properly, I've just never understood how it could shed light on our own behavior.

When you write "deal with them" - that sounds like dealing with a problem, or an unwanted situation. As many others here stated, we ourselves are animals. And certainly not the best species that has evolved. So from Nature's point of view the question should be "How can Nature deal with us.
And knowing about "animal behavior", it's mostly the instinctive part that is helpful. All the little things you do and feel subconsciously, the basic workings of your thinking that influences your behavior are not so different from that of animals.

One of our greatest weapons as a predator was always our combination of intelligence and curiosity.

The things that made us humans "top of the food chain" is the ability to constantly stand on two feet, and our thumbs. And humans are hunters and collectors.
Predator's behavior is based on things like need and supply. A lion who fed enough won't kill again until it feels the need to. They help keep balance because if there isn't enough food, they move on, and they even stop breeding until there is enough food again.
Hunters kill for many reasons, satisfaction and gain amongst them. They kill and will do so without regard to the consequences.
Humans aren't predators, they are hunters.