It is thought that natural selection is the reason why giraffes have long necks. All of the giraffes used to feed on plants from trees. The leaves nearer the bottom were quickly eaten, leaving tree rich in vegetation only nearer the top; which was accessible by giraffes with longer necks. As the shorter giraffes died out, the taller ones survived and bred to create long-necked young.
In human eyes, zebras’ appearance doesn’t convince us that their coat does a good job of concealing the animal from the keen eyes of its predators. But we’d be wrong. Its primary predator, the lion, is in fact colour blind, being able to see only black and white. This is why the zebras wavy lines successfully blend into the tall blades of grass around it.
Animals hunting for prey will not want to become prey themselves, which is why through evolution and natural selection, many animals have been amazingly adapted to survive in the wild. Some animals are so well hidden in their camouflage that the only way to acknowledge their presence is when they move.
Some animals have been able to use their dexterity and produce tools, which would help them gather food. The skills required to use tools were only thought to be possessed by humans, since they require some intelligence, but primates have been known to use tool for simple jobs such as getting food. The reason why humans and primates are intelligent lies in the sizes of our brains. The proportion of our brain and our body is much larger than it is in some animals. This allows us to have a more complex brain, which can think more and deeper. Chimpanzees in 2007 were found to be using spears as weapons. This was the first proof that an animal other that the human had used a weapon in a logical way. Gorillas have been known to use sticks to aid them walking and checking the depth of the water.
Communication
Although animals may not appear to communicate the same way as us, they still have their methods. Like humans, animals can communicate using sound. They may not speak it like us but the sounds they make are distinctive to what they’re communicating. For instance, whales and dolphin use sound to communicate over long distances. Birds have high-pitched chirps which have several uses such as attracting a mate, warning off other predators.
Other animals have the ability to release pheromones to tell other animals where it has been or where it is. Dogs urinate on objects to mark their territory. Other animals also mark their territory in other ways.
Honey bees have an extraordinary way of communicating. They can perform a special dance to let the other bees know of the location of a good spot for pollination. The routine is cleverly executed and gives the precise direction of the flowers. It is even adjusted to match the Sun’s ever changing position.
Courtship behaviour
Courtship behaviour is when animals execute a set of actions, usually to attract a potential mate. These actions can be anything from extending its feathers to making calls or even dancing. For example, peacocks attempt to find a mate by displaying their tail feathers. A peahen will choose the male peacock that has the best-looking set of feathers. The natural idea is that the genes for those striking feathers will be passed on. This shows that in the wild survival really is of the fittest, since they’ll be able to provide the necessary genes for their species to continue to thrive.
Some animals are monogamous, meaning that they will only have one mating partner in their entire life. This is quite rare and it is estimated that only around 5-7% of animals are monogamous. Examples of monogamous animals include beavers, foxes and jackals. On the hand, the rest of the animals are polygamous, meaning they may have several mating partners in their life. Examples include ants, red-winged blackbirds and house wren.
Female tiger salamander touches the male on his tail with her nose. This hints the male to release some of his sperm which the female then picks up and inserts into her genital opening. A second sneaky male salamander however may push himself between the pair and drop his own sperm on top of the other male’s sperms. The female then unknowingly picks up the top pack and leaves behind the sperms of her chosen male. This shows how desperate and how competitive the wild animal world is for survival.
A male weaverbird builds a nest to lure the female for a mate. When a female approaches the nest, the male bird then makes fluttering movements to display his colourful feathers. If the female finds the nest fresh and strong, then she will enter the nest. But if the nest isn’t strong (the female actually test this by pulling at it), then no matter how colourful the display of the male is, the female will just ignore him.
Some animals demonstrate their skills. For example, some birds catch fish in order to impress females. The female will naturally be impressed because in order to survive you need food, and a male that can hunt will allow the couple and their offspring to survive.
As you can probably realise by now, animals expend a huge amount of energy to try and find the right mate, and the selection process if evidently quite tough. Animals must make these critical decisions so their children have the best possible chance of surviving the punishing wild. Parents always try to care for their children so that when they’re older they have the best chance of surviving.
Animal ethics
Animal ethics applies today more than ever, where millions of animals are slaughtered every year. Billion-dollar multinational companies see quarterly profits above the pain animals in their slaughterhouses suffer.
Animal testing
There are many arguments that the sufferings animals have to endure in the laboratories for animal testing are unnecessary. Here are some:
- Since the animal is different to humans, what happens to it may not happen to any of us. Their response may be different to our and there’s no way of telling whether our effect will be better or worse. This is why some people say animal testing is pointless.
- The animals go through stress, which may corrupt the results. This means that the results wouldn’t be of any use.
- Apart from being tested on for life-saving drugs, animals are also used for testing cosmetic products, which are not life-saving. People argue that this is just needless pain that the animals suffer.
- Thanks to innovative technology, scientists can replicate drug effects using synthetic human tissue and computer modelling. They say that it is not required, any more, for animals to be tested on.
On the other hand, there are many arguments for animal testing. Some people believe that without animals today’s medicine wouldn’t have been as advanced as they are. Here are some arguments:
- Some of the aforementioned alternatives, synthetics human tissue and computer modelling, are not yet advanced enough to be used instead of animal testing in the cases of HIV drugs, insulin, cancer treatments and antibiotics.
- Animal testing has played a huge role developing vaccines against diseases such as tuberculosis, measles, mumps, rubella, rabies and polio. These diseases are widespread across the world and thanks to animal testing millions of lives have been saved.
- Also, through animal testing, scientists were able to develop organ transplant and open-heart surgery, which has also saved millions of lives. Many people continue to have complications with their organs and their condition has been able to improve because of these experiments on animals.
- Scientists say that despite the animals tested on and humans are different, it is not a problem for them because they can accurately factor the differences and decide whether it’s then suitable to be tested on humans. This is the reaction to the people who say that the animals tested are different to us and therefore the results from the experiments are meaningless.
The bigger-than-ever media has played a huge role in education people about the ethical issues against animal testing. Because of this we sometimes forget that without these experiments being cured from the common cold would be much harder than it is.
There are moral issues opposing the use of animals for testing:
- Animals are fellow inhabitants of this planet and therefore they have as equal a right as we do to live. This is the classic but strong argument.
- Even though animal testing carries good intent, when the animal is killed it is the same as murder, even though the reason for killing and the method of killing may be different. Some people say that animals are destined to die when they enter the laboratory.
- Rules and regulations enforcing cruelty and welfare haven’t prevented scientists on being cruel. There was one case of a 2-year-old macaque monkey whose head had been carved into and electrodes attached to him brain, all while he was conscious. He had to undergo further misery by being put in a cage with no water and having to earn drinks by ‘demonstrating his visual memory skills’. A research technician said that all this was ‘nonsense’ and that they only did it because they had to do something. These events are rare but not non-existent.
- Being locked up in a confined space and going through sleep and water deprivation is nothing short of torture, some people believe. They have to suffer enormous amounts of stress, as they’re completely illiterate when it comes to knowing what will happen to them the next day.
In contrast, there are also people who feel otherwise. Here are some of their views:
- Humans are the dominant species of this planet and so our lives are more important than other animals’. Our lives are prioritised and so other animals can be tested upon if it saves the lives of humans.
- There are laws to prevent institutions from being cruel on their animals or not providing them with adequate treatment.
- Millions of animals are killed each year for food. Humans can survive on just plants, so why does killing millions of animals not seem that bad. In fact, shouldn’t using animals for medical research be a worthy death? Isn’t it better for animals to die for medical research than for surplus food?
- Some people say that many animals that are being tested upon are actually euthanized before they get a chance to suffer pain. This is contrary to the argument that says that animal testing cause unnecessary suffering to the animals and is needless.
This is a table of animals used for animal testing in 2000
This is a pie chart to show the visually how much each animal is used
Other uses of animals
It’s not just animal testing people are concerned about. There are other aspects of animal uses that people oppose to.
Some people say that it’s wrong that animals are kept in zoos because it prevents them from living freely in the wild - the freedom they’re entitled to. Furthermore, they say that since they’re being used so that humans can benefit, it’s not morally right for them to be forced into a life where they can’t do as they please. People say that animals in zoos are deprived of their natural social structure, where there may be a hierarchy, and that they are not allowed to live in their natural habitat. It is also said that despite being able to live a longer life in captivity, the life is not fulfilling and is of a lower quality.
Many people think that it’s fine for animals to die for food, provided they’re killed and handled in a humane way. Some people oppose to this view and they believe that it’s okay altogether to kill animals for food.
Countless people in the world provide their pets with indecent welfare. Whether it’s giving the wrong food or insufficient space, animals do suffer. They must be treated for well by the owner, since he/she has taken the responsibility to care for them. People say that wild animals should be left in the wild - the places they thrive in. Many animals are exploited by their owners to aid them in crimes. There have been known cases in which dogs have ended up dead because its owner made it fight.
In some places of the world, animals are provoked to fight each other for the entertainment of the people watching. The famous Spanish bullfighting has been highly criticised for the fact that the bulls are given a pain, stressful and torturous death from the moment they enter the arena.
These other uses of animals are disturbing. They are morally right and the people who do such things should be punished.
Primary data
Primary data is data which is collected on source for a specific purpose. I interviewed people from door-to-door, which is the source of my information and I gained first-hand views of the people, making it primary data.
Questionnaire
In an attempt to gain an understanding of the society’s views on the uses of animals, I constructed a questionnaire and then went round and asked people the questions. These are my questions:
- Do you have a pet?
- Do you believe all animals should have equal rights?
- Do you support animal testing?
- Do endangered species deserve priority over less endangered species regarding the enforcement of their rights?
- Is it right to use animals for the entertainment of humans?
- Which role for dogs do you think have been the most important for humans? Some examples are: as pets, as subjects for experiments (animal testing), as guide dogs or as assistants to the police? Why?
- Do think that using animals to hunt for other animals many years ago was ethical? Why?
- Do you enjoy watching animals performing in places like theme parks and circuses?
- Do you agree with people who say that animal testing is alright because it benefits humans which are the superior or race to all other living organisms?
- Do you think animal ethics should be considered before making decisions on animals?
Results
Analysis
From my questionnaire I found out that 4 of the 10 interviewees had pets and a different 4 out of 10 supported animal testing. Most people opposed animal testing. This may be due to the emotive adverts that are usually broadcasted on television, which creates a negative image in their minds whenever they hear the word ‘animal testing’. Except one, all of my interviewees believed that animals should have equal rights. This question doesn’t require education, since it’s just a question of moral and depends on the nature of the person.
Another question asked which role of the dog in today’s society is the most important. Guide dogs, assistants to police (sniffer dogs etc.) and pets each received 3 votes. I really think I needed to interview more people because I would have like for none of the options to be the same. Since they are the same, there isn’t much I can talk about, I can only make predictions. I think that asking more people would lower the percentage of people who thought that pets have the most important role in today’s society, benefiting humans.
The final question, asking whether animal ethics should be considered before decisions on animals are made, yielded a unanimous response from the interviewees - all of them agreed. Despite the few advantages of not considering animals’ right, they all believed it was important to consider the animal’s feeling and condition it’s put it. Person E said that we should take a moment to think about their living conditions and whether what we’re about to do with them is right or wrong; before big decisions on them are made, since they will be forced into it and have no choice. These ‘decisions’ can be anything from euthanizing the animal to releasing it into the wild.
Person J said he had a friend who worked for the police and handled dogs. He said that they were very effective at chasing down criminals and were able to easily find them wherever they were hidden in the bushes in pitch-black darkness. This shows how important a role animals can play even is a society that is dominated by lifeless computers.
The quality of my data
I made my questionnaire and went round my street asking people the questions. I think that by going to the interviewees’ house I could get more personal and therefore more accurate responses. Unfortunately some weren’t in their house but there were more than enough to fill my 10 interviewee slot. I don’t think I picked the ideal time to ask them question though. It was just after 7 p.m. and most of them had just come back from work and were tired. This may have resulted in them giving short answers, just so the interview could be done quickly. My results could have been more reliable if I asked more people. For question 2 Do you believe all animals have equal rights? one person out of the ten said no. Because of this one person the percentage of people that believed in animal rights went down dramatically to 90%. I think that if I’d interviewed more people, this gap would decrease and there would be much less percentage of people saying no to this question. My results were quite valid because I asked a range of adults. The question I asked was the same and I gave them no information about anything that would make them give different responses. For example, I didn’t tell any interviewee that most animals were euthanized after being tested on. If I told them, some of their answers would have been different as they probably would’ve opposed to all animal testing and temporarily forgotten about the benefits of animal testing. They were varied in age and skin colour. I could have however also gone into a school or university with children to get a more varied age group. This way I could have got a more accurate representation of the general population. This way I would be able to make more useful assumptions on what most people would think. Also, I have an assumption that the wealth of the people in the street I did my interview in is roughly the same; judging by the houses being of similar sizes. Interviewing wealthier and less wealthy people would have also helped my reliability and made my results more representative of the general population.
Secondary data
Secondary data is data which is found from somewhere that isn’t the original source of the data. All the data I collect without going to its source would be secondary data. Examples include some books, the Internet. Around 47% of the U.K. population own a pet. The most popular pets are cats and dogs. The University of Bristol found that 26% of all U.K. households had a pet.
From my research on the Internet I found out that most animals are killed after being tested on, and that there are estimates of 80 million rats being used in the U.S. in 2001. Also, 92% of new drugs fail when they’re tested on animals. This means that the animals must suffer the side effects. Rodents are the most used animals in experiments, 80% of which are for drug development.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) believe that we shouldn’t use animals for eating, wearing (fur), experimenting on or using for entertainment. Its campaign has a series of advertisements containing well-known personalities saying something like ‘I’d rather go naked than wear fur’.
Whales are hunted for their huge meat and oil. The President of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) has said that “This is a critical time for whales worldwide. Whale hunting is on the verge of becoming an international industry. It must be stopped, and the time is now.”
The quality of my data
My secondary data is valid because the sources I used are trusted. Website like the BBC and PETA are authentic and the information on the websites are usually reliable. Also, I used Wikipedia for one fact. That may seem unreliable but the fact was cited and in the references I discovered it was taken from a book. The table about the numbers of animals used for animal testing in the U.K. for 2000 is from the website Animal Portal. On the website there was not credit for the table and therefore I do not know where the data came from. It might even be false and therefore invalid. I decided to take it because the website is dedicated to animals as a result I deemed the information true. I looked at the numbers on the graph and decided that they seemed sensible enough to be true. For example, the two most widely used animals were the mouse and the rat, a point that had been continually been reinforced by every website regarding the animals used in experiments. The statistic for the percentage of British households which own a pet came from the Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association (PFMA) so I considered it genuine.
Conclusion
I have learnt a lot about animal behaviour over the past few weeks I have been studying it. I have learnt that the way animals behave is important to how they will do in their lives. Whether that their hunting methods, or courtship rituals; if executed properly, they can surely bring rewards.
Glossary
- Animal ethics - ethics regarding the welfare of animals.
- Animal testing - using animals to test for drugs, cosmetic products and more.
- Carnivore - an animal which only eats meat (e.g. lions).
- Conditioning - a process of changing the behaviour of someone by rewarding or punishing it each time an action is performed until it associates the action with a reward or punishment.
- Courtship display - a special set of behaviours which some animals execute in order to impress a potential mate.
- Effector - responds to a stimulus, transmits the reaction to the muscle.
- Euthanasia - to kill someone painlessly, without distress.
- Habituation - a learned behaviour in which an animal’s response is reduced over the repetition of a certain stimulus - usually harmless.
- Herbivore - an animal which only eats plants (e.g. cows).
- Imprinting - where events in a certain period shape the future life of the animal.
- Instinctive - an automatic, unlearned response to a stimulus.
- Involuntary - not voluntary, unwilling. Usually a reflex.
- Monogamous - an animal which only has one mating partner in its entire life.
- Omnivore - an animal which eats both meat and plants (e.g. humans).
- Pheromones - chemicals released which alter the behaviour of other organisms.
- Polygamous - an animal which may have several mating partners in its entire life.
- Predator - an animal that preys on other animals.
- Prey - an animal that is preyed on by other animals.
- Reflex - a reaction in which and animal/person doesn’t have to think, instinctive.
- Stimulus - a detectable change in the environment.
- Voluntary - done on one’s own choice.
References
- Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [and other webpages within the website]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
- African Lion Working Group About Lions
http://www.african-lion.org/lions_e.htm
- Classical and Operant Conditioning
http://www.wagntrain.com/OC/
- HowStuffWorks How do a zebra's stripes act as camouflage
http://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/question454.htm
- 10 Animals That Use Tools LiveScience
http://www.livescience.com/animals/091214-10-tool-users.html
- Animal Testing Facts and Figures
http://www.animalport.com/animal-testing/animal-testing-facts-figures.html
- http://www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/VivisectionHallOfShame.pdf
http://www.kinshipcircle.org/fact_sheets/VivisectionHallOfShame.pdf
- Dictionary.com Find the Meanings and Definitions of Words at Dictionary.com [and other webpages within the website]
http://dictionary.reference.com/?o=100074
