Author : M. Moynihan
Publisher : Smithsonian Books (DC)
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 184 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (318 download)
Book Synopsis The Social Regulation of Competition and Aggression in Animals by : M. Moynihan
Download or read book The Social Regulation of Competition and Aggression in Animals written by M. Moynihan and published by Smithsonian Books (DC). This book was released on 1998 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An acute observer of animal behavior, Martin H. Moynihan uses a wide array of comparative studies to detail the diversity, mechanics, and evolutionary origins of the means by which animals keep their aggression in check. He follows birds, primates, and cephalopods in their natural settings, analyzing not only such simple behaviors as habituation and retreat but also more intricate interactions such as redirection attacks, excluding other animals from opportunities, leaving scent marks, and engaging in dominance relationships. Moynihan demonstrates that signaling is fundamental to the evolution of strategies for regulating aggression, and he describes how divergent social signals can accomplish similar ends as well as the reverse - how homologous signals can play different roles depending on the particular circumstances of each social confrontation. He also explores the ecological factors that lie behind the geographical distribution of some signalling patterns.