Thigmotaxis

Thigmotaxis is a change in direction in response to a tactile stimulus, where the direction of movement is determined by the direction the stimulus is received, which causes the organism to come in close contact with a solid surface (Allaby). The word “taxis” is referring to the reaction to an external stimuli by moving in a certain direction. When initially exploring a new enclosed space, the organism has a tendency to stay near the perimeter. Thigmotaxis is mainly prominent in the initial encounter of the space, and seems to help an organism define the boundary of the new space. The continued use of this unfortunately prevents the organism from locating an escape.
Thigmotaxis is commonly found in highly anxious animals. Investigations that