The Social Behavior of Older AnimalsJohns Hopkins University Press+ORM, 2 févr. 2009 - 272 pages A groundbreaking study on the lives of senior mammals and birds—from the aging of alphas to the role of grandmothers—by the author of Animal Friendships. How do young and old social animals view each other? Are aged animals perceived by others as weaker? Or wiser? What is the relationship between age and power among social animals? Taking a cue from Frans de Waal’s seminal work examining the lives of chimpanzees, Anne Innis Dagg in this pioneering study probes the lives of older mammals and birds. Synthesizing the available scientific research and anecdotal evidence, she explores how aging affects the lives and behavior of animals ranging from elk to elephants and gulls to gorillas, examining such topics as longevity; how others in a group view senior members in regard to leadership, wisdom, and teaching; mating success; interactions with mates and offspring; how aging affects dominance; changes in aggressive behavior and adaptability; and death and dying. At once instructive and compelling, this theme-spanning book reveals the complex nature of maturity in scores of social species and shows that animal behavior often displays the same diversity we find in ourselves. “Dagg’s book should be a corrective to us all; species that lose or ignore the contributions of their older members do so at their peril.” —Literary Review of Canada “Humans and chimps, it turns out, value age in sexual partners very differently. In our species youth is prized, but among chimps the reverse is the case.” —The New York Review of Books |
Table des matières
The Wisdom of Elders | |
Leaders | |
Teaching and Learning | |
Reproduction | |
Aging of Captive Alphas | |
Happy Families | |
MotheringGood and Not So Good | |
Grandmothers | |
Sexy Seniors | |
Their Own Person | |
Adapting and Not Adapting | |
All Passion Spent | |
Autres éditions - Tout afficher
Expressions et termes fréquents
adult females adult males aggressive alpha male Amboseli National Park attacked baboons became become Beethoven birds bonobos breeding calves captive chapter chimpanzees cubs daughters Dian Fossey died dogs dominant Ecology Effie elderly elders elephants estrus evolutionary feeding fight foraging Gorilla gorilla grandmother grandmother hypothesis grooming hamadryas baboons herd Hrdy human hyena infant interactions Japanese monkeys killed leader lifespan lions live longer Luit macaques mammals mate matriarch moose mother mountain Nakamichi National Park nearby nest Norris Number 42 observed offspring old age older animals older females older males oldest oldsters orcas predators primates Primatology prime males pseudorcas Rafiki rank red deer right whales Sapolsky senescence sexual sometimes species sperm whales spinner dolphins subordinate survive teeth terminal investment troop University Press usually vervet vervet monkeys Waal wild wolf wolves Yeroen York young female young males younger youngsters