Mini test 2 -1

Mini Test 2

01 Zoology

Territoriality

Territories offer a way for animals to set and maintain home boundaries.

A territory is a region or geographic area occupied by an animal or group of animals that is protected against intruding animals.

Animals must not only compete with other species, but also frequently with animals of their own species.

For this reason, animals exhibit territoriality in many different ways. However, they all share one purpose: to protect members of a specific group in such a way as to avoid confrontation and aggression.

Territories are essential in that they offer certain levels of protection against other members of an animal’s own species.

They also establish where an animal or group of animals lives.

The first priority an animal has when establishing a territory is to set a boundary in some way.

For example, some animals establish their territory through the use of scent marking.

After setting a boundary, the animal or group will spend time and energy defending the territory.

An animal or group establishes ownership of the area in order to make rival animals respect the territory’s boundaries.

Territorial animals will go to great lengths to defend their territories against rivals.

A) One might think that territories make animals more aggressive than non-territorial animals.

B) An animal or group may spend a good deal of time and energy defending its territory from rivals soon after the territory is established. However, once the area is firmly established as that animal’s territory, the boundaries are usually respected.

C) Territorial boundaries are recognized by all members of the same species and will often deter a rival animal from entering the territory.

D) Neither an animal nor a group of animals wants to expend needless energy engaging in confrontations, as they are more likely to lead to injury. An animal or group will usually refrain from trespassing on a rival’s territory. This is because it knows that the rival will go to great lengths to protect that territory, resulting in the possibility of harm for the intruder.

Although many types of animals exhibit a certain degree of territoriality, the type of territory depends largely on the animal.

A) Certain animals, such as birds and insects, have very pronounced territories. However, the territories themselves are not large. Since many species of birds are forced to occupy shared space, it may just be the nest that is considered off-limits to outsiders.

B) On the other hand, mammals usually have less pronounced territories.

C) This is because they are often much larger than those of birds or insects.

D) It is harder for mammals to patrol the borders of these large territories effectively.

Mammals also must travel long distances to find food. Baboons and felines establish large territories, but these territories are more indistinct because they must travel constantly to search for food. Though it may seem as if territoriality increases an animal’s overall level of aggression, this is not the case.

Sometimes, just the odor of another animal’s scent-marked territory is enough to deter a would-be trespasser.

Whether the territory is large or small, pronounced or nearly indistinct, territories provide the necessary protection against rival animals and groups.