Animal Instincts and Learned Behaviors

Have you ever watched a tiny spider spin a giant, perfect web for the very first time. Or have you seen a puppy learn to sit and shake hands when you offer it a treat. It’s a bit of a puzzle, isn't it. How do animals know how to do some things all by themselves, while other things have to be taught. Well, that’s where I come in. Hello there. I am a secret code that guides every animal, including you. I have two special parts. One part is the set of rules you are born with, a secret message you already know. The other part is everything you learn as you grow, like adding new pages to your own special storybook. Together, my two parts help everyone figure out how to live in the world.

For a very long time, people have watched animals and wondered about me. Way back in ancient Greece, around 350 BCE, smart thinkers would watch bees buzz and birds build nests, trying to understand why they acted the way they did. They knew I was there, but they hadn't figured out my two parts yet. Many, many years later, in the 1800s, a kind man with a big beard named Charles Darwin got very curious about my first part, the part you’re born with. In 1872, he wrote a book about how animals have built-in feelings and actions that help them stay safe and find food. Then, in the 1890s, a scientist named Ivan Pavlov wanted to understand my other part, the part you learn. He noticed that his dogs would get excited for food. So, he started ringing a bell right before he fed them. Soon, just the sound of the bell made them excited. They had learned that the bell meant food was coming. Later, in the 1930s, another scientist named Konrad Lorenz showed how my two parts can work together. When some baby geese hatched, he was the first thing they saw. Because of my 'born-with-it' rules, they followed him everywhere, as if he were their mother. He showed how some animals are born ready to learn who to follow.

My two parts are always working together, creating the best of both worlds. A baby sea turtle doesn't need anyone to teach it how to crawl to the big blue ocean after it hatches. It just knows. That’s my 'born-with-it' part at work. But a big mother bear has to teach her cubs which berries are yummy and which ones will give them a tummy ache. That’s my 'learning' part. You have both parts of me, too. You were born knowing how to cry when you're hungry or blink to protect your eyes. But your greatest power is your ability to learn new things. You learn how to read books, ride a bike, and be a good friend. I am the amazing team of what you already know and all the wonderful things you will discover. I am here to help every creature, big and small, to explore, grow, and have a happy life.