Fred and Joe,two unrelated,mature male gorillas,encounter each other.Fred is courting a female.He grunts as Joe comes near.As Joe continues to advance,Fred begins drumming (pounding his chest)and bares his teeth.Joe then rolls on the ground on his back,gets up,and quickly leaves.This behavioral pattern is repeated several times during the mating season.Choose the most specific behavior described by this example.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The behavior displayed by Fred and Joe is agonistic behavior, which includes threatening, aggressive or submissive behaviors during conflicts between individuals. This is evident from Fred's grunting, drumming and baring of teeth, which can be interpreted as warning signals to Joe to back off. Joe's behavior of rolling on the ground and quickly leaving is submissive behavior, which is also a part of agonistic behavior as it helps to avoid conflict and further aggression.

Fred and Joe,two Unrelated,mature Male Gorillas,encounter Each Other