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Books > Science & Mathematics > Biology, life sciences > Zoology & animal sciences > Animal behaviour
The book aims to integrate our understanding of mammalian societies into a novel synthesis that is relevant to behavioural ecologists, ecologists, and anthropologists. It adopts a coherent structure that deals initially with the characteristics and strategies of females, before covering those of males, cooperative societies and hominid societies. It reviews our current understanding both of the structure of societies and of the strategies of individuals; it combines coverage of relevant areas of theory with coverage of interspecific comparisons, intraspecific comparisons and experiments; it explores both evolutionary causes of different traits and their ecological consequences; and it integrates research on different groups of mammals with research on primates and humans and attempts to put research on human societies into a broader perspective.
The 2nd international tagging and tracking symposium was held in San Sebastian, Spain, in October 2007, seven years after the first symposium was held in Hawaii in 2000 (Sibert and Nielsen 2001). In the intervening seven years, there have been major advances in both the capability and reliability of electronic tags and analytical approaches for geolocation of tagged animals in marine habitats. Advances such as increased data storage capacity, sensor development, and tag miniaturization have allowed researchers to track a much wider array of marine animals, not just large and charismatic species. Importantly, data returned by these tags are now being used in population analyses and movement simulations that can be directly utilized in stock assessments and other management applications. Papers in this volume are divided into three sections, the first describing insights into behavior achieved using acoustic, archival, and novel tags, the second reporting on advances in methods of geolocation, while the final section includes contributions where tag data have been used in management of marine species. Accurate documentation of animal movements and behaviors in critical marine habitats are impossible to obtain with other technologies. The management and conservation of marine species are critical in today s changing ocean environment and as electronic tags become more accurate and functional for a diversity of organisms their application continues to grow, setting new standards in science and technology."
This volume explores various themes at the intersection of archaeology and philosophy: inference and theory; interdisciplinary connections; cognition, language and normativity; and ethical issues. Showcasing this heterogeneity, its scope ranges from the method of analogical inference to the evolution of the human mind; from conceptual issues in assessing the health of past populations to the ethics of cultural heritage tourism. It probes the archaeological record for evidence of numeracy, curiosity and creativity, and social complexity. Its contributors comprise an interdisciplinary cluster of philosophers, archaeologists, anthropologists, and psychologists, from a variety of career stages, of whom many are leading experts in their fields. Chapter 3 is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.
"The Gestural Communication of Apes and Monkeys" is an intriguing
compilation of naturalistic and experimental research conducted
over the course of 20 years on gestural communication in primates,
as well as a comparison to what is known about the vocal
communication of nonhuman primates. The editors also make
systematic comparisons to the gestural communication of
prelinguistic and just-linguistic human children. An enlightening
exploration unfolds into what may represent the starting point for
the evolution of human communication and language.
"The Gestural Communication of Apes and Monkeys" is an intriguing
compilation of naturalistic and experimental research conducted
over the course of 20 years on gestural communication in primates,
as well as a comparison to what is known about the vocal
communication of nonhuman primates. The editors also make
systematic comparisons to the gestural communication of
prelinguistic and just-linguistic human children. An enlightening
exploration unfolds into what may represent the starting point for
the evolution of human communication and language.
'Packed with insight and anecdote, his story brings the Tower ravens to vivid life, each bird with a personality of its own. I've been fortunate enough to tour the Tower and meet the ravens a few times in years past; after reading this book, I cannot wait to go back' George R. R. Martin For centuries, the Tower of London has been home to a group of famous avian residents: the ravens. Each year they are seen by millions of visitors, and they have become as integral a part of the Tower as its ancient stones themselves. But their role is even more important than that – legend has it that if the ravens should ever leave, the Tower will crumble into dust, and great harm will befall the kingdom. One man is personally responsible for ensuring that such a disaster never comes to pass – the Ravenmaster. The current holder of the position is Yeoman Warder Christopher Skaife, and in this fascinating, entertaining and touching book he memorably describes the ravens’ formidable intelligence, their idiosyncrasies and their occasionally wicked sense of humour. Over the years in which he has cared for the physical and mental well-being of these remarkable birds, Christopher Skaife has come to know them like no one else. They are not the easiest of charges – as he reveals, they are much given to mischief, and their escapades have often led him into unlikely, and sometimes even undignified, situations. Now, in the first intimate behind-the-scenes account of life with the ravens of the Tower, the Ravenmaster himself shares the folklore, history and superstitions surrounding both the birds and their home. The result is a compelling, inspiring and irreverent story that will delight and surprise anyone with an interest in British history or animal behaviour.
The predators that can hunt, kill and eat us occupy a unique place in the human psyche. In this book, Adam Hart looks at our relationship with these animals from a conservation perspective. Whether it's lions in Africa, tigers in India or sharks in the world's oceans, we are fascinated by - and often terrified of - predators. Animals that can hunt, kill, and eat us occupy a unique place in the human psyche, and for good reason. Predation forms a big part of our evolutionary history, but in the modern world there are many people who live alongside animals that can, and sometimes do, make them prey. In The Deadly Balance, biologist Adam Hart explores the complex relationships we have with predators, and investigates what happens when humans become prey. From big cats to army ants, via snakes, bears, wolves, crocodiles, piranhas and more, Hart busts some myths and explores the science behind such encounters. Despite their fearsome and often wildly exaggerated reputations, these animals have far more to fear from us than we do from them. By probing the latest conservation science, Hart explores how we might both conserve the world's predators and live safely alongside them.
Scientific developments have increasingly been transforming our understanding of the place of human beings in nature. The study of humanity, carried out in a variety of disciplines from anthropology and paleontology to genetics and neurosciences, is shedding new light on the origins and biological bases of human nature and culture. The findings of these relatively new hyphenated sciences have profound implications for the interpretation of human behavior within spiritual life no less than the material culture. This fine compendium serves as a splendid introduction to sociobiology. Sociobiology, now frequently being referred to by many as evolutionary psychology and evolutionary anthropology, first offered a radically selfish and individualist account of human nature. However, later researchers have moved away from such reductionisms, and into a sense of the common good that characterizes many species, and human brings as well. The emergence of discourses on the role of religion in understanding behavior in terms of moral considerations that permit people to live in community contexts has generated a lively examination within the new social sciences on the source of instinct, impulse, intelligence and interest. This compendium is clearly etched in a new and generous vision of human behavior that is at the same time rooted in the best of the current social sciences. "The Origins and Nature of" Sociality comes out of a symposium sponsored by the Program for Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and co-chaired by the editors. The contributors focus on the current status of research on sociality and the evolution of cooperative and altruistic behavior in nonhuman and human primates. They examine questions related to the evolution, cultural viability, and hormonal underpinnings of human sociality in specific detail, and describe patterns of sociality among nonhuman primates that many shed light on human social behavior. "Robert W. Sussman" is professor of anthropology, at Washington University in St. Louis. His work has appeared, among other places, in "The American Journal of Physical Anthropology, Folia Primatology," and Zygon. "Audrey R. Chapman" serves as director of the Science and Human Rights program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, in Washington D.C.
Scientific developments have increasingly been transforming our understanding of the place of human beings in nature. The study of humanity, carried out in a variety of disciplines from anthropology and paleontology to genetics and neurosciences, is shedding new light on the origins and biological bases of human nature and culture. The findings of these relatively new hyphenated sciences have profound implications for the interpretation of human behavior within spiritual life no less than the material culture. This fine compendium serves as a splendid introduction to sociobiology. Sociobiology, now frequently being referred to by many as evolutionary psychology and evolutionary anthropology, first offered a radically selfish and individualist account of human nature. However, later researchers have moved away from such reductionisms, and into a sense of the common good that characterizes many species, and human brings as well. The emergence of discourses on the role of religion in understanding behavior in terms of moral considerations that permit people to live in community contexts has generated a lively examination within the new social sciences on the source of instinct, impulse, intelligence and interest. This compendium is clearly etched in a new and generous vision of human behavior that is at the same time rooted in the best of the current social sciences. "The Origins and Nature of" Sociality comes out of a symposium sponsored by the Program for Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and co-chaired by the editors. The contributors focus on the current status of research on sociality and the evolution of cooperative and altruistic behavior in nonhuman and human primates. They examine questions related to the evolution, cultural viability, and hormonal underpinnings of human sociality in specific detail, and describe patterns of sociality among nonhuman primates that many shed light on human social behavior. "Robert W. Sussman" is professor of anthropology, at Washington University in St. Louis. His work has appeared, among other places, in "The American Journal of Physical Anthropology, Folia Primatology," and Zygon. "Audrey R. Chapman" serves as director of the Science and Human Rights program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, in Washington D.C.
This book is a general guide to understanding horse behavior, how the horse learns and how horse handlers can adjust their behavior to avoid creating anxiety in the horse. The author begins by providing an overview of the evolution of the horse and the consequences of domestication. She goes on to provide a very detailed description of normal equine behavior and its impact on husbandry and training. This is followed by the causes of abnormal and undesirable behavior in the stable, handling and when being ridden. The author links difficulties arising from the management of horses today with the natural behavior of the horse and recommends therapeutic, as well as training, methods for horses exhibiting behavioral problems. The central theme of this book is prevention or cure of undesirable behavior through understanding making this book useful to anyone who routinely works with horses, and is concerned with equine wellbeing.
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 "Progress in Infancy Research Series" is dedicated to the
presentation of innovative and exciting research on infants, both
human and animal. Each volume in the series is designed to stand
alone and contains autonomous chapters which are based on high
quality programs of research with infants. These chapters integrate
the work of the authors with that of other experts working in the
same or related areas. The authors wish to present high quality
critical syntheses bearing on infant perception and sensation,
learning and memory processes, and other aspects of development.
This series will be a forum for the presentation of technological
breakthroughs, methodological advances, and new integrations that
might create platforms for future programmatic work on the
complexities of infant behavior and development.
Older aged adults face many adversities over the later life course. This edited volume will address the ways in which seniors bounce back from different types and combinations of adversity - termed "resilience". While research has been accumulating that identifies inherent abilities and external resources needed to adapt and navigate stress-inducing experiences among aging and older adults, gaps remain in understanding the unique elements and processes of resilience. A series of chapters included in this book will address several overarching questions: why do some older individuals/families/communities adapt to adversity better than others; what are modifiable behavioral protective/risk factors related to resilience; and how can we foster resilience at the individual/community level and which approaches show the most promise? The spectrum of aging-related challenges and responses addressed in this book include: mental health; physical/functional health problems; multimorbidity; socio-economic deprivation; social isolation and loneliness; cultural dimensions of loneliness; housing/homelessness problems; and environmental disasters. This book presents cutting-edge science at the conceptual, methodological, empirical and practice levels applied to emerging resilience sub-fields in gerontology. It will also present potential areas of future research, policy and practice linked to these areas. During a period of the most rapid population aging in the US, Canada and many other nations, coupled with heightened global socio-political change, extending our knowledge of resilience will help society to make important adjustments to maximize health and wellness of older individuals. Supporting and enhancing resilience through technological, social and/or community-level advances in geroscience will help those facing adversity to thrive by harnessing, stretching, and leveraging a wide array of potential resources. The promotion of healthier older populations has far-reaching consequences for health care and social/community support systems, both in terms of public health including pandemic response, and the development and implementation of innovations in treatment and practice guidelines.
The " Progress in Infancy Research Series" is dedicated to the
presentation of innovative and exciting research on infants, both
human and animal. Each volume in the series is designed to stand
alone and contains autonomous chapters which are based on high
quality programs of research with infants. These chapters integrate
the work of the authors with that of other experts working in the
same or related areas. The authors wish to present high quality
critical syntheses bearing on infant perception and sensation,
learning and memory processes, and other aspects of development.
This series will be a forum for the presentation of technological
breakthroughs, methodological advances, and new integrations that
might create platforms for future programmatic work on the
complexities of infant behavior and development.
The Theraphosidae are the most famous and diverse mygalomorph spiders, and include some of the largest arachnids on earth. Their unique defense mechanisms, predatory tactics, reproductive strategies and ecological adaptations are displayed by a wide range of terrestrial, burrowing and arboreal species. These arachnids are familiar to the general public thanks to horror movies and a growing interest in tarantulas as pets; however, scientific information on the group is scattered throughout the literature and not easily available. This book reviews all major aspects of New World Theraphosid tarantulas and provides in-depth information on their evolution, taxonomy, behavior, physiology, ecology, reproduction, conservation and biogeography. As a comprehensive guide to the biology of tarantulas, it will appeal to researchers, students and terrarium hobbyists alike.
Evidence-based, yet entirely practical, this important new text builds upon the basics of neuroscience to describe the links between olfaction and animal behaviour, and the effects of odours in animal welfare. Animals use smells in a multitude of ways: to orientate themselves, to create social bonds, to recognise food, to initiate reproduction, and to avoid predators and imminent threats such as fire. Starting from the scientific basis of olfaction and odour perception, the book covers pheromones and behavioural tests, before describing the role of olfaction in feeding behaviour, reproduction, disease detection, and animal housing. The book: * is written in an evidence-based way, yet with an easy-to-understand style, making it accessible to non-experts * focuses on animals managed by humans, i.e. farm, zoo, lab and companion species * is illustrated by in-depth research examples of many different species This is a captivating introduction to the world of smells, suitable for advanced students, researchers, and teachers of applied ethology, animal welfare and veterinary science.
When did humans begin to kiss? Why is kissing integral to some cultures and alien to others? Do good kissers make the best lovers? And is that expensive lip-plumping gloss worth it? Sheril Kirshenbaum, a marine biologist and science journalist, tackles these questions and more in THE SCIENCE OF KISSING. It's everything you always wanted to know about kissing but either haven't asked, can't find out, or didn't realize you should understand. Sheril's a serious scientist, and the material here is informed by the results of the latest studies and theories, but she's also got an engaging, delightful voice and offers information with a light, humorous touch. Topics range from the kind of kissing men like to do (as distinct from women), to what animals can teach us about the kiss, to whether or not the true art of kissing was lost sometime in the Dark Ages, to what, really, makes us kiss. Employing an interdisciplinary approach--drawing upon classical history, evolutionary biology, psychology, popular culture, and more--Kirshenbaum's winning book will appeal to romantics and armchair scientists alike.
This book develops Gregory Bateson's ideas regarding "communication about relationship" in animals and human beings, and even nations. It bases itself on Bateson's theory of relational communication, as he described it in the zoosemiotics of octopus, mammals, birds, and human beings. This theory includes, for example, the roles of metaphor, play, analog and digital communication, metacommunication, and Laws of Form. It is organized around a letter from Gregory Bateson to his fellow cybernetic thinker Warren McCulloch at the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis. In this letter Bateson argued that what we would today call zoosemiotics, including Bateson's own (previously unpublished) octopus research, should be made a basis for understanding the relationship between the two blocs of the Cold War. Accordingly the book shows how Bateson understood interactive processes in the biosemiotics of conflict and peacemaking, which are analyzed using examples from recent animal studies, from primate studies, and from cultural anthropology. The Missile Crisis itself is described in terms of Bateson's critique of game theory which he felt should be modified by an understanding of the zoosemiotics of relational communication. The book also includes a previously unpublished piece by Gregory Bateson on wolf behavior and metaphor/ abduction.
This book presents a series of empirically based case studies conducted by social change scholars from Asia-Pacific, showcasing the latest social marketing approaches geared at improving societal well-being in the region. Cutting across cultural perspectives, the contents gather ideas on social marketing campaigns and strategies from around the region and use these case studies as a platform to address concomitant challenges in employing marketing tools to positively change social behaviour. The selection of case studies covers and compares aspects of public health and well-being, and public environmental consciousness in terms of driving attitudes towards implementing improved sustainability in developing and developed countries. Drawing on related policies and legislation, and examining social behaviour at the individual, community, and organisational levels, the authors propose innovative new methods in social marketing and social change research. The book is of interest to researchers and practitioners in social marketing, business ethics, behavioural science, public health, and development studies.
Scientists have long cautioned against attributing familiar emotions to animals, arguing that it limits our ability to truly comprehend the lives of other creatures. Recently, however, things have begun to shift in the other direction, and anthropologist Barbara J. King is at the forefront of that movement, arguing strenuously that we can-and should-attend to animal emotions. With How Animals Grieve, she draws our attention to the specific case of grief, and relates story after story - from field sites, farms, homes, and more - of animals mourning lost companions, mates, or friends. The resulting book is both daring and down to earth, strikingly ambitious yet careful to acknowledge the limits of our understanding. Through the moving stories she chronicles and analyzes so beautifully, King brings us closer to the animals with whom we share a planet, and helps us see our own experiences, attachments, and emotions as part of a larger web of life, death, love, and loss.
This book explores human decision-making heuristics and studies how nudging and winking can help citizens to make rational choices. By applying the behavioral economics approach to political outcomes, it demonstrates how economics can be employed for the greater societal good. It starts with a review of the current literature on human decision-making failures in Europe and North America, presenting the wide range of nudges and winks developed to curb the harmful consequences of human decision-making fallibility. It then discusses the use of mental heuristics, biases and nudges in the finance domain to benefit economic markets by providing clear communication strategies. Lastly, the author proposes clear leadership and followership directives on nudging in the digital age. This book appeals to scholars and policy makers interested in rational decision-making and the use of nudging and winking in the digital age. |
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