"Social Behaviour In Animals With Special Reference To Vertebrates" 1965 TINBERGEN, N.
$50
TINBERGEN, N.
[150] pp.
The Scientific Book Club
1965
Second Edition
7 1/2" x 5"
Social Behaviour in Animals: With Special Reference to Vertebrates is a classic 1953 book by Nobel laureate Nikolaas Tinbergen that presents a biological approach to animal social behavior. It examines topics like mating, fighting, and family life, drawing on the author's own studies of insects, fish, and birds, and is considered a foundational text in ethology. The book emphasizes the importance of observing animal behavior in nature and analyzing its function, causation, and evolution.
Key aspects of the book
Biological approach: The book advocates for a biological perspective on social behavior, focusing on careful observation and analysis.
Core concepts: It explores a wide range of social behaviors, including mating, fighting, family and group life, and social organization.
Methodology: Tinbergen emphasizes a balanced study of three key biological problems: the function (survival value), causation, and evolution of behavior.
Scope: The book uses a broad definition of "community" to include all types of animal associations, from pairs and families to flocks and herds.
Influence: It is considered a classic and influential work that helped establish the field of ethology.
Author: Nikolaas Tinbergen was a Dutch-British ornithologist and ethologist who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1973 for his work on animal behavior.