The Techniques Used to Observe Behaviour in Higher Mammals - Essay Example

Gulati Peeyush 2007 Discuss the techniques used to observe behaviour in higher mammals Mammals Across the centuries scientists have envisaged their learning characterising mammals. There are about 4260 named species of mammal in the world. Attempts have been made observing some of the common traits found in various mammals across the globe like warm blood which is found in all mammals, but birds too have warm blood although they do not fall into mammal's category. Similar is the case with species having backbones which were observed to be another feature of mammals but fishes and frogs again do not fall into mammal category although they have backbone. Therefore the study about mammals came to a conclusion by characterising 6 common characteristics that were found in all mammals. They are: i. Mammary glands in case of females that are used to feed their young ones. ii. Possession of hairs. No other animal has hairs in the same form as mammals even baby whales and dolphins have a moustache when they are born. iii. Mammals have a single bone on the either sides of their lower jaw iv. Only the mammal middle ear contains 3 bones. This evolution occurred with evolution of human race when it started deploying the ability to utilize ears to hear. v. The artery (leaving heart) in mammals curves to left whereas in birds it curves to right while in other vertebrates there is more than one artery. vi. Finally mammals have a diaphragm1. Gulati Peeyush 2007 After being able to identify a mammal let us categorise them into categories. Mammals are divided into three unequal subgroups. Placental mammals whose young grow inside the mother's body are the largest group. In marsupials young ones leave the womb at an early stage. But continue to develop within the mothers pouch. Finally monotremes comprising just three species are the only egg laying mammals. Placental Mammals are the higher mammals existing today. Their origin started after the decline of the era of dinosaurs. They achieved a balance between molecular work, on the one hand, and anatomical and paleontological2 work on the other hand making them the higher amongst the all mammals found. Scientists say placental mammals are the most prominent mammals in the world today. Realizing the biggest category of the mammals we need to understand the ways in which we could observe them. Various precautions have to be taken before beginning with this activity. Some the things that have to be studied are We need to study the eating habits of the mammal. Realization of its food chain and biome3 is most necessary. Categorization into domestic and free mammal has to be realized. If one chooses to observe a mammal in a natural and semi natural surroundings one has to get knowledge about their foot marks their smell and things which attract them. Gulati Peeyush 2007 Keen observations have to be made depending upon the environment we have chosen to make observations. It would be easy to observe domestic mammals in the beginning if you are not equipped with complete biological exploring4 kit. If you have a large team and resources you can go out and observe them in open settings else placental mammals can be started with to begin the study. Some of the placental mammals include rats, squirrels, rabbits, elephants, horses, lions, tigers, pandas, pigs, sheep, dolphins, whales, as well as humans and other primates. So we can begin our study by choosing the mammals we can have control over like rats, squirrel, pig, sheep, dolphins because they might be too friendly about your observation activity. So being precautious friendly mammal has to be chosen before you become expert with the technique of observing mammals. (According to Frost, PWS and the Gulf of Alaska (GOA)) Some of the richest marine mammal fauna in the world: 21 species are currently known to live in these waters, of these 21, four species - the harbor seal, the killer whale, the sea otter, and the stellar sea lion - would likely be the easiest and most useful to monitor. So if you are technologically at par you can begin with marine mammals also. To observe a mammal you can begin with any of the three environments. A. A natural setting. B. A semi-natural setting. C. An artificial laboratory setting. We would discuss all of the three settings so that we identify the potential steps we need to take to make it safe and fruitful. Gulati Peeyush 2007 Natural Setting Natural Settings are the true place where a mammal belongs. A biome where he is born and where he is surviving in all forms of collapses. Although ways of observing could be same in natural and semi natural settings, it just becomes more difficult to locate mammal to be observed because the spread is over much larger area. Here we would emphasis on marine observation because tracing terrestrial mammals3 is almost same in natural and semi natural surroundings. Only experts who have deep focussed knowledge can facilitate such studies else one can be lost tracing the mammal following wrong signs. One of the techniques to make marine mammal study in natural setting is Satellite tagging. It can be an effective tool for monitoring many species. This small wire is attached to an area of an animal's body where it will not affect its daily life, and allows scientists to track the animal's movements in the water throughout the year. Satellite tagging can be combined with a mini-CTD (conductivity, temperature and depth measurement) that can be used to test the water content over an area as wide as the animal travels. Recently, scientists have developed a way to monitor marine mammals that pass through a specific area by using acoustic monitoring devices. These devices are attached to buoys around the ocean and record the sounds made by mammals that pass in the vicinity Based on the knowledge that individual mammals have distinct calls, the devices can record which animals are passing through at what times of the year. Complete details and natural behaviors of the mammals can be observed in natural settings. You can find them being true and natural playing, loving which all is not seen in semi-natural and artificial surroundings. Gulati Peeyush 2007 Principal disadvantages of this technique are the time required, the limited number of animals that can be studied at one time, and the influence of the observer on the individual being studied. Large equipment expenditure is required and experts can only make it work out perfectly. Some of the points that are to be kept in mind while observing terrestrial mammals in natural settings are When a wild creature is near, keep eyes partly closed Animals do not like to be stared at. Drab clothes are best, but a scarlet or blue shirt will do no harm if one keeps still. It is movement, not color which frightens wildlife. If sand flies or mosquitoes are bad, do not be ashamed to use a repellant. A dozen mosquitoes biting at once may disturb the toughest observer. A sudden yell or gunshot frightens wild birds for a few seconds, but the effect of a cough or a sneeze will last much longer. A low monotone in speaking is less disturbing than a hissing whisper. Animals get attracted to fragrances very easily so avoid them. Semi Natural Settings Unlike birds, most mammals are either crepuscular5 or nocturnal6 in nature, making prolonged observation of behaviour, feeding habits, and other aspects of natural history more difficult. Additionally, many species are fossorial (dwell underground) and cannot Gulati Peeyush 2007 be directly observed except during the rare and brief moments these animals may appear at their burrow entrances. For these reasons, the observation of mammals is often done indirectly, by evaluating the tracks, scats, scrapes, rubs, and other such "sign" that mammal leave behind as evidence of their activities. Locating sign and drawing accurate deductions of animal activity is an art that for the most part has been lost as people rely less and less on understanding nature to fulfil basic needs. So these are the basic ways of reading a mammal in natural and semi natural setting. Semi natural settings here refer to wild life sanctuaries and wild life parks. Some of the ways to observe animals here are Observing animals through their foot prints. Taking the help of the wild life officer as he knows the head count of a particular mammal in the area and in what season it usually comes out. One has to spend ample amount of time here to see their characteristic traits. Also keep a track of their behaviours in the data sheet format for comparative study. The biggest advantages of these wild life sanctuaries are to make them feel at home and stop them from being getting extinct. Animals can be taken care of easily and poaching can be stopped. Principal disadvantages of this technique are the time required, the limited number of animals that can be studied at one time, and the influence of the observer on the individual being studied. Gulati Peeyush 2007 Laboratory/Artificial Setting: Each individual should choose a mammal that he/she can observe for a minimum an hour during a day for a week. This may be a classroom pet, a family pet, a friend's pet, or wildlife in a nearby park. The students should get teacher approval of the mammal before they begin their observations. Individuals should observe their respective mammals while they are in activity and also when they are sleeping to note about their sleeping position, place of sleeping etc. Note down their food habits and what kind of meals make them lethargic and what kind of meal make them active that makes them enthusiastic to go out and play or their actions show restlessness as they are bounded in a laboratory. A keen analysis of their behaviour and body language has to be done which then has to be recorded in a data sheet format so we could facilitate comparative study if required. Some of the advantages of observing animals in laboratory settings can be the detailed analysis of a species as one can experiment upon them which eventually would help understanding them more biologically. Thereby the human race would be in a state to help them in future from any epidemic as a study has been already done upon them and now we understand their body behaviour. It has been often observed animals loose their natural behaviour and they adapt them selves when in bounded surroundings according to Charles Darwin theory of survival of the fittest. So we tent to loose their actual behaviours in such setup. Also some them experimentation leads into playing with their lives because anaesthetic doses given to them may lead to paralysis or even death. Gulati Peeyush 2007 The best practice for observation of mammals could be Semi-natural settings because it still gives a chance to the mammal to be in its natural surroundings and also lowers the amount of poaching going on. A laboratory setting beckons on the ethical ground because anaesthetic doses may lead to paralysis or death. So an attempt has to be made to observe them for their better meant not to harm them. The things that have to be taken into considerations while observation in we should not try and get close to them during their mating period else they would loose their naturality and observations would not come up to observation. The approach has to be assertive so that we have a win win situation that is why Semi natural conditions are preferred so that the mammals can also enjoy their biome and it becomes easy for us to. In case of marine mammals we need to go into their natural surrounding and we have to use the best tracking equipments to ensure that we make the best practice. We can just observe few small marine mammals in semi natural- artificial surroundings. Data modelling sheet. All the observations are to be made in to this sheet at various intervals of time to make complete observations. Using this data modelling sheet we would be n a state to make a comparative study amongst various mammals and various surroundings. Your name Mammal name Mammal Scientific name Draw important physical characteristics. Describe mammal's environment. What is the mammal doing (behavioural characteristic) Survival Adaptations Draw a rough sketch of mammal for later use. Gulati Peeyush 2007 1. A sheet of muscle and tendon that separates the body cavity into two sections. Heart and lungs before/above, liver, kidneys, stomach, intestines, etc, behind/below. 2. It is the study of prehistoric life forms on Earth through the examination of plant and animal fossils. 3. A biome is a major class of ecologically similar communities of plants, animals, and soil organisms, often referred to as ecosystems. 4. By Biological exploring kits we meant all mammal detectors, transmitters and receivers like mini-CTD (conductivity, temperature and depth measurement) or satellite tagging. 5. Mammals that are active in twilight active. 6. Mammals that are just active in the night. References: American field guide /www.pbs.org Earthlife.net http://www2.ntu.ac.uk/llr/library/citing wikipedia.com Read More