BIOL 4900: Animal Behavior- Fall 2021

James K. Adams and Kristen Weiss Sanders

Pet “Mini-Project” (25 points)

For this project, you will pick your favorite domesticated canine or feline (yours, your grandma’s, the one you always visit at the shelter
but can’t have) and examine one of its behaviors in terms of traditional evolutionary ancestry and/or something that has developed only in a domestic setting.

· Identify the animal you are choosing (name, age, species, breed), as well as its closest wild evolutionary ancestors and how human influence (via domestication) led its evolution into its current breed (5 points).

· Describe at least three stereotypical behaviors of that species/breed in a domesticated setting (5 points).

· Thoroughly describe the behavior than you want to analyze in this individual (5 points).

· Discuss whether you believe the behavior you are analyzing is 1) retained from its evolutionary ancestors, 2) something that occurs only in domesticated animals of this species, or 3) a combination of the two and WHY (5 points).

· You must use at least one primary peer-reviewed source and one (reputable) secondary source. Proper use of sources, combined with overall quality of the writing (grammar, punctuation, etc.) will be considered, which should be appropriate for a 4000 course (5 points).