their behaviour can seem strange

См. также в других словарях:

• human behaviour — Introduction       the potential and expressed capacity for physical, mental, and social activity during the phases of human life.       Human beings, like other animal species, have a typical life course that consists of successive phases of… …   Universalium

• Social behaviour in animals — Introduction       actions of animals living in communities. Such behaviour may include the feeding of the young, the building of shelters, or the guarding of territory. General characteristics       Social behaviour (Social behaviour in animals) …   Universalium

• animal behaviour — Introduction       any activity of an intact organism.       A living animal behaves constantly in order to survive, and all animals must solve the same basic problems. They must, for instance, periodically replace their energy source (consume… …   Universalium

• reproductive behaviour — In animals, any activity directed toward perpetuation of a species. Sexual reproduction, the most common mode, occurs when a female s egg is fertilized by a male s sperm. The resulting unique combination of genes produces genetic variety that… …   Universalium

• collective behaviour — ▪ psychology Introduction       the kinds of activities engaged in by sizable but loosely organized groups of people. Episodes of collective behaviour tend to be quite spontaneous, resulting from an experience shared by the members of the group… …   Universalium

• avoidance behaviour — Type of activity, exhibited by animals exposed to adverse stimuli, in which the tendency to flee or to act defensively is stronger than the tendency to attack. Vision is the sense that most often produces avoidance behaviour (e.g., small birds… …   Universalium

• literature — /lit euhr euh cheuhr, choor , li treuh /, n. 1. writings in which expression and form, in connection with ideas of permanent and universal interest, are characteristic or essential features, as poetry, novels, history, biography, and essays. 2.… …   Universalium

• United States — a republic in the N Western Hemisphere comprising 48 conterminous states, the District of Columbia, and Alaska in North America, and Hawaii in the N Pacific. 267,954,767; conterminous United States, 3,022,387 sq. mi. (7,827,982 sq. km); with… …   Universalium

• subatomic particle — or elementary particle Any of various self contained units of matter or energy. Discovery of the electron in 1897 and of the atomic nucleus in 1911 established that the atom is actually a composite of a cloud of electrons surrounding a tiny but… …   Universalium

• biblical literature — Introduction       four bodies of written works: the Old Testament writings according to the Hebrew canon; intertestamental works, including the Old Testament Apocrypha; the New Testament writings; and the New Testament Apocrypha.       The Old… …   Universalium

• Europe, history of — Introduction       history of European peoples and cultures from prehistoric times to the present. Europe is a more ambiguous term than most geographic expressions. Its etymology is doubtful, as is the physical extent of the area it designates.… …   Universalium