Some parts of an animal's behaviour are governed by its genes, just as its physical characteristics are. These are known as 'instinctive' or 'innate' behaviours. This kind of behaviour is vital for a young animal, helping it recognise danger and food, but animals need to be able to adapt their behaviour as they grow and become more experienced. This is known as learning.

Most animals show some degree of learning, even insects. Butterflies are innately attracted to coloured flowers, and have built-in preferences for particular colours, but they quickly learn to adapt these preferences on the basis of their experience. This ability to learn makes the animal's behaviour much more adaptable to changing environments. A butterfly that couldn't learn to change its flower colour preference would quickly die of starvation if there happened not to be any flowers of the preferred colour around.

Not all animals have the same opportunities to learn. Those that are not looked after by their parents have to be self-sufficient from the start. Many behaviours are 'pre-programmed', including the ability to recognise their mates with no prior experience of what they might look like. Animals that are looked after by their parents, though, not only have a period when they can learn through trial and error while still being looked after, but also have the advantage of seeing what their own species look like.

Birds, which are almost always fed by their parents in the early stages of their life, are famous for 'imprinting' - quickly learning what their mother looks like. This not only affects who they run to in times of danger as chicks, but their recognition of suitable mates later in life. Mammals often have an even greater degree of parental care, with the young staying with their mother during a period of weaning and even until her next offspring is born. This long period of 'apprenticeship' can allow the youngster to learn complex behaviour through observation of its mother. Sloths learn which leaves to eat, shrews lick their mother's mouth to learn what she eats, elephants learn about the environment and where to find water, and chimpanzees learn how to use tools.