Animal Behavior Research Paper

The observation from the point of view could not reveal the real sex of the giraffe. The five giraffes were observed at the zoo for a period of 30 minutes to develop ethogram. Further focal observation for a period of 20 minutes and a scan of 10 minutes was done to collect information on the giraffe’s behavior. The result of the field observation was recorded in table form. Two major hypotheses were identified and discussed. Linear hierarchy exists where the highest ranked in the group uses his or her power to dominate the lower order, who is expected by all means to be submissive. The hierarchy is pyramidal in nature in that, you respect the individual above you more than those in your level.

The dominant individuals tend to be influenced by the social interaction and they get the best from the group, for instance, good food. Despotic Hierarchy, on the other hand, refers to the dominance of a single individual in the entire group or clan. The orders supported and given by the dominant individual is appreciated and accepted by all animals in the group (Sasaki et al. This makes the savannah region the most conducive place for them. Giraffes are more social to an extent that they lack specific territory; however, they group themselves in syndicates called the tower. A single tower may consist of 10 members or fewer giraffes consisting of female and young ones and sometimes the male giraffes. Though giraffes have no specific territory and males can move from group to group to mate and acquire food, these animals tend to be more territorial during food scarcity arising from droughts or other natural calamities (Dagg, 2014).

In this case, the male tends to protect the group with the main aim of offering defense and acquiring more food. The number of animals encountered in the study will be highlighted and the behavior they portray from the focal observation. The observation method will be discussed too. The result of the observation will be tabulated and the pattern shown by the animals including the male, females and the younger ones. Confounding influence of the study will be highlighted. The discussion of the result will encompass expanding the behaviors of the animals examined and the reasons why they showed such behaviors. Browsing The giraffe spotted gauzing at far distances. Female Eating The giraffe is spotted eating food from the same source with others.

Browsing Giraffes spots far distances though not collectively but individually. Sniffing A single giraffe among the three female is spotted sniffing other giraffe. Calf Eating The giraffe is spotted eating food from the lower sources 20 minutes focal observation Giraffe Behavior Male Eats for 3 minutes, and browse for 5 minutes Females One of the female eats for 2 minutes then approaches the male giraffe to eat together with him. Confounding influence in my study The data collected might not be the true presentation of the real giraffe behavior. A lot of disturbances were encountered during the study that might alter the results of the study. Among them include the frequent noise from the observers and the zoo visitors. Human-made noises can alter the normal behavior of the animals thus distracting them from acting normally.

The sniffing giraffe perhaps was a good sigh of observing the mating in giraffe but this was not the case because of the human interference. The male giraffe browsed at higher heights than the females and the calf. Also sniffing was a key behavior noticeable among the female giraffe's ad the calf at some instance. Of the most significant was the female giraffe sniffing the male one, and later spending ample time to feed together. The two behavior scan is used to draft a testable hypothesis that can be used to depict the dominance hierarchy in giraffe family. The first hypothesis would be that eating or browsing heights of giraffes are related to their gender. If the younger giraffes are used in the experiment, the result might be varied based on the age and height of the individual calf.

The taller ones will eat at higher heights while the shorter ones will eat at shorter heights, Hypothesis 2: Female giraffes like sniffing than the male ones. This is another dominance hierarchy portrayal where the female is submissive to the female and shows the signs of mating through sniffing. Prediction 2: When giraffes of different gender but mature are placed in the same habitat and the rate of sniffing measured, the higher rates will be noted among the females than males. Experiment 2: the experiment can be achieved when 10 giraffes of different genders are placed in a single confined habitat. The female giraffes normally tend to sniff the female ones in search for a mate. In a group of giraffes, the female is normally seen sniffing the male ones or even the surfaces where the male giraffes have urinated on.