Tools, Language and Cognition in Human Evolution
by Kathleen R. Gibson and Tim Ingold
The question addressed by this volume is how human beings have evolved as creatures who can make and use more complex tools, communicate in more complex ways and engage in more complex forms of social life than any other species in the animal kingdom. Leading researchers from fields as diverse as biological and social anthropology, archaeology, linguistics, psychology, neurology and ethology have come together to present a unique interdisciplinary study of this central question in human evolutio...
Cooperation and Prosocial Behaviour
An increasing number of people accept competitiveness as a basis for living. However, while competitiveness may have its place, cooperation is more important in many contexts, and interpersonal relationships are the most important elements in our lives. This is true not only of individuals, but also of groups and nations. In this book, prominent authors have come together to consider the nature of cooperation and prosocial behaviour at levels of social complexity ranging from the individual to t...
Bird Song has long been an inspiration to poets, and a delight to many other people, but why do birds sing? Bird song has been studied extensively in the past few decades, so that there is now hardly an area of animal behaviour on to which studies of song do not shed light. This book explores the study of bird song from the biological viewpoint, reviewing the literature written on the subject and considering its intricate nature. It is written with a wide readership in mind so that, while underg...
The Complete Capuchin
by D.M. Fragaszy, Elisabetta Visalberghi, and Linda M. Fedigan
Capuchin monkeys are one of the most widely distributed genera of primates in Central and South America. Capuchins captivate the imagination of scientists and the lay public alike with their creative and highly variable behaviour, their grace and power in action, and their highly developed social character. In this, the first scholarly book devoted to the biology of the genus Cebus (Primates: Platyrrhine), the taxonomy, distribution, life history, ecology, anatomy, development, perception, cogni...
Pretending and Imagination in Animals and Children
It is well known that children's activities are full of pretending and imagination, but it is less appreciated that animals can also show similar activities. Originally published in 2002, this book focuses on comparing and contrasting children's and animals' pretenses and imaginative activities. In the text, overviews of research present conflicting interpretations of children's understanding of the psychology of pretense, and describe sociocultural factors which influence children's pretenses....
Eat or Be Eaten
Predator sensitive foraging represents the strategies that animals employ to balance the need to eat against the need to avoid being eaten. Ecologists working with a wide range of taxa have developed sophisticated theoretical models of these strategies, and have produced elegant data to test them. However, only recently have primatologists begun to turn their attention to this area of research. This volume brings together primary data from a variety of primate species living in both natural habi...
Animal Behaviour: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)
by Tristram D. Wyatt
How animals behave is crucial to their survival and reproduction. The application of new molecular tools such as DNA fingerprinting and genomics is causing a revolution in the study of animal behaviour, while developments in computing and image analysis allow us to investigate behaviour in ways never previously possible. By combining these with the traditional methods of observation and experiments, we are now learning more about animal behaviour than ever before. In this Very Short Introductio...
Carnivores have always fascinated us, even though they make up only 10% of all mammalian genera and only about 2% of all mammalian biomass. In Greek mythology most of the gods adorned their robes and helmets with depictions of carnivores, and the great hero Hercules' most famous feat was killing the "invulnerable" lion with his bare hands. Part· of our fascination with carnivores stems from fright and intrigue, and sometimes even hatred because of our direct competition with them. Cases of "man-...
Creating Balance?
A satisfactory and healthy integration of work with other life domains is one of the key challenges of modern society. Work-life balance and work-life integration have become focal points of today’s human resource management practice and theory. Professionals who have been described as “extreme workers” regarding their work hours and engagement are under particular pressure to balance work and ”the rest of life”. This collection maps the increasingly extensive discussion of work-life issues for...
This is the perfect chance to immerse yourself in the uplifting sounds of a perfect country morning, from the comfort of your own home. At dawn, in our countryside, there is a pronounced peak in bird singing activity. This is especially noticeable for about an hour after the first light in temperate zone woodlands during spring and early summer. At this time, male birds defend their territories and attract females with their songs. The recordings on this CD are a selection of British woodland re...
Social Evolution in Ants (Monographs in Behavior and Ecology, #62)
by Andrew F.G. Bourke and Nigel R. Franks
Biologists have long been intrigued and confounded by the complex issues in the evolution and ecology of the social behaviour of insects. The self-sacrifice of sterile workers in ant colonies has been particularly difficult for evolutionary biologists to explain. This text presents an overview of the current state of scientific knowledge about social evolution in ants and shows how studies on ants have contributed to an understanding of many fundamental topics in behavioural ecology and evolutio...
Dogs and humans have worked side by side for thousands of years, and over the millennia we've come to depend upon our pooches as hunters, protectors, and faithful companions. But when it comes to the extraordinary quality of man's best friend which we rely on most, the winner is clear-by a nose. In Secrets of the Snout, Frank Rosell blends storytelling and science as he sniffs out the myriad ways in which dogs have been trained to employ their incredible olfactory skills, from sussing out cancer...
Evolutionary Biology of Host-Parasite Relationships (Developments in Animal & Veterinary Sciences S., v. 32)
This book brings together recent theoretical and empirical developments in all aspects of the study of host-parasite coevolution, including epidemiology, the evolution of parasite virulence, specificity and life history traits, and the evolution of host defences and life history strategies. The book covers all host and parasite taxa, and also explores some of the practical consequences of host-parasite evolution for veterinary and medical sciences.
The Seasons of the Robin (Mildred Wyatt-Wold Series in Ornithology)
by Don Grussing
In a small nest in a large oak tree, the drama begins. A young American Robin breaks open his shell and emerges into a world that will provide the warmth of sunny days and the life-threatening chill of cold, rainy nights; the satisfaction of a full stomach and the danger of sudden predator attacks; and the chance to mature into an adult robin who'll begin the cycle of life all over again come next spring. In The Seasons of the Robin, Don Grussing tells the uncommon life story of one of the most...
We share the earth with a wide variety of animal species, each of which brings something special to the diversity of the planet. By knowing more about how animals behave and live, we gain a greater understanding of how life evolved and the importance of biodiversity. Animal Parents examines how these animals care for their young to ensure their survival, care that is as varied as is animal life on earth. The book provides a thorough guide on the behavior of animal parenting, and helps students u...
We share the earth with a wide variety of animal species, each of which brings something special to the diversity of the planet. By knowing more about how animals behave and live, we gain a greater understanding of how life evolved and the importance of biodiversity. This book is about the animals that rise when the sun sets and are active throughout the night. Nocturnal Animals examines how such animals live and explains their highly developed senses that enable them to survive in the dark, as...
Interest in insect behavior is growing rapidly, as reflected both in courses devoted fully to the topic and in its inclusion in general biology, ecology, invertebrate zoology, and animal behavior--as well as general entomology--curricula. Instructors and students find that insects are in many ways uniquely suitable animals for behavioral study: the
The main focus of this monograph on whistled speech is the result of a worldwide inquiry primarily based on the author’s unprecedented fieldwork and laboratory experience. The different questions raised by the origin and the evolution of whistled forms of languages are also explored, including the role of environmental constraints in the emergence of whistled speech, their phonetic and phonological typology, the cognitive processing of whistled signals, monogenesis and polygenesis scenarios, the...
There are about 700 species of cephalopods (cuttlefishes, squids, octopuses and the chambered nautiluses) living throughout the seas of the world, some between the tides, others in the deep ocean, and yet others in the surface waters. Cephalopods are considered to be the most highly evolved marine invertebrates and possess elaborate sense organs, large brains and complex behaviour. This 1996 book examines that behaviour, summarizing field and laboratory data from a wide variety of sources in a c...
Swimming Physiology of Fish
In light of mounting fishing pressures, increased aquaculture production and a growing concern for fish well-being, improved knowledge on the swimming physiology of fish and its application to fisheries science and aquaculture is needed. This book presents recent investigations into some of the most extreme examples of swimming migrations in salmons, eels and tunas, integrating knowledge on their performance in the laboratory with that in their natural environment. For the first time, the applic...
Animal Communication and Noise (Animal Signals and Communication, #2)
The study of animal communication has led to significant progress in our general understanding of motor and sensory systems, evolution, and speciation. However, one often neglected aspect is that signal exchange in every modality is constrained by noise, be it in the transmission channel or in the nervous system. This book analyses whether and how animals can cope with such constraints, and explores the implications that noise has for our understanding of animal communication. It is written by l...