Animal Behavior, Ninth Edition
John Alcock
Videos
Chapter 1: An Evolutionary Approach to Animal Behavior
Male Lion Committing Infanticide
[Note: This segment is not included on the IRL disc because we were unable to locate the
copyright holder. It is available online via the following link:
http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/vecase/Behavior/Spring2004/shelburne/infanticide.
mov]
Chapter 2: Understanding the Proximate and Ultimate Causes of Bird Song
2.1 and 2.2 White-crowned Sparrow Singing an Alaskan and a Washington Dialect
White-crowned sparrows in Alaska and Washington State sing different dialects.
Students could be asked to listen to the two geographically separate birds to determine if
they can hear the differences between them.
(From the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.)
2.3 Golden-crowned Sparrow Singing
This video is a potential companion to the preceding ones with respect to demonstrating
the species-specific nature of bird song. With the white-crowned and golden-crowned
sparrows, we have two closely related birds whose ranges overlap. Students could be
asked if the songs of birds have evolved to prevent interspecific matings, what prediction
follows about the similarities between the songs of related species that have overlapping
versus nonoverlapping geographic distributions?
(From the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.)
Chapter 3: The Development of Behavior
3.1 The Development of Neurons, the Proximate Foundation for Behavior
As students observe the pattern of growth of these nerve cells in vitro, they can be asked
what genetic changes must be taking place within these neurons in this preparation. In
what way must the environment be involved in the development of the cells? How might
a growing axon recognize its target?
(From Films for the Humanities and Sciences, from The Nervous System: Nerves at
Work.)
3.2 and 3.3 Female Mate Choice in a Wolf Spider
As noted in Chapter 3, females of some species of wolf spiders attend to the symmetry in
the hairy tufted forelegs of the male, which are used during his courtship routine. To see
mate choice in action, here are two actual trials involving a wolf spider female (in the
foreground) that is watching a videotape of a courting male on a tiny Sony television
screen. Students could be asked to watch the two with the goal of determining whether
there were any differences in the behavior of female, and if so, why they might have
occurred. Then the class could be told that the tapes, which come from George Uetz at
the University of Cincinnati, illustrate (1) receptive responses by a female to a control
male video (the male spider still has hairy tufts on his forelegs) and (2) non-receptive
responses to a manipulated video in which the male tufts have been digitally removed.
(Other experiments involved males with digitally manipulated forelegs so that some had
asymmetrical tufted forelegs whiles others had symmetrical tufted forelegs.) Either
before or after this exercise, students could be asked to read one or more of the following
papers: McClintock, W. J. and G. W. Uetz. 1996. Female choice and pre-existing bias:
Visual cues during courtship in two Schizocosa wolf spiders (Araneae: Lycodidae).
Animal Behaviour 52: 167–181; Hebets, E. A. and G.W. Uetz. 2000. Leg ornamentation
and the efficacy of courtship display in four species of wolf spider (Araneae: Lycosidae).
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 47: 280–286. Uetz, G. W. and J. A. Roberts. 2002.
Multisensory cues and multimodal communication in spiders: Insights from video/audio
playback studies. Brain, Behavior and Evolution, 59: 222–230.
(Courtesy of George Uetz.)
3.4 Courtship Display in Male Wolf Spider
A third video clip shows a courtship between a male and a female of Schizocosa ocreata.
Note that the male uses both seismic (vibrational) and visual signals in the interaction, an
example of multimodal communication (see also the descriptions of jumping spider
courtships in Chapter 10). Why might it be adaptive to use two channels of
communications instead of just one? How could a male benefit from this kind of
communication? What could a female gain by requiring two modes of communication?
(Courtesy of George Uetz.)
3.5–3.7 Mating Behavior in the Red-backed Spider
Here are three clips from Maydianne Andrade. One shows a male leaving a female
without having had the good fortune to be cannibalized. Students could be asked why
being eaten by his partner could be advantageous to the male. Another clip shows a male
that successfully donated his life and body to his partner. A third shows a small sneaker
male that creeps onto the female and mates with her while a larger rival is in the
neighborhood.
(Courtesy of Maydianne Andrade.)
Chapter 4: The Control of Behavior: Neural Mechanisms
4.1 Feeding Behavior in Gull: A Classic Instinct
A brief video showing a baby gull pecking at the red spot on its parent’s beak, a classic
case of an instinct being activated by an innate releasing mechanism upon detection of
the releaser.
(From the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.)
4.2 Ants Responding Innately to a Butterfly Larva
Here is a film that might best be shown to the class with no preceding instruction in order
to challenge the students to make sense of what they are seeing. The film shows a
butterfly caterpillar that has managed to be adopted by a colony of ants. The workers
defend the caterpillar, as demonstrated by their hostile response to a passing spider, and
the caterpillar, which may feed on ant larvae, provides a modest reward for its caretakers
in the form of secretions from glands on its back. The film can be used to pose the
proximate question of how a butterfly larva can secure the assistance of worker ants,
which are clearly capable of attacking unwanted intruders. The larva is a code-breaker
(see Chapter 4), and its success raises evolutionary questions about the sequence of
events that led to the ant–butterfly relationship as well as the adaptive significance of the
behavior, if any, from the standpoint of the ants.
(From Films for the Humanities and Sciences, from Ultimate Guide: Ants.)
4.3 Scent Mimicry in Spider
This video deals with another code-breaker, a jumping spider, which is able to evade the
typical fate of unwanted intruders that venture near the nest of green weaver ants. This
species as shown early in the clip can immobilize and butcher invaders of their own
species but they tolerate the jumping spider (because of its olfactory mimicry of the ants).
The spider uses its mimicry to steal and feast on ant larvae. As above, students could be
asked to codify the behavior and its underlying proximate foundation in terms of instinct,
innate releasing mechanisms, and releasers.
(From Films for the Humanities and Sciences, from Ultimate Guide: Ants.)
4.4 and 4.5 Deception by an Australian orchid
Two clips from Rod Peakall of the Australian National University showing (1)
pollination of a deceptive Australian orchid that lures a male of a particular species of
wasp to its flower and (2) an experimental demonstration of the importance of odor cues
to the deception of these wasps. One of the two small balls has been daubed with
pheromone extracted from females of the species of wasp whose males are visiting the
experimental setup. Students can be asked to break the experiment down into its
component parts: the question that motivated the work, the hypothesis, the prediction(s),
the test results, and the conclusion.
(Courtesy of Rod Peakall.)
4.6 Daubenton’s Bat Catching a Large Moth at Night
A short, but valuable clip, showing how a bat can maneuver to capture prey in darkness
using its echolocation system.
( BBC Motion Gallery.)
4.7 Foraging by the Star-nosed Mole
A short video that demonstrates just how rapidly a mole can find and ingest small prey
items (plastered to glass in this experiment). Students can be directed to pay special
attention to how the mole uses its amazing nose.
(Courtesy of Ken Catania.)
Chapter 5: The Organization of Behavior: Neurons and Hormones
5.1–5.3 Red-sided Garter Snake Emergence and Mating Behavior
In three videos supplied by Chris Friesen and Robert Mason you can show your students
what the emergence area looks like with its mass of snakes, mostly males, after they have
left the hibernaculum. A second video shows several males attempting to court and
copulate with a larger female; one male succeeds. A third video shows just how intent
males are on courting a potential mate. Even though the female snake is being held by a
potential predator, a snake researcher, males continue to attempt to court and copulate
with her. These videos are relevant for Chapter 5 and also Chapter 10 (on the effects of
sexual selection) and Chapter 11 (as an illustration of a scramble competition polygyny
mating system). For example, students (after reading Chapter 11) could be asked to
identify the mating system of the snake, and to explain why this system has evolved
instead of some other arrangement.
(Courtesy of Chris Friesen.)
Chapter 6: Behavioral Adaptations for Survival
6.1 Alarm Calling by Avocet
A short video that shows an avocet giving its alarm calls. The video could be used in the
context of either Chapter 6 or Chapter 9. Students could be asked to identify the
potentially costly nature of alarm calling, as the bird’s signals are obviously loud,
presumably easy to locate, and frequent.
(From the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.)
6.2 Mobbing by Gulls
In this case, single gulls are shown pursuing and harassing an osprey, a fish-eating hawk
that rarely if ever attacks gull chicks or adults. Students can be asked to explain why the
gulls are wasting their time and energy in this manner. A possible proximate hypothesis
is that the gulls’ nervous system is programmed to respond to the visual cues associated
with hawks in general, some of which are enemies of young gulls. An ultimate hypothesis
is that if gulls were to ignore stimuli associated with hawks, they would enable the true
enemies of gulls to search for and find the gulls’ offspring or the adults themselves more
easily.
(From the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.)
6.3 Mobbing Behavior by Rock Squirrels
This species is related to the California ground squirrel and is similar in having evolved
resistance to rattlesnake venom and in using tail-flagging and sand-kicking to
“encourage” a potential predator to leave the area. Students could be asked whether this
case provides a comparative test of the proposition that California ground squirrels have
evolved tail-flagging and sand-kicking as an anti-predator adaptation against predatory
rattlesnakes.
(Courtesy of Don Owings.)
6.4 Leaf Mimicry in Praying Mantids
This video shows different species of well camouflaged insects. Here the students could
be asked to predict what the different mantids would do if placed in an arena in which
there were different substrates on which to perch.
(From Films for the Humanities and Sciences, from The Insect World.)
6.5 Escape Behavior of Worms in Response to Mole Burrowing Behavior
Given that moles feed voraciously on worms, it is not surprising that worms have evolved
a counter-response to their predator. When worms sense the soil vibrations caused by a
burrowing mole, they race to the surface in order to escape from their enemy. Bait
collectors in Florida have learned to exploit this response by mimicking the stimuli
produced by foraging moles; they can then easily collect the worms that flee to the
surface. Students can learn more about “worm grunting” by going to:
http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0003472
(Courtesy of Ken Catania.)
6.6 and 6.7 Group Defense of the Nest by the Vespid Wasp Polybia occidentalis
In the first video (credited to Teresa Léon), a nest is sharply disturbed with dramatic
results. This is a wasp in which the venom contains an alarm pheromone. Students could
be asked to discuss what sort of evidence the film provides about the existence of an
alarm pheromone in this species and how it might be used by the wasps, which have
potent stings.
In the second video (credited to Robert L. Jeanne), a single wasp is bathed in human
breath directed to it via a straw, which appears briefly in the video. Here too a question
for the class could be posed: how might the disturbance of a single wasp result in the
mobilization of a large part of the colony whose coordinated activity when alarmed
constitutes a powerful warning and deterrent to mammalian predators.
(Courtesy of Robert Jeanne.)
Chapter 7: The Evolution of Feeding Behavior
7.1 Prey Capture by Kingfisher
This short video shows a kingfisher plunging into water and capturing a small fish. The
film could be used to illustrate the adaptationist approach. The ability of the kingfisher to
detect and capture fish obviously requires special abilities such as the capacity to adjust
for the refraction of light that occurs between air and water. But students could be asked
to develop more questions about adaptation in this case, such as, do kingfishers select
certain sized prey over others; do they change the location of searching after failing to
capture prey after a certain amount of waiting; what would be the optimum period to wait
before perch shifting; do adults select different prey for their nestlings versus when they
are hunting for themselves; and so on.
(From Films for the Humanities and Sciences, from Lifecycles.)
7.2 Red Knots Foraging
The clip shows red knots gathering up the eggs of horseshoe crabs on a beach. From the
perspective of optimal foraging theory (Chapter 7), how might red knots hunting for the
tiny easily digested eggs of the crabs differ in their tactics from red knots feeding on hard
shelled mollusks? From the perspective of avian migratory routes (Chapter 8), how does
the film illustrate why a large fraction of the red knot population stops on the shores of
Delaware Bay on their spring journey north?
(From the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.)
7.3 Spider Building Web
The video shows how an orb weaving spider goes about building a web, one of the most
elaborate of all invertebrate “foraging” behaviors. Students could be asked to identify the
various “decisions” that spiders make that affect the costs and benefits of their web
building behavior, such as where to position the web, how close together to place the
various components of the web, how large to make the web, what materials to use in the
construction of the silk that affect its elasticity and strength, and whether to add an
ornament to the web (see Chapter 7).
( BBC Motion Gallery.)
7.4 Honey Bee Dances
This short film illustrates the dance “language” of the honey bee. The clip could be used
to challenge students to determine where the dancing bee is attempting to send its recruits
in relation to the sun’s position. (One could simply set the time of day that the dancer is
dancing at, say, 10:00 in the morning.)
(From Films for the Humanities and Sciences, from The Life of the Honey Bee.)
Chapter 8: Choosing Where to Live
8.1 Monarch Butterfly Behavior at Their Overwintering Site
Students can get a sense from this video by Lincoln Brower that the famous Mexican
overwintering aggregations of monarch butterflies deserve their fame. Shown are the
enormous numbers of monarchs resting on Oyamel firs after their monumental fall
migration south from Canada and the United States. In addition, we see the monarchs
drinking water, foraging for nectar and mating on warm days prior to the migration north.
This is a highly aesthetic video.
(Courtesy of Lincoln Brower.)
8.2 Aggression among Male Fur Seals
This clip shows the largely noncontact nature of male combat in this species, which is
mediated in part by the vocalizations of the males. The video could be used in the context
of adaptive noncontact aggression (Chapter 8) with students asked to explain why the
losers accept their fate without engaging the rival in physical combat. The species is one
that exhibits female defense polygyny with successful beach masters controlling a harem
of females (see Chapter 11). What is there about the ecology of females that makes
female defense polygyny possible in this species?
(From the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.)
8.3 Two Blackbucks Fighting
This BBC video on combat between two rival males could be shown in conjunction with
either of the other videos in this group with students asked to compare the tactics used by
different species and explain the similarities and differences between them. Alternatively,
one could point out that blackbuck males use their horns very skillfully such that they
almost never are injured. Students could be asked to evaluate the following hypothesis:
“The fact that blackbucks avoid injury through largely ritualistic combat means that
younger males are not injured or killed as these will be needed eventually to replace older
ones if the population is to persist.”
( BBC Motion Gallery.)
8.4 Male “Combat” in the Speckled Wood Butterfly of Europe
Although grainy, this video does show how males of the speckled wood butterfly resolve
their competition for sunspots in woodland. The video shows the ascending flights of
competing males. These interactions, which determine who gets to perch in the sunspot,
became famous when the claim was made that the winner was invariably determined by
which male was resident at the site, a claim that has now been rejected. The video can be
used when discussing the original claim that “the resident always wins” these fights.
(Courtesy of Christer Wiklund.)
Chapter 9: The Evolution of Communication
9.1 Spotted Hyena Greeting Ceremony
The video shows the bizarre behavior of female spotted hyenas, which possess a malelike pseudopenis that can be erected. In this state, the pseudopenis is used to
communicate something to other females in the clan. This case raises all sorts of
intriguing evolutionary issues, some of which are covered in the textbook.
(Courtesy of Kay Holekamp and her students.)
9.2–9.8 The Possible History of Insect Flight as Illustrated by How Different Species of
Stoneflies Use Their Wings
Another evolutionary puzzle discussed at length in the text. You can get more
information about these insects and the videos by going to the following website:
http://www.bio.psu.edu/People/Faculty/Marden/movielinks.html
(Courtesy of Jim Marden.)
9.9 Visual Communication in Squid
Some squid exhibit an astonishing ability to change their coloration. Students could be
asked, what messages might be sent via the coloration or changes in coloration of the
squid? If the coloration of the squid also serves as camouflage, would we say that the
squid are also communicating with their predators? There is a considerable literature on
the proximate mechanisms that are responsible for the ability of some squid to match
their backgrounds or change their appearance. Students could be guided to this literature
as a way to highlight the differences between proximate and ultimate questions. For
example, see Messenger, J. B. 2001. Cephalopod chromatophores: neurobiology and
natural history. Biological Reviews, 76: 473–528.
( BBC Worldwide Americas, Inc.)
9.10 Begging Behavior of Fieldfare Chicks
In this BBC video, students can see how nestlings of the fieldfare communicate with their
parents, a topic covered in depth in Chapter 9. The video offers the opportunity to discuss
the costs and benefits of begging behavior from the perspective of chicks and from the
perspective of the parent birds.
( BBC Motion Gallery.)
9.11 Red-eyed Vireo Nest Parasite
Here we see a red-eyed vireo bringing food to a nest with two parasitic cowbird nestlings,
which have disposed of the vireo’s own offspring. Students could be asked to discuss the
significance of the way in which the baby birds beg and the nature of their signals to the
host bird, topics covered in the text.
(From the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.)
9.12 Reed Warbler Feeding a Huge Cuckoo Chick
In this BBC video, which might also be used in conjunction with code-breaking
discussions (Chapter 4), we see a favorite victim of the parasitic cuckoos, the reed
warbler, feeding a large cuckoo chick that looks nothing at all like the warbler’s own
offspring.
( BBC Motion Gallery.)
9.13 Habronattus Jumping Spider Courtship Displays
In this video, students can see a wonderful diversity of visual and substrate-borne
(seismic) signals produced by males of five different species of jumping spiders in the
genus Habronattus. The video provides a nice link between the material in Chapter 9 (on
communication) and 10 (on reproductive behavior including courtship). The males are
capable of making the surface on which they are standing vibrate by several means,
including drumming on the surface with their first pair of legs; females on this surface
would detect the signals via vibration-sensitive organs in their legs. An elaborate laser
based system was used to record the motion of the surface on which the spiders were
standing and displaying. This record was then translated into the acoustical version that
you and I hear in association with the video. The film could be used to illustrate the basic
properties of a multimodal communication system, or to demonstrate the extreme
behavioral effects of sexual selection, or to get students to ask why females might gain by
making mate choices based on the multimodal displays of males.
(Courtesy of Damian Elias and Andrew Mason.)
Chapter 10: The Evolution of Reproductive Behavior
10.1–10.4 Satin Bowerbird Behavior
One video shows the behavior of a male satin bowerbird as he builds his bower. What
sorts of male attributes are revealed to female satin bowerbirds by the bowers that she
visits?
Two other videos show an unsuccessful courtship and a successful courtship. These two
videos might be shown as a pair so that students could be called upon to identify the
differences in female behavior during courtship. In addition, the female that mated
engaged in some interesting post-copulatory behavior. What might the adaptive value of
her wing movements have been?
Finally, a fourth video shows bower destruction. In this clip, we see a male totally
dismantling the bower of a neighboring rival. What is the fitness cost of this behavior to
the destructive male? What are the possible fitness benefits to the bower destroyer both in
terms of male–male competition and female mate choice?
(Courtesy of Gerald Borgia and Jason Kenagy.)
10.5 Male Vogelkop Gardener Bowerbird Working at His Bower in Irian Jaya
This BBC video shows a member of the group of maypole bowerbirds that builds far
more elaborate bowers than the satin bowerbird and other avenue bowerbuilders.
( BBC Motion Gallery.)
10.6 Courtship Behavior in Birds
This video shows courtship in three unrelated bird species: the white-breasted sea-eagle,
a cormorant, and a grebe. Students could be asked (1) to identify the convergent aspects
of courtship in these species and (2) to develop a hypothesis or two on why selection has
generated similar features in the three species; namely, the occurrence of coordinated,
synchronized, elaborate actions by the two sexes, which might enable the female to
evaluate the physiological condition of her partner.
(From Films for the Humanities and Sciences, from Lifecycles.)
10.7 Male Tragopan Pheasant Displaying and Chasing Female
This short BBC video shows the essence of the typical differences between male and
female animals. The male avidly pursues an apparently unwilling female; he employs his
extraordinary ornament while he courts the far less colorful female. What information
might the male convey through his behavior and appearance to choosey females?
( BBC Motion Gallery.)
10.8 Clark Grebe Courtship
These birds, and their close relative the western grebe, are famous for their coordinated
“rushing display,” in which they swim so rapidly that their bodies are lifted up and they
run over the water surface. Students could be asked to imagine that males of this species
require females to perform these synchronized dances as part of the pair bonding phase.
If true, what predictions follow from this hypothesis? For example, males should provide
a costly material benefit to their mates; females should vary substantially in their fertility
or fecundity; the ability of a female to perform the display should be correlated with key
aspects of female physical condition.
( BBC Motion Gallery.)
10.9 Laysan Albatross Courtship Display
Another entertaining and instructive example of mutual courtship in a socially
monogamous bird, like the Clark’s grebe. The same issues raised by observing any of the
previous videos linked to Chapter 10 could be covered in class upon viewing the video.
This video and the preceding one could also be used in the context of Chapter 11, given
that they involve monogamous birds.
( BBC Motion Gallery.)
10.10 Mate Guarding by King Eider
Two gorgeous males of this duck are shown, each associating closely with a female, as
well as an instance in which one male sees off the other male after he comes close to his
partner. As such, the video can be used to illustrate how males prevent their partners from
interacting sexually with rivals, one common product of sexual selection. The clip also
demonstrates extreme sexual dimorphism in color pattern in order to ask students to
discuss why sexual selection acting on this species has resulted in such striking
differences in appearance between males and females.
(From the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.)
10.11 Mate Guarding by a Bighorn Ram
Here we see a ram that is dealing with one persistent but cautious rival. Students could be
asked to define the tactics that the dominant ram uses to defeat his rival. The video also
illustrates male-female interactions in this species. Students could be asked to evaluate
the significance of the female’s behavior in the context of mate choice.
(Courtesy of Jack Hogg.)
10.12 Mate Guarding by a Bighorn Ram versus Several Rivals
A quite dramatic video that shows what a dominant ram has to do in order to contend
with a number of competitors for two ewes. Students could be asked how the film
illustrates the effects of sexual selection. And what elements of the film illustrate the
costs of sexually selected traits for both males and for females? Another question: How
do the nondominant males increase their chances of circumventing the protective tactics
of their evidently more powerful rival?
(Courtesy of Jack Hogg.)
Chapter 11: The Evolution of Mating Systems
11.1 Sex Role Reversal Behavior in the Red Phalarope
A potentially polyandrous red phalarope female is shown here as she approaches a male
and solicits a copulation, rather than the reverse. Students can also see that the female is
brighter in color than the male.
(From the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.)
11.2 A Red-winged Blackbird Male on Territory
The video shows a male producing his unique vocalizations in association with a visual
display. This is a territorial, resource-defense polygynous species. Among the questions
that could be asked in conjunction with this clip are such things as how would you
experimentally determine the importance of the vocal and visual signals for territorial
defense of a resource (cattail marsh habitat) attractive to females?
(From the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.)
11.3 Lek Polygyny in the Sage Grouse
The film shows the bizarre displays of the heavily ornamented males, the apparent
indifference of the smaller females, and the nature of male–male aggression. Here, as
elsewhere, it would be good to just let the students observe the video before asking them
what they think is happening here and how data from studies of this bird could be used to
determine why males behave the way they do and why females typically select a very
small number of males at the lek as their mates.
(From the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.)
11.4 Victoria’s Riflebird, a Lek Polygynous Species
Another video of a displaying male responding to a female. The behavior of this species
is similar in some respects to that of the satin bowerbird. For one thing, males display to
females in territories that are somewhat dispersed in the forest. Students can be asked to
list the other similarities between the two species.
(From the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.)
11.5 Carola’s Parotia, Another Lek Polygynous Species
Here is another amazing clip that offers the chance to compare the behavior of one
lekking species with another, such as satin bowerbirds, sage grouse or Victoria’s
riflebird. Any of these clips can also be used to pose the question to the class about what
females might gain by evaluating the extraordinary displays of males of their species.
(From the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.)
Chapter 12: The Evolution of Parental Care
12.1 Parental Care by Common Egret
This film shows the size disparities in a brood of three nestling egrets and the intense
competition for food that occurs among the members of the brood. One can also see that
the larger chicks have an advantage in reaching the beak of the parent, a necessary step in
inducing the parent to regurgitate the small fish it has captured. However, it appears that
the smallest chick was able to get some of the fish that were disgorged into the nest.
(From the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.)
12.2 Siblicide in a Nest of the Cattle Egret
In this clip provided by Doug Mock, you will see two earlier hatched, larger offspring of
the adult egret competing for food. Note the way in which the begging chicks grasp the
beak of their parent in an effort to induce regurgitation. Note also that regurgitated fish
bits that fall into the nest are eagerly picked up by the competitors. But the most striking
feature of the video is the vicious treatment of the third chick in the nest, which is
regularly struck by its siblings and is now so intimidated that it crouches on the bottom of
the nest for much of the film. When this unfortunate chick moved about the nest, it was
hit again by one of its siblings, with the result that it toppled out of the nest altogether.
Youngsters at this stage never make it back to the nest after having been ejected. Students
can be asked to pay special attention to the response of the parent to the abuse of the
chick and to its departure from the nest.
(Courtesy of Doug Mock.)
12.3 Mother Coot Pecking at her Chick
This BBC video shows a mother coot attacking one of her own brood, a behavior that
occurs regularly in this species. Assaulted chicks are no longer fed by their parent and
soon die. This video could initiate a class discussion on the reasons why the behavior
could actually be adaptive for the infanticidal adult.
( BBC Motion Gallery.)
Chapter 13: The Evolution of Social Behavior
13.1 Pollination of Night-blooming Cactus
Here a bat visits a flower of a night-blooming cactus. If the pollination of night-blooming
cacti by bats represents a “mutualism,” what conditions must be met? Under what
conditions would the bat’s foraging behavior be considered exploitative of the cactus
rather than mutually beneficial?
( BBC Worldwide Americas, Inc.)
13.2 Alarm Calling by Belding’s Ground Squirrel
In this brief clip, we hear the high-pitched alarm call of the ground squirrel, a behavior
that females with nearby relatives are much more likely to give than are females without
adjacent relatives (or males of any sort).
( BBC Worldwide Americas, Inc.)
13.3 Cooperative Nest Building by Weaver Ants
The clip shows adult workers pulling two leaves together in order to permit other workers
holding larval ants to tie the leaves together with silk released from the mouthparts of the
immature workers. See Hölldobler, B. and E. O. Wilson, 1983. The evolution of
communal nest-weaving in ants. American Scientist 71: 490–499, for a full description of
weaver ant behavior in the context of the question, what is the history behind the
evolution of this complex behavior?) I would be inclined to show this film to the students
with no preliminary setup to see if they can individually or in teams figure out what the
ants are doing and how they are doing it.
(From Films for the Humanities and Sciences, from Ultimate Guide: Ants.)
13.4 Social System of Leaf Cutter Ants
This clip very briefly shows leaf cutter workers cutting out sections of leaves to cart back
to the colony where other workers chew them up and add them to a fungus garden. One
can occasionally glimpse very small workers riding on the leaves carried by their much
larger sisters; these workers have been shown to discourage parasitic flies from attacking
their sisters, which cannot defend themselves when their jaws are holding leaves. Also
shown are workers harvesting the white fruiting bodies (“mushrooms”) from the garden
which feed the colony. The film could be used to illustrate the division of labor that
characterizes complex insect societies.
(From Films for the Humanities and Sciences, from Ultimate Guide: Ants.)
13.5 Social System of Honey Bees
Shown here is the process of egg-laying by the big queen with her large elongate
abdomen and the subsequent care of the larval brood in their cells by the smaller nurse
workers, resulting in the eventual metamorphosis of a new adult. A male is shown
emerging from its brood cell; students can be asked how they could tell it was a male.
(Drones have much larger eyes than workers or queens, the better to detect and pursue
flying queens that come to assembly sites to mate.)
(From Films for the Humanities and Sciences, from The Life of the Honey Bee.)
13.6 and 13.7 Polistes Wasp Colony
These short clips give an idea of what a paper wasp colony is like. One also shows a
female wasp inspecting a cell, an activity that is associated with egg-laying by a queen, or
egg destruction by a worker. The other shows wing fanning, an activity associated with
thermoregulation of the nest with its larval occupants.
(Courtesy of Phil Starks.)
13.8 Dominance contests by Harpegnathos saltator
A species of ant whose workers engage in dominance contests that determine whether or
not they will reproduce. Although they are members of the same colony, the ants shown
here are not free from competition. In the first segment, several ants are shown lining up
mandible to mandible as they begin their contests. In the second segment, one ant has
grasped its rival with its mandibles about the middle of the body but the grasped
individual then breaks free. In the third segment, the ant that has grabbed an opponent is
able to retain its hold on its rival, which will prevent that individual from reproducing and
will result in suppression of its ovarian activity.
(Courtesy of Juergen Liebig.)
Film List
As mentioned in the introduction to the video descriptions above, there is a wide array of
film and video content available both online and on physical media.
Consider David Attenborough’s Life in the Undergrowth, a reasonably priced two-disc
set that contains exquisite footage of invertebrates behaving. Most of your
undergraduates will be unaware of the existence of the creatures that Attenborough’s
crew have filmed as the animals went about their lives doing unusual, entertaining and
potentially educational things. Attenborough’s crew secured superb footage of the meloid
beetle larvae that fool certain bees into mating with a cluster of larvae, which then can be
transferred to a female bee before they offload themselves in the nest of the female
(Chapter 4). Likewise, the behavior of Alcon blue butterfly larvae, which deceive certain
ants into caring for them, is covered in Life (Chapter 4). The segment on mayfly mass
emergence could be used when discussing the dilution effect (Chapter 6). The feeding
behavior of various spiders, including the amazing bolas spider, would work with
Chapter 7. Other material relevant to this chapter includes how ants farm aphids and how
gall-making insects induce plant hosts to house and feed them. Territoriality (Chapter 8)
is illustrated with respect to mangrove ants. The acoustic communication of cicadas
would complement Chapter 9. Among the easily accessed segments in this set are such
items as courtship by slugs, wolf spiders, scorpions, springtails and damselflies, which
could be used in conjunction with Chapter 10. Mate guarding by Calopteryx damselflies
is featured (Chapter 10), along with a description of what is an example of resource
defense polygyny (Chapter 11). Male parental care is mentioned in a segment on
harvestmen (Chapter 12). Social insect behavior receives extensive coverage, but in video
portions of suitable length, as solitary wasp behavior is contrasted with that of Polistes
paper wasps, bumblebees, giant honeybees, army ants, and termites—all topics that
would help make Chapter 13 come alive for your students. In other words, this one DVD
set could supply an instructor with enough material to brighten up an entire semester’s
worth of lectures.
Life in the Undergrowth is merely one of David Attenborough’s potential contributions to
undergraduate education. His series include The Trials of Life, The Life of Birds
(http://www.pbs.org/lifeofbirds/), and The Life of Mammals
(http://www.amazon.com/Life-Mammals/dp/B00008OM6K), all of which have many
segments that could be used to illustrate a wide variety of behavioral subjects that are
covered in my textbook. For example, The Trials of Life chapter entitled “Courting” has
an amusing, yet educational, segment that presents the courtship routines of several
species of manakins; this segment never fails to entertain undergraduates – and their
instructor. Included in this part of the video is a bit on the cooperative dances of the male
long-tailed manakin, perfect to illustrate that subject as covered in Chapter 13 of my
textbook. Also, this video contains excellent coverage of the nuptial gift-giving behavior
of male hangingflies. In the Life of Birds, you will find an excellent and dramatic account
of coot parenting at the end of Episode Nine (The Problems of Parenthood). This episode
has much more on bird parental behavior as well. Episode Seven (Finding Partners) has
useful material on bird song and courtship. Likewise, the six-part PBS series The
Triumph of Life has a great deal of excellent material, including the predator-prey
interactions involving bats and moths, and snakes and salamanders, in a chapter entitled
The Eternal Arms Race. PBS’s Nature series has such gems as “Bower Bird Blues”
(http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/bowerbird/), which shows male-male competition in
ornament gathering and stealing as well as female mate choice in action. ShopPBS
(http://www.shoppbs.org/) offers many DVDs of animal behavior subjects. Alternatively,
you can go to ShopWNET (http://www.shopthirteen.org/) for DVDs of Nature.
For human behavior, let me recommend The Ax Fight (http://www.der.org/films/axfight.html) and The Hunters (http://www.der.org/films/hunters.html), which are two
classic anthropological films now available on DVD from Documentary Educational
Resources, 101 Morse Street, Watertown, MA 02472 USA. Admittedly, they are
expensive, but both films are fascinating accounts of people whose cultures are very
different from our own, making them highly suitable companion films for Chapter 14.
A new video entitled Signals for Survival (http://www.sinauer.com/signals) from Cornell
University’s Lab of Ornithology and the Shoals Marine Laboratory, documents the
communication system of Great Black-backed and Herring gulls (appropriate for Chapter
9). This DVD builds on the theme of the classic herring gull film by Niko Tinbergen, but
the logic and presentation are framed within current concepts and principles. The original
1968 Tinbergen film is also included.
Penn State Media Collection
The following films and videos are available from Penn State Media and Technology
Support Services, Special Services Building, Pennsylvania State University, University
Park, PA 16802 (http://www.medianet.libraries.psu.edu). There are other film and video
suppliers as well, but the one at Penn State is large and well stocked with material for
behavior classes.
Chapter 1: An Evolutionary Approach to Animal Behavior
Evolution (11 min.) Penn State F10548. An amusing animated film largely about the
historical sequence of events in the evolution of life on earth, but with segments that
illustrate the action of natural selection.
Questions about Behavior (24 min.) Penn State 10435. Tinbergen’s four basic questions
about behavior, which can be compared with the table on levels of analysis in the
textbook.
Chapter 2: Understanding the Proximate and Ultimate Causes of Bird Song
Ape Language: From Conditioned Response to Symbol (96 min.) Penn State 90229.
Although too long for most classes, may be appropriate for laboratory sessions. Deals
with the complex learning skills of young chimpanzees and their relation to language
learning.
Development of the Child: Infancy and Development of the Child: Language
Development (20 min. each) Penn State 21508 and 31759. Good films on the
behavioral abilities of newborns and the programmed nature of language learning.
The Mind: 7. Language (60 min.) Penn State 60934. A PBS video on the basis of human
language with reference to the evolved proximate mechanisms that make speech
possible.
Why Do Birds Sing? (29 min.) Penn State 32205. One of the best of all currently
available films on animal behavior. Shows in detail research on the proximate (and
ultimate) basis of bird song, with coverage of Peter Marler’s studies.
Chapter 3: The Development of Behavior
Animal Behavior: The Mechanism of Imprinting (14 min.) Penn State 22609. Examines
imprinting in ducklings.
Biology and Behavior (22 min.) Penn State 23305. A psychologist examines the instinct/
learning controversy and touches on John Garcia’s studies, among other things.
Birth of the Red Kangaroo (21 min.) Penn State 20906. A beautiful film that
demonstrates the complex behavior of the newborn infant kangaroo—behavior that
qualifies as an instinct.
DNA: Blueprint of Life (15 min.) Penn State 20851. A highly professional film showing
how genes code for proteins with reference to species differences in genetic blueprints
for development.
The Discovery of Animal Behavior: A Question of Learning (60 min.) Penn State MVCS1511. A very well prepared examination of the leading explorers of animal learning,
including B. F. Skinner.
The Fruit Fly: A Look at Behavior Biology (21 min.) Penn State 21763. A film that shows
behavior genetics research in Seymour Benzer’s laboratory with the classic animal of
genetics, the fruit fly.
A Rhesus Monkey Infant’s First Four Months (32 min.) Penn State 33088. A film on the
developmental pattern of the rhesus monkey, made on a captive group that lives under
conditions approximating natural ones. The film shows the normal pattern, which can
be contrasted with the disrupted sequence produced by experimental manipulation.
Token Economy: Behaviorism Applied (20 min.); To Alter Human Behavior...Without
Mind Control (22 min.) Penn State 21622. These two films deal with the application
of Skinnerian techniques to the modification of human behavior.
Chapter 4: The Control of Behavior: Neural Mechanisms
The Living Body: 11. Nerves at Work (27 min.) Penn State 34608. Covers nerve cell
communication within bodies.
The Living Body: 12. Decision (27 min.) Penn State 34609. Examines how behavioral
decisions are made by nervous systems.
The Living Body: 13. Our Talented Brain (27 min.) Penn State 34610. How the human
brain works.
The Mystery of Animal Pathfinders (58 min.) Penn State 60603. The proximate
mechanisms that may contribute to migration are explored in certain insects, bats,
birds, and fishes.
Survival and the Senses (25 min.) Penn State 31938. Something of a smorgasbord, with
short segments on the sensory abilities of a number of animal species.
Chapter 5: The Organization of Behavior: Neurons and Hormones
Signals for Survival (50 min.) Penn State 50422. Strategy for Survival (30 min.) Penn
State 32460. Although neither film relates physiology to behavior, the first shows in
detail the annual cycle of the lesser black-backed gull, and the second shows the
annual cycle of the monarch butterfly. Both could be used to illustrate the temporal
organization of behavior. (See also the updated version of Signals for Survival
discussed at the beginning of this film list.)
Chapter 6: Behavioral Adaptations for Survival
Baboon Social Organization (17 min.) Penn State 21678. Outlines how savannahdwelling baboons cooperate to repel predators.
Patterns for Survival (27 min.) Penn State 31421. A film cataloging some remarkable
pattern and behavioral adaptations of insects that help them foil their enemies.
Polar Ecology: Predator and Prey (22 min.) Penn State 20456. The interactions between
rodents and predators in the Arctic tundra.
Strategy for Survival (30 min.) Penn State 32460. An attractive film on the feeding,
antipredator, and migratory adaptations of the monarch butterfly.
Chapter 7: The Evolution of Feeding Behavior
Army Ants; A Study in Social Behavior (19 min.) Penn State 20654. Shows a social
predator at work.
Food Handling in Kangaroo Rats (10 min.) Penn State 11026. Shows the Great Basin
kangaroo rat shaving the salt-laden tissues from saltbush leaves.
The Galapagos Finches (22 min.) Penn State 21936. Although focused on the speciation
of the finches, the film contains material on the diversity of bill structure within the
group and its relation to diet.
The Hyena Story (52 min.) Penn State 50445. Shows the feeding behavior of a social
carnivore.
Insect Parasitism (15 min.) Penn State 20939. An outstanding film on the relation
between the alder woodwasp and its parasites. Shows how four parasitic species
exploit the identical food resource in four different ways.
Life on a Thread (20 min.) Penn State 21596. Web building and prey catching by an orbweb spider.
Lions of the Serengeti: Parts 1 and 2 (51 min.) Penn State 0150444. A detailed look at a
lion pride and its social organization.
The Mussel Specialist (25 min.) Penn State 31937. A film on the oystercatcher, a bird that
feeds largely on one food—mussels.
Chapter 8: Choosing Where to Live
Adelie Penguins of the Antarctic (23 min.) Penn State 24888. A film that shows the
breeding cycle of the penguin with reference to migration and homing abilities.
Ambush at Masai Mara (30 min.) Penn State 36127. A film on the annual migration of
the wildebeest, with emphasis on interactions between the antelope and lion predators.
Animal Landlord (25 min.) Penn State 32147. An outstanding film on the territorial
behavior of the impala antelope.
The Year of the Wildebeest (54 min. long version), Penn State 50370; (30 min. short
version), Penn State 33928. The annual migration of the African wildebeest is
followed in this often spectacular film.
Chapter 9: The Evolution of Communication
Courtship Behavior of the Queen Butterfly (18 min.) Penn State 22690. How males of
this species secure mates, with emphasis on chemical communication between the
sexes.
The Discovery of Animal Behavior: Signs and Signals (60 min.) Penn State MVCS-1512.
A superb video on the study of communication by ethologists, including Karl von
Frisch, Niko Tinbergen, and Konrad Lorenz.
The Hyena Story (52 min.) Penn State 50445. A film on the behavior of this strange
social carnivore.
Indications of Distance and Direction in the Honeybee Round and Waggle Dance (19
min.) Penn State MVCS-1011. A video showing the dance of the honeybee in detail.
Signals for Survival (50 min.) Penn State 50422. A film on the communication signals
used by the lesser black-backed gull. Based on research by Niko Tinbergen. (See also
the updated version of Signals for Survival discussed at the beginning of this film list.)
Why Do Birds Sing? (29 min.) Penn State 32205. Still one of the best of all available
films on animal behavior. Shows in detail research on the proximate (and ultimate)
basis of bird song, with coverage of Peter Marler’s studies.
Chapter 10: The Evolution of Reproductive Behavior
Aggressive Behavior in Mature Male Bison (12 min.) Penn State 22721. How male bison
compete for dominance status.
Courtship Behavior of the Queen Butterfly (18 min.) Penn State 22690. How males of
this species secure mates, with emphasis on chemical communication between the
sexes.
Evolution: Sexual Selection—Why Do Peacocks Have Elaborate Trains (25 min.) Penn
State 36261. A video illustrating the testing of hypotheses based on sexual selection
theory with the example of the peacock’s tail.
In Search of a Mate (25 min.) Penn State 32196. A survey of courtship behavior.
The Pelicaniform Birds of the Galápagos (16 min.) Penn State 21898. Contains some
good footage on the bizarre courtship displays of these birds.
Rhesus Monkeys of Santiago Island (33 min.) Penn State 30958. The behavior of a
polygynous mammal in which dominance plays a major role in determining the
reproductive success of males.
Spiders: Aggression and Mating Behavior (17 min.) Penn State 21824. Combines footage
on predatory behavior with illustrations of mating behavior.
The Trials of Life: Courting (60 min.) Penn State 62187. Contains excellent segments on
manakin courtship, among other things.
Chapter 11: The Evolution of Mating Systems
Examples of Female Defense Polygyny
Aggressive Behavior in Mature Male Bison (12 min.) Penn State 22721. Male bison fight
to control estrous females in the herd.
Gelada (18 min.) Penn State 22268. A primate whose males practice direct defense of
bands of females.
The Hyena Story (52 min.) Penn State 50445. Another mammal whose females live
together, and whose males compete for reproductive dominance in a band.
Northern Elephant Seal (16 min.) Penn State 20996. A species whose females give birth
on land in dense groups, and whose males compete to control clusters of females.
Rhesus Monkeys of Santiago Island (33 min.) Penn State 30958. Another social primate
whose males try to defend females within the band.
The Wild Dogs of Africa (51 min.) Penn State 50402. A somewhat melodramatic but
compelling account of reproductive competition within a band of wild dogs.
Example of Resource Defense Polygyny
The Guanaco of Patagonia: A Study of Behavior and Ecology (28 min.) Penn State
33357. A relative of the camel whose males defend pastures attractive to females.
Examples of Lek Polygyny
Reproductive Behavior of the Black Grouse (24 min.) Penn State 31425. One of the
classic lekking birds is viewed in this old, but still worthwhile, film.
The Uganda Kob: Territoriality and Ceremonial Mating Behavior (20 min.) Penn State
21523. A film on one of the earliest studies of a lekking mammal.
Example of Social Monogamy
Signals for Survival (51 min.) Penn State 50422. On the monogamous lesser blackbacked gull. (See also the updated version of Signals for Survival discussed at the
beginning of this film list.)
Chapter 12: The Evolution of Parental Care
The Wild Dogs of Africa (51 min.) Penn State 50402. Vividly shows the contrast between
the maternal care provided by a dominant female of her own pups and her treatment
of a rival’s offspring.
Chapter 13: The Evolution of Social Behavior
The Acorn Woodpecker (9 min.) Penn State 11706. A glimpse of a highly social
woodpecker that breeds communally.
Baboon Behavior (31 min.) Penn State 31390. Illustrates baboon social life.
Castles of Clay (54 min.) Penn State 50466. A beautiful film on certain termites of Africa
with footage on the dwarf mongoose, a social mammal. There is also a short video
version lasting 28 min (Penn State 36539).
The Discovery of Animal Behavior: Living Together (60 min.) Penn State MVCS-1513. A
superb look at how social behavior has been explored, with an analysis of the
contribution of W. D. Hamilton.
Hierarchy and the Alpha Male (22 min.) Penn State 32290. An examination of a
dominance hierarchy in a group of chimpanzee males that lived together in Jane
Goodall’s study area.
Paper Wasp Behavior (silent film, 17 min.) Penn State 22592. Features the social
behavior of a species of paper wasp, with sections on the various kinds of social
interactions that occur at the nest. Study guide available with film.
The Wild Dogs of Africa (51 min.) Penn State 50402. On the social life of a pack of wild
dogs, with dramatic evidence of the conflict of reproductive interests that can exist
within social units.
The Wolf Pack (20 min.) Penn State 22001. A film that illustrates the dominance
hierarchy within a pack.
Chapter 14: The Evolution of Human Behavior
The Ax Fight (30 min.) Penn State 32016. One of a series of films made by Napoleon
Chagnon and Timothy Asch on the Yanomamo Indians of South America. Illustrates
the escalation of violence in a conflict between two villages and the role of kinship
relations in structuring the interactions among the participants. An extremely dramatic
film.
The Desert People (black and white, 51 min.) Penn State 50995. A film on Australian
hunter–gatherers that may give insight into the kind of social structure that existed for
much of human evolution.
The Hunters, Parts I and II (36 min. each) Penn State 70010. A superb film about the
hunting–gathering culture of the Bushmen in Africa.