Monkeys learn to use sticks as tools from their parents. They use the stick to catch insects to eat. Their parents show them which foods are safe and which are going to make them sick. They also teach them to stay away from dangerous areas. Monkey parents show babies how snakes can be harmful and teach them to hit them with sticks or run away.

The parent monkey is helping the baby monkey learn to ____________.

The American alligator will protect their babies by carrying them in their mouths. Kangaroos have a special pouch to keep their babies warm and safe. Opossums will carry all of their babies on their backs to make sure they don't get lost. Mother cats will carry kittens by the backs of their necks to move them to a safe place.

What pattern of behavior are these three different parents showing?

What is a pattern?

Elephants are very smart and can communicate with each other. They will touch each other and use smell to send messages. Elephants also use their trunks to trumpet or make sounds to speak to each other. They will make different noises based on what is happening. They can alert to danger, show love, excitement, fear, or anger. The mother elephants show the babies how to communicate and allow them to practice.

What pattern of behavior do the elephants show?

For up to the first three years of a baby elephant's life, they depend on their mothers to feed them. Around age two, the baby calf starts to eat on its own but still needs its mother's milk. The other female elephants in the herd - it's older cousins and aunts - will protect the calf, help the mother find food, and watch the baby. The mother elephants show them how to find food and what is best to eat. Once the babies become mothers, they will teach their babies the same lessons.

What pattern of behavior can be learned in this passage about elephants?

Elephants use tools to help them survive. They will scratch their backs with tree branches and use their trunks to pick things up and move them. Mother elephants will hold the tools and use them for their babies to see so they can learn too. The mother elephants will show the babies how to use their trunks for bathing, blowing bubbles, and making noises.

What is a pattern in the mother elephant's behavior?

Baby birds will chirp and cry to let their parents know they are hungry and want food. Baby humans will cry when they want their bottle. Puppies whine and will nudge their mothers to get milk.

What pattern of behavior are these babies showing to help them survive?

Animal (and human) parents show patterns of behavior that help their offspring (babies) survive.

Mother elephants will show love and discipline their babies. If a baby elephant does something they shouldn’t, the mother will slap the baby with her trunk. She will correct the baby if it is making a mistake. Mother elephants are also very loving and will help babies get up if they fall, carry them when they are too tired to walk, and have fun swimming together.

What does this passage tell readers about the behavior of mother elephants towards their offspring?

Female elephants will help care for the young in the herd. Even if it is not their baby, they will protect it. Gorillas will take turns watching the babies and will baby-sit while the mother is out looking for food. Female lions will raise their babies together in their pride. They will teach them the skills to survive and will protect them.

What patterns can be seen with all of these different animals that help keep their babies alive?