Animals World

Some interesting facts about Animals:

  • Theories of Cognitive Ethology Cognitive ethology is a relatively new discipline that studies animal intelligence. Donald Griffin is considered to have founded this branch of study through the publication of Animal Thinking (1984) and Animal Minds (1992). Since the appearance of his books, numerous instances of animal intelligence have been gathered from observation and experimentation. Traditionally, attitudes about animal intelligence can be sorted into those that place animals on a continuum with humans and those that see animals as distinct fromhumans. Fromthe former perspective, animal behavior is readily interpreted as a definite sign of various cognitive skills and special abilities along a continuum of development. From a discontinuity perspective, only humans are considered to possess the higher cognitive skill of reasoning. The higher cognitive abilities are considered to be a uniquelyhumancapacity that sets them apart from the lower animals, who are controlled by instinct. Charles Darwin, in The Descent of Man (1871), defended the idea of the intelligence of animals existing on a continuum with humans. Since animals and humans have a common ancestry, animals would have the fundamental capacities for rational choice, reflection, and insight. Darwin concluded that the differences between the minds of humans and animals were of degree rather than of kind. Following Darwin's proclamation, a number of anecdotal studies concerning animal intelligence appeared that suggested extensive cognitive ability in animals. Unfortunately, many of the examples illustrated anthropomorphism. This is the process whereby humanlike characteristics are attributed to animal behavior. Some interpretations of Darwin's statement created a distorted view about evolution that persisted long into the twentieth century. The idea that life on earth represents a chain of progress from inferior to superior forms began to influence the view of animal intelligence. The theory that ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny also became popular in the early years of the twentieth century. This theory, which does not have any scientific support, suggested that the advancement of life forms corresponded to the stages of development for humans. This stepladder approach to animal intelligence led to a ranking of animals compared to the developmental stages of human infants and children. This approach to animal intelligence is flawed because it relies on the notion that some animals are more highly evolved than others are. Evolution does not have a single point of greatest evolution. The branches of the evolutionary tree have culminated with many different species occupying special niches. Thus, the "degree" of a species' evolution depends on the extent to which it successfully occupies its niche.

  • The Coral Reef Community Coral reefs are colonies of small invertebrate animals (phylum Cnidaria, class Anthozoa). Some species of coral are solitary; the colonial reef builders are called hermatypic. The reef grows as new members of the colony take up residence on top of the calcium carbonate skeletons of previous generations. In this way, layer by layer, reefs can attain huge dimensions. Australia's Great Barrier Reef is over 2,000 kilometers long and 145 kilometers wide. Coral reefs are very diverse and fragile ecosystems. Reefs consisting of hundreds of species of corals, not to mention the countless species of other organisms, occur only in clear, shallow, tropical marine environments. Corals eat plankton but also rely on photosynthetic symbiotic algae for nutrient provision. Corals provide shelter and feeding grounds for many organisms: sponges, mollusks, echinoderms, tube dwelling worms, and fish, just to name a few reef inhabitants and visitors. Reefs also affect life on land by absorbing wave force, thus mitigating beach erosion. There are four major types of reef formations. Fringing reefs border the shoreline. A lagoon separates a barrier reef from land. Atolls form on top of submerged volcanoes and platform reefs may form near atolls or be part of a larger barrier reef system. Stresses that threaten reef communities include wide fluctuations in water temperature, sedimentation, coral mining, blast fishing, and souvenir hunting. Natural disturbances, such as storms, can also disrupt life in the reef but may help propagate the reef. The breaking of coral branches during a storm is one way that coral asexually reproduces.

Most Popular Images

Copyright 2016