Animals do all sorts of things, and their behaviors come in two kinds. Some behaviors an animal is born already knowing, and some it has to learn. Knowing the difference helps us understand how animals live.

A behavior an animal is born knowing is called an instinct. A baby sea turtle hatches on the beach and crawls straight toward the ocean, even though no one showed it the way. That is instinct at work.

A spider spinning a perfect web is another instinct. The spider was never taught how to do it, yet it makes the same amazing web that all spiders of its kind make. Instincts are like built-in instructions.

A learned behavior is different, because the animal has to practice or be taught. A dog learns to sit when a person shows it and gives it a treat. A young lion learns how to hunt by watching and copying its mother.

People have instincts and learned behaviors too. A newborn baby knows how to cry and how to grab your finger without being taught, but you had to learn how to read, ride a bike, and tie your shoes.

Both kinds of behavior are useful. Instincts keep an animal safe from the very first day, and learned behaviors let an animal get better at things over time. Together they help animals survive and grow.