Animal Behaviour: A Very Short Introduction

Very Short Introductions #513

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 behavior, while developments in computing and image analysis allow us to investigate behavior in ways never previously possible. By combining these with the traditional methods of observation and experiments, we are now learning more about animal behavior than ever before.

In this Very Short Introduction Tristram D. Wyatt discusses how animal behavior has evolved, how behaviors develop in each individual (considering the interplay of genes, epigenetics, and experience), how we can understand animal societies, and how we can explain collective behavior such as swirling flocks of starlings. Using lab and field studies from across the animal kingdom, he analyzes what drives behavior, and explores instinct, learning, and culture. Looking more widely at behavioral ecology, he also considers some aspects of human behavior.

ABOUT THE SERIES The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Psychology, Nature, Biology, Popular Science, Animals

176 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2017

Reviews

[Nick Edkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I particularly enjoyed the discussion of the various ways in which animals can be intelligent, how this is revealed through behaviour, and how humans can discount some markers of intelligence and disproportionately favour others simply out of familiarity. For example, a dog won't recognise itself in a mirror, because dogs use smell more than sight to recognise each other (obvious when you think about it, but worth saying).

I think that sometimes claims about animals' intelligence are overblown by people making a moral case against eating them, which weakens the argument overall. The ability to feel pain suffices for the moral argument, and the discussion of animal behaviour and intelligence is much more interesting when liberated from its propaganda duties, as it is here.

[Sivasothi N. · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with all of Oxford’s “A Very Short Introduction” series, this provides a good outline of the subject and lists a reasonably accessible bibliography at the end. Published in 2017, it integrates a molecular outlook into behaviour and has a good chapter for the role of behavioural ecology. This is great starting point for anyone with an interest in the subject.

[Am · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

This was a fantastic read and I'm really glad I took my time with this. My copy is the most tabbed and underlined thing I've ever encountered!

Wyatt presents such a comprehensive introduction to animal behaviour, using an eclectic variety of examples and species to provide evidence and further detail on each point. It's well explained and very accessible despite discussing some more complex processes of behaviour.

I will be gladly reciting animal facts to anyone and everyone I encounter for the foreseeable and definitely reading more into this topic!

[Marysya Rudska · Rating 3 out of 5]

Я дуже люблю цю оксфордську серію коротких вступів до різних наук. Поведінка тварин - одна з дуже цікавих для мене тем. Однак ця книжка мене трохи розчарувала. Автор Tristram D. Wyatt має багато наукових здобутків у вивчені феромонів і їх впливу на тварин. І це відчувається крізь всю книжку. Мені здається, книжка про феромони цього автора була б значно цікавішою, ніж книжка про поведінку тварин. Бо все ж таки, в книжці, яка називається "короткий вступ в поведінку тварин" очікуєш, що ці тварини будуть хоч якось поводитись - їсти, тікати, будувати гнізда і греблі. Першу частину книжки поводяться якось лише феромони, гормони, і ділянки мозку. З четвертого розділу - стає цікавіше і ближче до теми.
Текст погано структурований, уривчастий, більше схожий на набір маленьких заміток, ніж на суцільну розповідь. Попри те, що було багато цікавої інформації, досліджень про які я не знала, несподіваних особливостей тварин - книжку трохи домучувала до кінця.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a surprisingly thorough and nicely concise introduction to animal behaviour, covering how it's arisen and evolved to what it all means and how different species use similar behaviours for different things. Wyatt does an excellent job introducing various complex subjects and terminologies in such a way that a majority of readers would be able to understand and follow, including making sure that all of the likely unfamiliar terms are defined within the same text as its use. A very good introduction to the subject and a very handy quick reminder guide for those with a bit more knowledge and background.

[Cailin Deery · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this one on my way to a behavioral ecology conference to get a vague framework for the talks organized and topics that may arise. Many of the illustrations of animal behaviour within this very short introduction are similar to those covered in a typical episode of Plant Earth, with observational studies focused primarily on larger, complex organisms and animals like honeybees, birds, meerkats, or fish. What is less covered in a show like Planet Earth are the scientific methods that are changing through the introduction of molecular tools like DNA fingerprinting or genomics.

I was also interested in specifically how behavioral ecology fits within the broader studies of animal behaviour, and really some of the more popular scientific projects like Meerkat Manor illustrate what many behavioral ecologists focus their scientific work on, that is: the observation of individual animals in the wild as they fight for survival under ecological pressures, and the development of distinct traits and personalities, rather than the study of a general animal population. The observable behaviour relates to their adaptive traits (anything protecting the proliferation of their individual genes) from mating behaviour to parental care, parasitism, cooperation, conflict, and communication.

Animal behaviour across a species (perhaps isolated pockets of an animal population) can also see behavioral evolution across a very short time period. For example, cricket populations on the islands of Kauai and Oahu have gone completely silent over the course of ten years (20 generations) because the crickets learned that a new parasitic fly that would prey on them were alerted to their presence by following cricket song. They’d lay eggs on the cricket and its offspring would eat the cricket alive.

I’ve got another adaptation for you that you can actually observe yourself in suburbia. If you find a streetlamp with moths flurrying around it, try standing just under the lamp and jangling a set of keys. The moths will fall in a heap down from the lamp, and this is because moths are hunted by bats using sonar, and the moths have successfully adapted to perceive an approaching bat through sonar detection. The sound of jangling keys sends a similar audio vibration and signals the moths to abruptly fall to dodge a diving bat.

It may seem counterproductive, but a movement in the 70s moved scientists out of the lab and into the wild to study animal behaviour through observation. At the heart of this revolution was the astonishing discovery by a Nobel Prize-winning team of scientists who discovered the honeybees waggle dance through patient observation, prodigal theories, and statistical modelling. Their discovery speaks for itself in this short clip.

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a really good primer to Animal Behavior. Some of the concepts I was already familiar with, so good reinforcement of knowledge, but I learned a lot of new information as well. It is comprehensive, but very accessible while being densely packed with information. Some sections I had to read multiple times just to make sure I was remembering the concepts (mostly in the genetics and microbiology section), but not because I couldn’t understand it. There was just so much there to unpack. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to expand or start their pathway of understanding into ethnology.

[Artemis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very short introduction indeed.

I learned many interesting tidbits and enjoyed a refresher on other knowledges that I do have.

With how quick of a read it is, this is definitely a book to enjoy for those who have no to moderate levels of knowledge on this topic. Some things are oversimplified but most of it I can look over due to the "very short" part. That being said, this is a very western science styled book so the language used reflects that, and that can be jarring for those who want more of a compassionate take on animal behavior, as opposed to the cold "objectivity" found in western science.

[Stefano · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had seen this book recommended by a wildlife photographer as a good primer on understanding animals (which is crucial when you want to put them in your shots) and I see why.

It's a very generalist introduction to animal behaviour, approachable by the non-technical reader. Easy to understand and with many examples applied to different species, it only lacks a bit more depth (although that makes sense for a short intro).

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Literally started a behavioral ecology course when I read that part in the book. Interesting

[Vincent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Baby birds born in captivity are taught migration patterns BY SMALL PLANES SO THEY CAN SURVIVE IN THE WILD.