you will conduct a literature search of this behavior that will serve as the introduction for
your final project. This will need to include a general introduction to your species and the behavior you
are studying. Tell us about the animal you are studying. Where can it be found? What are its life history
traits? What makes this an interesting animal to study? What research has been done on your study
species that leads you to believe the behavior that you have selected is of interest.
Introduce your behavior. What research has already been done on the topic? In what environments?
How? What were the key findings? Usually, research papers will present a discussion that lays out
questions that still need to be answered or suggestions for future research. What is still to be
discovered? Find a minimum of 10 references on your behavior of interest and/or study species. If the
behavior hasn’t been studied that much, find similar behaviors that have. For example, if you would like
to study the dusting behavior in elephants but can’t find any studies on it, maybe rhinos or hippos
display a similar behavior. Maybe it is similar to rolling in dust in other mammal species. Be creative.
Find research that helps guide your research question and hypotheses.
Be sure to include topics that have been introduced in class where appropriate. For example, if you are
studying a foraging behavior, what types of concepts did we learn in class addressing those? What types
of studies have been done relating to those in your study species or similar species?
Finally, you will want to include the hypothesis that you tend to study and your predictions about that
hypothesis. Explain which level of analysis you are studying and why you believe that best answers your
question of interest.
Write a 2-3 page introduction (references not included), double spaced with regular margins and 12 pt
Times New Roman font. Include your references in APA style. This will be very similar to your Literature
Review assignment, so you can approach it in a similar fashion. Use comments from your Literature
Review grade to assist you in improving your final project.
