Animal Instincts and Learned Behaviors

Have you ever seen a tiny, fluffy duckling follow its mama in a perfect line? Or watched a busy spider spin a beautiful, sticky web without any lessons? That’s me! I’m the secret power that helps them do that. I am a special helper for every animal, from the big roaring lion to the tiny little ant. I have two amazing parts that work together like a team to help all my animal friends know just what to do.

The first part of me is a 'just-know-how' feeling. I help a baby sea turtle hatch from its egg on the warm sand and crawl right to the big, blue ocean. Nobody shows it the way, it just knows! The second part of me is a 'watch-and-learn' power. I help a little lion cub watch its parents so it can learn how to pounce and play. For a long, long time, people watched animals and wondered about me. Then, in the 1900s, some very smart people called scientists finally gave me my name. I am Animal Instincts and Learned Behaviors!

Guess what? You have both of my powers, too! The 'just-know-how' part helped you know how to drink milk when you were a tiny baby. The 'watch-and-learn' part helps you learn to talk, sing happy songs, and build tall towers with your colorful blocks. Every day, you use me to discover new things and have fun, which is the most exciting adventure of all!