**2. Animal social behavior: Territorialism**

The objective of explaining this behavior is that we expect the reader, in later topics, to be able to imagine an entertaining picture of us biologists acting similarly to other social animals3.

Animal behavior is one of the several attributes of animals that can only be studied in nature (Fig. 1), when the animal is still alive. The majority of ethological and ecological characters can't be preserved in scientific collections, in contrast to other sources of knowledge on biodiversity (Martins, 1994). That's why the combination of both practices is so important to unveil biological knowledge.

Fig. 1. Territorial conflict among animals.

Few animals manage to live completely alone. Most need, at least, to find a partner of their own species (Carthy, 1974). The interaction between individuals is not random and it is possible to find a pattern in social relationships. This pattern is called social organization (Deag, 1980).

<sup>3</sup> We hope to make clear that we do not intend to extrapolate animal behavior as a fixed pattern for human behavior. We realize the complexity involved in this assertation. Therefore, we tried to take all precautions to avoid falling into the deterministic fallacy of sociobiology. Our goal was to show how similar the behaviors can be in some situations.

behavior) and zoology (the science that deals with animals). In topic two, we explain the social behavior of animals. We emphasize their relation in and outside the group and their relation to the environment. In topic three we make clear what a scientific collection is, explaining its aims and importance. In subject four we demonstrate the dynamics between some professionals that work on those collections. And in topic five we associate this behavior with animal territorialism, which is established as a consequence of the hierarchy

The objective of explaining this behavior is that we expect the reader, in later topics, to be able to imagine an entertaining picture of us biologists acting similarly to other social

Animal behavior is one of the several attributes of animals that can only be studied in nature (Fig. 1), when the animal is still alive. The majority of ethological and ecological characters can't be preserved in scientific collections, in contrast to other sources of knowledge on biodiversity (Martins, 1994). That's why the combination of both practices is so important to

Few animals manage to live completely alone. Most need, at least, to find a partner of their own species (Carthy, 1974). The interaction between individuals is not random and it is possible to find a pattern in social relationships. This pattern is called social organization

3 We hope to make clear that we do not intend to extrapolate animal behavior as a fixed pattern for human behavior. We realize the complexity involved in this assertation. Therefore, we tried to take all precautions to avoid falling into the deterministic fallacy of sociobiology. Our goal was to show how

that is maximized by the illusion of power existing inside the scientific academy.

**2. Animal social behavior: Territorialism** 

animals3.

unveil biological knowledge.

Fig. 1. Territorial conflict among animals.

similar the behaviors can be in some situations.

(Deag, 1980).

Co-habitation and acquaintance in groups require behavior adaptations to maintain the cohesion of the group, either temporally or permanently. As a result, it is possible to observe a complex net of relationships characterizing social positions among members of the same groups (Carthy, 1974).

In some societies with hierarchical positions it is possible to see a dominant-subordinate relationship where violence becomes minimized. In some cases a stable dominant relation arises because the dominant animal is bigger and stronger than the others (Hutingford & Chellapa, 2006, as cited in Chase et al., 2002). Once this hierarchy is established, this configuration will be stable. Generally, the situation is accepted with no confusion. This implies that a hierarchical ordination decreases the mutual aggressiveness in the group. There's no doubt that this represents an advantage from the biological point of view. Combats are harmful not only because of the physical damages, but also because of the time spent in an activity that is otherwise useless for the needs of the group (Carthy, 1974).

There are a huge amount of social behaviors inside a group of animals, such as reproduction, foraging, play, and so on. The social behavior with most interest to us in this paper is territoriality. Territory defense occurs when animals adjust their struggle behavior to their position in space, defending a specific area. Such protected areas allow the attainment of food, water, rest spots, shelter, or sexual and cleaning partners. Depending on the species, these areas can be maintained for distinct periods of time, such as a few hours a day, a whole station, or a year, and it could be defended for one individual, for a couple, or for a group of animals (Hutingford & Chellapa, 2006).

In territorial systems the size of the land and the configuration of their boundaries are the result of a state of equilibrium between the behaviors of neighbors. There is a minimal limit to the size of the territory. When population density is high, the boundaries of the land may overlap, making the lands relatively smaller. In such occasions, the limits of defense and aggressive reactions between neighbors are established (Sire, 1960).

The winners obtain the best territories, while the losers stay with the worst areas or end without land. Quality land and land achievement will depend on the density of a population, defensibility of the area, availability of resources, and the age of the animal. Territorial males can expel each other with strength and still allow the presence of some subordinate (non-territorial) males on their land. Animals with lower hierarchical position have their access to resources limited by those with higher positions and therefore suffer more debilitating effects, aggression and sometimes are forced to migrate (Deag, 1980).

In some species the presence of aggressive and strong members in the society preclude that other members have access to the limiting resources. As a consequence, the excluded animals use different tactics in order to share the forbidden resources (Krebs & Davis, 1993). The animals with no land can live in a tolerable way in the areas that belong to other well succeeded animals. Alternatively, animals with no land could spend the whole or part of the time on the boundaries of the land, exploring the resources of that region without being observed (Hutingford & Chellapa, 2006).

The defense of a territory implies the existence of something that must be defended against competitors. Why would an animal try to take a resource that already is being protected, if there were plenty of undefended resources? The fact that competition occurs implies that

Zoological Collections and the Effects of Scientific Territorialism 179

Fig. 2. A rich "cabinet of curiosity". Adapted from Papavero et al. (1997).

belong to scientific societies or to State associations (Whitehead, 1970).

(Foucault, 1966; Whitehead, 1970).

**3.2 Museums today** 

As the disciplines of zoology and botany turned into sciences that required observation and experimentation, a huge proliferation of museums occurred. They were the natural history museums. During this period the museums changed from a pure catalogue of natural objects to an attempt of men to classify them. This part of Biology that aims to classify organisms in a systematic order is called taxonomy. The classification of data is the first step in any investigation. The objects acquire significance when they are classified because they facilitate a comparison between objects, which leads to the understanding of their nature

In 1850 the bases of the natural history museums were revolutionized by Charles Darwin. All community sectors interested in museums increased. At the same time, the value of the scientific work made the museums gain reconnaissance not only in academic aspects but also in economics. From this period, the private museums declined. They were intense through the XIX century and some still exist nowadays. More and more, however, museums

Many researchers around the world study biodiversity. Nowadays, the basic documentation of biodiversity is found in scientific collections at museums, institutions and universities (Silveira & Oliveira, 2008) split all over the world. The main goal of the natural history

the resources are limited, or that there are considerable differences between their qualities (Deag, 1980).

Animals fight each other for two basic reasons: to establish a domain in a social hierarchy or to establish territory. Some species are purely hierarchical, with no territory. Others are purely territorial, with no hierarchical issues being involved. Still others keep hierarchy in their own territory and must face all kinds of aggressiveness. We, the naked apes (as Desmond Morris would say), belong to the last group: we face both problems (Morris, 1984).
