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164 results in Animal behaviour

Page 1 of 9

Elephants
  • Behavior and Conservation
  • Shermin R. de Silva
  • Published online:
    12 December 2024
    Print publication:
    19 December 2024
  • This volume compiles more than twenty years of behavioral research on the three living species of elephants in Africa and Asia (African Savannah, African Forest, and Asian elephant), together with their implications for conserving and managing wild elephant populations. The theoretical background, key terminology and findings are explained and presented in engaging language accessible to a wide range of non-specialists, from students to seasoned professionals. By viewing data from numerous studies through a comparative evolutionary perspective, the similarities and distinctions among species and populations come into clear relief, providing insight into the complexities of protecting these charismatic yet highly threatened mega-herbivores. Rather than mere exposition of what is known, readers are invited to reflect on the additional questions and puzzles that are still in need of answers, in the hope of inspiring a new generation of researchers and conservationists.

Pavlov's Legacy
  • How and What Animals Learn
  • Robert A. Boakes
  • Published online:
    07 October 2023
    Print publication:
    05 October 2023
  • Pavlov claimed that his experiments with dogs would transform the study of psychology and the treatment of mental illness. His work inspired researchers to study how animals learn to traverse mazes, avoid shocks, or press levers to obtain food, and also to compare the learning and cognitive abilities of different species, ranging from apes and dolphins to rats and pigeons. This book describes five decades of research into animal learning and comparative psychology, examining Pavlov's influence on this research and discoveries made by scientists who accepted many of his claims, while others looked for evidence to reject them. Drawing together diverse strands of research and providing historical and biographical information to bring the details to life, this is an ideal resource for graduate students and researchers in behavioural neuroscience, as well as for anyone in adjacent fields with an interest in learning theory.

The Little Owl
  • Population Dynamics, Behavior and Management of Athene noctua
  • 2nd edition
  • Dries Van Nieuwenhuyse, Ronald van Harxen, David H. Johnson
  • Illustrated by Joris De Raedt
  • Published online:
    29 September 2023
    Print publication:
    19 October 2023
  • The basic biology of owls is poorly understood compared to that of other bird species. The Little Owl, Athene noctua, is one of the best models for biological and conservation research. Though widespread across Europe, Asia and North Africa, populations of the Little Owl are now in decline, making studies of its behavior and ecology all the more important. This extensively revised and updated second edition features substantial new long-term data on population dynamics, behavioral observations and breeding biology of the Little Owl. The authors discuss its wide-ranging ecology, genetics, subspecies, and population status by country. In addition, they outline a research strategy and monitoring program. Exceptional illustrations of all fourteen subspecies cover embryonic and chick development, feather growth and moult, including high-quality drawings presenting concrete management suggestions. Whilst being an invaluable resource for academic researchers, its accessible and straightforward style will also appeal to amateur ornithologists and enthusiasts.

Zoo Studies
  • Living Collections, Their Animals and Visitors
  • Paul A. Rees
  • Published online:
    12 May 2023
    Print publication:
    01 June 2023
  • Zoos and aquariums are culturally and historically important places where families enjoy their leisure time and scientists study exotic animals. Many contain buildings of great architectural merit. Some people consider zoos little more than animal prisons, while others believe they play an important role in conservation and education. Zoos have been the subject of a vast number of academic studies, whose results are scattered throughout the literature. This interdisciplinary volume brings together research on animal behaviour, visitor studies, zoo history, human-animal relationships, veterinary medicine, welfare, education, enclosure design, reproduction, legislation, and zoo management conducted at around 200 institutions located throughout the world. The book is neither 'pro-' nor 'anti-' zoo and attempts to strike a balance between praising zoos for the good work they have done in the conservation of some species, while recognising that they face many challenges in making themselves relevant in the modern world.

Primate Cognitive Studies
  • Edited by Bennett L. Schwartz, Michael J. Beran
  • Published online:
    28 July 2022
    Print publication:
    11 August 2022
  • Researchers have studied non-human primate cognition along different paths, including social cognition, planning and causal knowledge, spatial cognition and memory, and gestural communication, as well as comparative studies with humans. This volume describes how primate cognition is studied in labs, zoos, sanctuaries, and in the field, bringing together researchers examining similar issues in all of these settings and showing how each benefits from the others. Readers will discover how lab-based concepts play out in the real world of free primates. This book tackles pressing issues such as replicability, research ethics, and open science. With contributors from a broad range of comparative, cognitive, neuroscience, developmental, ecological, and ethological perspectives, the volume provides a state-of-the-art review pointing to new avenues for integrative research.

The Cambridge Handbook of Evolutionary Perspectives on Sexual Psychology
  • Volume 2, Male Sexual Adaptations
  • Edited by Todd K. Shackelford
  • Published online:
    30 June 2022
    Print publication:
    21 July 2022
  • The interface of sexual behavior and evolutionary psychology is a rapidly growing domain, rich in psychological theories and data as well as controversies and applications. With nearly eighty chapters by leading researchers from around the world, and combining theoretical and empirical perspectives, The Cambridge Handbook of Evolutionary Perspectives on Sexual Psychology is the most comprehensive and up-to-date reference work in the field. Providing a broad yet in-depth overview of the various evolutionary principles that influence all types of sexual behaviors, the handbook takes an inclusive approach that draws on a number of disciplines and covers nonhuman and human psychology. It is an essential resource for both established researchers and students in psychology, biology, anthropology, medicine, and criminology, among other fields. Volume 2: Male Sexual Adaptations addresses theory and research focused on sexual adaptations in human males.

The Cambridge Handbook of Evolutionary Perspectives on Sexual Psychology
  • Volume 3, Female Sexual Adaptations
  • Edited by Todd K. Shackelford
  • Published online:
    30 June 2022
    Print publication:
    21 July 2022
  • The interface of sexual behavior and evolutionary psychology is a rapidly growing domain, rich in psychological theories and data as well as controversies and applications. With nearly eighty chapters by leading researchers from around the world, and combining theoretical and empirical perspectives, The Cambridge Handbook of Evolutionary Perspectives on Sexual Psychology is the most comprehensive and up-to-date reference work in the field. Providing a broad yet in-depth overview of the various evolutionary principles that influence all types of sexual behaviors, the handbook takes an inclusive approach that draws on a number of disciplines and covers nonhuman and human psychology. It is an essential resource for both established researchers and students in psychology, biology, anthropology, medicine, and criminology, among other fields. Volume 3: Female Sexual Adaptations addresses theory and research focused on sexual adaptations in human females.

Evolution of Learning and Memory Mechanisms
  • Edited by Mark A. Krause, Karen L. Hollis, Mauricio R. Papini
  • Published online:
    26 May 2022
    Print publication:
    19 May 2022
  • Evolution of Learning and Memory Mechanisms is an exploration of laboratory and field research on the many ways that evolution has influenced learning and memory processes, such as associative learning, social learning, and spatial, working, and episodic memory systems. This volume features research by both outstanding early-career scientists as well as familiar luminaries in the field. Learning and memory in a broad range of animals are explored, including numerous species of invertebrates (insects, worms, sea hares), as well as fish, amphibians, birds, rodents, bears, and human and nonhuman primates. Contributors discuss how the behavioral, cognitive, and neural mechanisms underlying learning and memory have been influenced by evolutionary pressures. They also draw connections between learning and memory and the specific selective factors that shaped their evolution. Evolution of Learning and Memory Mechanisms should be a valuable resource for those working in the areas of experimental and comparative psychology, comparative cognition, brain–behavior evolution, and animal behavior.

Much Like Us
  • What Science Reveals about the Thoughts, Feelings, and Behaviour of Animals
  • Norbert Sachser
  • Translated by Ruby Bilger
  • Published online:
    07 April 2022
    Print publication:
    05 May 2022
  • What really differentiates us from our relatives in the animal world? And what can they teach us about ourselves? Taking these questions as his starting point, Norbert Sachser presents fascinating insights into the inner lives of animals, revealing what we now know about their thoughts, feelings and behaviour. By turns surprising, humourous and thought-provoking, Much Like Us invites us on a journey around the animal kingdom, explaining along the way how dogs demonstrate empathy, why chimpanzees wage war and how crows and ravens craft tools to catch food. Sachser brings the science to life with examples and anecdotes drawn from his own research, illuminating the vast strides in understanding that have been made over the last 30 years. He ultimately invites us to challenge our own preconceptions – the closer we look, the more we see the humanity in our fellow creatures.

Elephant Seals
  • Pushing the Limits on Land and at Sea
  • Bernard J. Le Boeuf
  • Published online:
    23 September 2021
    Print publication:
    07 October 2021
  • How did the elephant seal survive being driven to the brink of extinction in the nineteenth century? What variables determine the lifetime reproductive success of individual seals? How have elephant seals adapted to tolerate remarkable physiological extremes of nutrition, temperature, asphyxia, and pressure? Answering these questions and many more, this book is the result of the author's 50-year study of elephant seals. The chapters cover a broad range of topics including diving, feeding, migration and reproductive behavior, yielding fundamental information on general biological principles, the operation of natural selection, the evolution of social behavior, the formation of vocal dialects, colony development, and population changes over time. The book will be a valuable resource for graduate students and researchers of marine mammal behavior and reproductive life history as well as for amateur naturalists interested in these fascinating animals.

The Evolution of Social Behaviour
  • Michael Taborsky, Michael A. Cant, Jan Komdeur
  • Published online:
    30 July 2021
    Print publication:
    26 August 2021
  • How can the stunning diversity of social systems and behaviours seen in nature be explained? Drawing on social evolution theory, experimental evidence and studies conducted in the field, this book outlines the fundamental principles of social evolution underlying this phenomenal richness.To succeed in the competition for resources, organisms may either 'race' to be quicker than others, 'fight' for privileged access, or 'share' their efforts and gains. The authors show how the ecology and intrinsic attributes of organisms select for each of these strategies, and how a handful of straightforward concepts explain the evolution of successful decision rules in behavioural interactions, whether among members of the same or different species. With a broad focus ranging from microorganisms to humans, this is the first book to provide students and researchers with a comprehensive account of the evolution of sociality by natural selection.

The Cambridge Handbook of Animal Cognition
  • Edited by Allison B. Kaufman, Josep Call, James C. Kaufman
  • Published online:
    01 July 2021
    Print publication:
    22 July 2021
  • This handbook lays out the science behind how animals think, remember, create, calculate, and remember. It provides concise overviews on major areas of study such as animal communication and language, memory and recall, social cognition, social learning and teaching, numerical and quantitative abilities, as well as innovation and problem solving. The chapters also explore more nuanced topics in greater detail, showing how the research was conducted and how it can be used for further study. The authors range from academics working in renowned university departments to those from research institutions and practitioners in zoos. The volume encompasses a wide variety of species, ensuring the breadth of the field is explored.

Mammalian Sexuality
  • The Act of Mating and the Evolution of Reproduction
  • Alan F. Dixson
  • Published online:
    20 May 2021
    Print publication:
    03 June 2021
  • There are more than 6000 species belonging to twenty-seven orders in the Class Mammalia. Comparative studies of this diverse and magnificent array of extant species provide valuable opportunities to formulate and test hypotheses concerning the evolution of reproduction. This is the first book to explore, in depth and breadth, the complex interrelationships that exist between patterns of mating behaviour and the evolution of mammalian reproductive anatomy and physiology. It focuses upon the role that copulatory and post-copulatory sexual selection have played during the evolution of the monotremes, marsupials and placental mammals, and examines the effects of sperm competition and cryptic female choice upon coevolution of the genitalia in the two sexes. In addition, due weight is also given to discussions of the modes of life of mammals, and to the roles played by natural selection and phylogeny in determining their reproductive traits.

Understanding Animal Behaviour
  • What to Measure and Why
  • Sergio Pellis, Vivien Pellis
  • Published online:
    11 May 2021
    Print publication:
    20 May 2021
  • All students and researchers of behaviour – from those observing freely-behaving animals in the field to those conducting more controlled laboratory studies – face the problem of deciding what exactly to measure. Without a scientific framework on which to base them, however, such decisions are often unsystematic and inconsistent. Providing a clear and defined starting point for any behavioural study, this is the first book to make available a set of principles for how to study the organisation of behaviour and, in turn, for how to use those insights to select what to measure. The authors provide enough theory to allow the reader to understand the derivation of the principles, and draw on numerous examples to demonstrate clearly how the principles can be applied. By providing a systematic framework for selecting what behaviour to measure, the book lays the foundations for a more scientific approach for the study of behaviour.

Measuring Behaviour
  • An Introductory Guide
  • 4th edition
  • Melissa Bateson, Paul Martin
  • Published online:
    07 May 2021
    Print publication:
    06 May 2021
  • Measuring Behaviour is the established go-to text for anyone interested in scientific methods for studying the behaviour of animals or humans. It is widely used by students, teachers and researchers in a variety of fields, including biology, psychology, the social sciences and medicine. This new fourth edition has been completely rewritten and reorganised to reflect major developments in how behavioural studies are conducted. It includes new sections on the replication crisis, covering Open Science initiatives such as preregistration, as well as fully up-to-date information on the use of remote sensors, big data and artificial intelligence in capturing and analysing behaviour. The sections on the analysis and interpretation of data have been rewritten to align with current practices, with advice on avoiding common pitfalls. Although fully revised and revamped, this new edition retains the simplicity, clarity and conciseness that have made Measuring Behaviour a classic since the first edition appeared more than 30 years ago.

Cooperation and Conflict
  • The Interaction of Opposites in Shaping Social Behavior
  • Edited by Walter Wilczynski, Sarah F. Brosnan
  • Published online:
    08 February 2021
    Print publication:
    25 February 2021
  • Understanding the interaction between cooperation and conflict in establishing effective social behaviour is a fundamental challenge facing societies. Reflecting the breadth of current research in this area, this volume brings together experts from biology to political science to examine the cooperation–conflict interface at multiple levels, from genes to human societies. Exploring both the exciting new directions and the biggest challenges in their fields, the authors focus on identifying commonalities across species and disciplines to help understand what features are shared broadly and what are limited to specific contexts. Each chapter is written to be accessible to students and researchers from interdisciplinary backgrounds, with text boxes explaining terminology and concepts that may not be familiar across disciplinary boundaries, while being a valuable resource to experts in their fields.

The Kestrel
  • Ecology, Behaviour and Conservation of an Open-Land Predator
  • David Costantini, Giacomo Dell'Omo
  • Published online:
    29 August 2020
    Print publication:
    27 August 2020
  • Widespread across open lands and cities of Europe, Africa, and Asia, the common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) is one of the most abundant and studied birds of prey. This book brings together and synthesises the results of research on kestrels for professional ornithologists and scientists that seek to consolidate a vast body of literature. It is also a reference for those readers who may not have the depth of scientific knowledge to navigate new fields of scientific enquiry. It examines many aspects of the species' biology, from the reproductive strategies to the behavioural and demographic adaptations to changes of environmental conditions. It also discusses the roles of physiology and immunology in mediating the adaptability of kestrels to the ongoing environmental changes with a particular focus on contaminants. This volume presents new and exciting avenues of research on the ecology and behaviour of the common kestrel.

Chimpanzee
  • Lessons from our Sister Species
  • Kevin D. Hunt
  • Published online:
    10 July 2020
    Print publication:
    20 August 2020
  • The chimpanzee is one of our planet's best-loved and most instantly recognisable animals. Splitting from the human lineage between four and six million years ago, it is (along with its cousin, the bonobo) our closest living relative, sharing around 94% of our DNA. First encountered by Westerners in the seventeenth century, virtually nothing was known about chimpanzees in their natural environment until 1960, when Jane Goodall travelled to Gombe to live and work with them. Accessibly written, yet fully referenced and uncompromising in its accuracy and comprehensiveness, this book encapsulates everything we currently know about chimpanzees: from their discovery and why we study them, to their anatomy, physiology, genetics and culture. The text is beautifully illustrated and infused with examples and anecdotes drawn from the author's thirty years of primate observation, making this a perfect resource for students of biological anthropology and primatology as well as non-specialists interested in chimpanzees.

The Bear: Culture, Nature, Heritage

Evolution, Ecology and Conservation of Lorises and Pottos
  • Edited by K. A. I. Nekaris, Anne M. Burrows
  • Published online:
    29 February 2020
    Print publication:
    19 March 2020
  • Furry and wide-eyed, lorises and pottos are small, nocturnal primates inhabiting African, Asian and Southeast Asian tropical and subtropical forests. Their likeable appearance, combined with their unusual adaptations - from a marked reduction of the tail to their mostly slow, deliberate locomotion, powerful grasping and, in some species, a venomous bite - has led to a significant rise in research interest in the family Lorisidae over the last decade. Furthermore, lorises in particular have featured frequently in international media largely due to illegal trade, for example as pets. This is the first volume to present a full picture of the breadth of research being undertaken on lorisids to aid future studies as well as conservation efforts. Focusing on five key topics: evolutionary biology, ecomorphology, behavioural ecology, captive management and conservation, this book is a vital read for graduate students and researchers in primatology, biological anthropology, evolutionary biology, animal behaviour and conservation.

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