Portraits in the Wild: Animal Behavior in East Africa

by Cynthia Moss

This 371 page book examines"fascinating new information on the way of life of Africa's wild animals, based on scientific observations. Many of the old myths and legends are dispelled as these animals are revealed in their natural habitats, seen through the eyes of trained zoologists, not over the sights of a gun or through the bars of a cage. Cynthia Moss vividly describes the elephant's family life, the true nature of the hyena, the role of males and females in the lion pride and the complex 'friendships' among baboons. Each chapter is devoted to one species or group of related species and describes the studies which have been carried out on that animal, the scientists who did the work, some of the methods they used and their results. Many of these researchers spent years in the bush, devoting their time and energies to discovering the way of life of 'their animals', hoping that their results would help in the conservation of that species. Cynthia Moss's syntheses of these studies give an up-to-date picture of each species' social organisation, behaviour and general ecology." Includes dozens of black and white photos of many species in their natural habitats.

Genres: Africa, Wildlife, Nonfiction, Animals

Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Cynthia Moss is an American conservationist, wildlife researcher and writer, who specializes in African elephant family structure, life cycle, and behavior. She is director of the Amboseli Elephant Research Project in Kenya, where she has studied the same population of elephants for over 40 years, and is Program Director and Trustee for the Amboseli Trust for Elephants (ATE).

Reviews

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really well organized. This book covers the research methods used and everything you'd want to know about the life of the species from birth until mortality. It was incredibly well researched and still holds up pretty well despite being a little dated. I'm already looking for more of Cynthia's books to read.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was published 35 years ago, but contains some of the first Africian animal behavior studies. There are chapters on the elephant, the giraffe, the black rhinoceros, zebras, antelopes (I skimmed this chapter), baboons, the big cats (lion, cheetah and leopard) and the hyena. Easy to read(not too technical or scientific) and informative.