Cooperation in Animals: From Ants to Rats to Clusterflocks
A new book is a delightful and informative read about "all things animals."
Given my keen interest in the social behavior of nonhuman animals (animals),
especially the importance of cooperation and empathy in how they build
societies rather than competitive and divisive interactions, I was
immediately attracted to a new book by University of Sydney professor Ashley
Ward called The Social Lives of Animals. When I read it, I wasn't let down
and learned quite a bit about animals with whom I wasn't all that familiar.
Here's what Ashley had to say about his fascinating and easy-to-read tour
through the animal kingdom.
Marc Bekoff: Why did you write The Social Lives of Animals?
AW: The book marries my passion for writing with my
fascination for animals. The process of writing The Social Lives of Animals
was an absolute joy, but my broader aim was to try and communicate my
enthusiasm for the science of animal behaviour to a wide audience. Part of
the process of my research at the University of Sydney is to produce
academic papers that detail new scientific advances in the field. However,
these papers are tailored to a relatively small audience of other
researchers in my discipline. Consequently, so many fascinating discoveries
fail to reach the public’s notice because we scientists often don’t do a
good enough job of publicising our findings, despite their inherently
fascinating nature. I wanted to address this in my book, to engage with a
wide range of readers, to share the wonderful things that are going on in
the study of animal behaviour, and, hopefully, to make them as excited as I
am about the subject.
Read the ENTIRE INTERVIEW HERE (PDF).
Ashley Ward is a professor and director of the Animal Behavior Lab at the University of Sydney, where he researches social behavior, learning, and communication across the animal kingdom. His work has been published in top journals including PNAS, Biological Reviews, and Current Biology. He lives in Sydney.
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