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A Reading List in Animal Behavior, Part One

Jim Ha, PhD, CAAB

Graduation cap and booksI am frequently asked about readings in animal behavior.  One of the nice things about practicing in a region like Seattle is that our audience is so well educated.  So not infrequently I have clients who want to learn more, want to read more about animal behavior.  Most often, they want to read more about what we call Applied Animal Behavior.  Applied animal behavior is the relatively new field which deals with the behavior (and misbehavior) of our companion animals based on a scientific approach that extends from the modern academic field of animal behavior, or ethology.  Ethology was historically based in Europe, and is a field of biology and psychology, that is, it is a sub-discipline of evolutionary biology.  The basic precepts of ethology are that behavior has a genetic, and thus evolutionary, basis, overlaid with environmental influences (learning and experience), that we can best learn about the behavior of animals by learning about the behavior of close and distant relatives in natural environments which allow the expression of species- (or in the case of dogs, breed)-typical behaviors.  It is an approach that traces its roots, like all the rest of modern biology, back to Darwin in the mid-1800’s, and one that has been revolutionized, again like many topics in biology, by the DNA/genetics revolution.  The mapping of the entire dog genome at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in recent years has begun to confirm the long-standing assumptions of ethology.So here I present a highly personal reading list in ethology.  In this entry, I suggest some reading in basic ethology, and in a later entry, I will focus in readings in applied animal behavior.  These are sort of readings, both basic and applied, required of students of this field, beginning at the undergraduate level and right on through graduate or board-certification work in ethology.  These are the books that my students, graduate and undergraduate, read.  And these would provide the foundation for an excellent library in animal behavior.

General Readings in Animal Behavior and Ethology: Textbooks
I have not listed years because there are many editions: the more recent, the better, but any will do.  These are the basic textbooks in animal behavior, with Alcock and Drickamer being the most advanced “serious” texts.  Klopfer’s book is a little different, taking a historical and personality approach to the basics of behavior.

Alcock, J.  Animal Behavior: An Evolutionary Approach
Drickamer, L. et al.  Animal Behavior: Mechanisms, Ecology and Evolution
Goodenough, et al.  Perspectives on Animal Behavior
Maier, R.   Comparative Animal Behavior: An Evolutionary and Ecological Approach
Klopfer, P.:  An Introduction to Animal Behavior: Ethology’s First Century (a very readable introduction to the history of modern animal behavior)

Evolution
To understand modern animal behavior, you need to understand evolution, and these books will give you a great start to a huge scientific discipline.

Brackman, A.: A Delicate Arrangement
(a description of the relationship, or lack thereof, between  Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallace)
Darwin, C.: The Origin of  Species
(the classic that started it all, not an easy read and not the best introduction to evolution as we now understand it: read it for the historical perspective)
Dawkins, R.: The Selfish Gene
(a wonderful and thought-provoking book about the implications of modern Darwinism)
Dennett, D.: Darwin’s Dangerous Idea
(a very recent book by a philosopher of science about the deeper implications of Darwin’s view of evolution)
Gould, S.J.: (numerous collections of essays — sometimes controversial, always entertaining: take some of it with a grain of salt)
Stone, I.: The Origin
(an historical novel about Darwin’s life: a great introduction to his life and times)

Personal Accounts
I put these here to provide a very accessible introduction to how ethologists think and work.  Many of these have been best-sellers in the population literature, but all provide a glimpse into the world of the modern animal behaviorist.

Fossey, D.: Gorillas in the Mist
(one of “Leakey’s Women,” along with Goodall and Galdikas, this and the next two books illustrate the payoffs to patient, time-consuming field work and the risks of attempting to do science without training)
Galdika, B.: Reflections of Eden
(Leakey student’s study of orangs in Indonesia)
Goodall, J.: In the Shadow of Man
(Leakey student’s study of chimpanzees)
Heinrich, B.: Ravens in Winter
(fascinating and eccentric study of a difficult-to-study species)
Lorenz, K.: King Solomon’s Ring
(very readable insight into the early days of ethology, one of my most recommended readings in behavior)
Mowat, F.: Woman in the Mist
(a different, and more objective, view of Fossey’s work and life with gorillas)
Schaller, G.: Year of the Gorilla
(story of the early work with wild gorillas which laid the groundwork for Fossey)
Tinbergen, N.: Curious Naturalist
(the life and studies of one of the founders of ethology)
Wilson, E.O.: The Naturalist
(autobiography of the brilliant Harvard scientist who established the direction of much of behavior research for years to come: winner of several book awards)

Advanced
These are books that delve into the details.  These are more advanced, a little “thicker” than most of the books listed above (except maybe the textbooks), but these show you the details, and the future, of research and learning in animal behavior in general.

Axelrod, R.: Evolution of Cooperation
(very readable intro to game theory and the evolution of social behavior)
Lehner, P.: Handbook of Ethological Methods
(the bible for methodology in animal behavior research)
Mech, L.D.: The Wolf
(detailed report of a long-term wolf research program)
Poundstone, W.: Prisoner’s Dilemma
(a biography of an interesting character, John Von Neumann, who invented game theory, and the application of games to human behavior)
Wilson, E.O & B. Holldobler: The Ants
(the main resource on ant behavior: readable too!)
Wilson, E.O.: Insect Societies
(everything you wanted to know about ants, bees, and wasps, and probably more)
Wilson, E.O.: Sociobiology: A New Synthesis
(the book that started an entirely new field)

So that’s my reading list for general animal behavior… later, I will present a similar sort of list but more specifically directed at applied animal behavior, from both an academic and a popular view.  Feel free to leave me a comment if you have a favorite book to recommend, or a question about a book you’ve seen or read, or a specific topic in animal behavior for which you would like a reading recommendation.  Time to read!

13 Comments

Comments

  1. Amy says

    November 18, 2008 at 11:07 am

    Wonderful Jim! I look forward to the next installment. 🙂

  2. logomats says

    November 16, 2009 at 4:25 am

    Hi there, I found your blog via Google while searching for something else but your post / blog looks very interesting for me.

  3. Yasmine Nelke says

    December 19, 2009 at 5:06 am

    No suelo comentar en blogs, pero tu blog me obligó a, el trabajo impresionante .. hermoso …

  4. BornToGraze says

    December 29, 2009 at 6:02 am

    And what equine behavior books would you recommend?

  5. James Ha says

    December 29, 2009 at 11:51 am

    Take a look at my second entry in the Readings in Animal Behavior series, quite recently… I don’t do a lot of horse stuff but the classics in the field are the books by Fraser, Hart, and especially Waring.

    Thanks for reading, and asking!
    Cheers,
    Jim

  6. quiet time says

    July 8, 2010 at 12:51 am

    Good read, I just passed this onto a friend who was doing some on-line research on that. And this individual actually ordered me lunch for the reason that I discovered it for him grin So let me rephrase that: Thanks for lunch!

  7. Rosel says

    December 1, 2010 at 1:46 pm

    Thank you for posting these lists. I’m pleased to say I’ve found a couple of these books already, but looking forward to reading more.

  8. Marilyn Wolf says

    May 15, 2011 at 8:15 am

    Very interesting list. I found at least three to add to my list of must have’s. Thanks also for the brief descriptions. Those helped much.

  9. Eileen Kerrigan says

    June 3, 2011 at 3:37 am

    Pssst! Darwin’s book is “The Origin of Species” — no second “the” 🙂

    Great list!

  10. James Ha says

    June 4, 2011 at 8:52 pm

    Eilleen,

    You are so right!! I’ll have my blogmaster fix the typo! Thanks!

    Cheers,
    Jim

  11. Eileen Kerrigan says

    June 5, 2011 at 8:10 am

    Sorry, it’s tough to take off my Editor Hat at the end of the day! 😀

  12. Christine Hibbard says

    June 5, 2011 at 8:16 am

    Editorial correction made. Thanks Eileen.

  13. Ann Hagan says

    July 5, 2014 at 5:15 am

    Many years ago, I remember reading a book titled “The new knowledge of dog behavior” by Clarence Pfaffenberger. It has become a “bible” for those wanting to raise really well adjusted dogs, especially German shepherd dogs. I believe it is still in print. You might want to add this to your list.

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