Terms of Animal Behavior
Comprehensive list of terms around the topic of animal behaviour, useful to assign topic to a specific observation.
Last changed on 2024-12-27
Categories of Animal Behaviour
Physiology
- Hunting, Foraging, Feeding
- Drinking
- Preening, Self-grooming
- Resting, Sleeping
- Flying, Landing
- Shedding, Molting
- Thermoregulation
- Hibernation (inactivity during period of cold temperatures)
- Estivation (inactivity during period of hot temperatures)
Territory, Defense
- Vigilance Behavior
- Territorial Behavior, Marking, Scent marking, Territory Defense
- Aggression, Fighting
- Agonistic displays (e.g. threat displays, submission displays)
- Crypsis Strategy (Camouflage)
Social Behaviour
- Nesting, Burrowing
- Communication (e.g. vocalizations, body language)
- Social Grooming
- Courtship, Mating
- Caring for offspring, Parenting
- Playing
Mating Strategies
Polygynandry - Polygyny and Polyandry
A polygynandrous species is one that engages in a mating system where both males and females have multiple mating partners during a breeding season. Unlike strict polygyny (one male with multiple females) or polyandry (one female with multiple males), polygynandry results in shared parenting responsibilities, with both males and females contributing to the care of offspring, regardless of which parent they may have mated with.
Cryptic Female Choice
In species like the Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), females often mate with several males but can control sperm selection, sometimes favouring sperm from certain males based on their characteristics or previous interactions.