Editing Ethology (section)

==== Teaching ====

{{see also|Animal culture#Teaching}}

Teaching is a highly specialized aspect of learning in which the "teacher" (demonstrator) adjusts their behaviour to increase the probability of the "pupil" (observer) achieving the desired end-result of the behaviour. For example, [[orca]]s are known to intentionally beach themselves to catch [[pinniped]] prey.<ref name=rendell>{{cite journal |last1=Rendell |first1=Luke |last2=Whitehead |first2=Hal |title=Culture in whales and dolphins |journal=Behavioral and Brain Sciences |volume=24 |issue=2 |year=2001 |pages=309–324 |url=http://www.zoology.ubc.ca/~barrett/documents/Asoundapproachtothestudyofculture.pdf |doi=10.1017/s0140525x0100396x |pmid=11530544|s2cid=24052064 }}</ref> Mother orcas teach their young to catch pinnipeds by pushing them onto the shore and encouraging them to attack the prey. Because the mother orca is altering her behaviour to help her offspring learn to catch prey, this is evidence of teaching.<ref name=rendell/> Teaching is not limited to mammals. Many insects, for example, have been observed demonstrating various forms of teaching to obtain food. [[Ant]]s, for example, will guide each other to food sources through a process called "[[tandem running]]," in which an ant will guide a companion ant to a source of food.<ref name=hoppit>{{cite journal | last1=Hoppitt | first1=W. J. | last2=Brown | first2=G. R. | last3=Kendal | first3=R. | last4=Rendell | first4=L. | last5=Thornton | first5=A. | last6=Webster | first6=M. M. | last7=Laland | first7=K. N. | year=2008 | title=Lessons from animal teaching | journal=Trends in Ecology & Evolution | volume=23 | issue=9 | pages=486–493 | doi=10.1016/j.tree.2008.05.008 | pmid=18657877| bibcode=2008TEcoE..23..486H }}</ref> It has been suggested that the pupil ant is able to learn this route to obtain food in the future or teach the route to other ants. This behaviour of teaching is also exemplified by crows, specifically [[New Caledonian crow]]s. The adults (whether individual or in families) teach their young adolescent offspring how to construct and utilize tools. For example, ''[[Pandanus]]'' branches are used to extract insects and other larvae from holes within trees.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Rutz|first1=Christian|last2=Bluff|first2=Lucas A. |last3=Reed |first3=Nicola |last4=Troscianko |first4=Jolyon|last5=Newton|first5=Jason|last6=Inger|first6=Richard |last7=Kacelnik|first7=Alex|last8=Bearhop|first8=Stuart|date=September 2010 |title=The Ecological Significance of Tool Use in New Caledonian Crows|journal=Science |volume=329|issue=5998|pages=1523–1526|doi=10.1126/science.1192053|pmid=20847272|bibcode=2010Sci...329.1523R|s2cid=8888382}}</ref>