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The Social Lives of Animals
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About This Book
A rat will go out of its way to help a stranger in need. Lions have adopted the calves of their prey. Ants farm fungus in cooperatives. Why do we continue to believe that life in the animal kingdom is ruled by competition? In The Social Lives of Animals, biologist Ashley Ward takes us on a wild tour across the globe as he searches for a more accurate picture of how animals build societies. Ward drops in on a termite mating ritual (while his guides snack on the subjects), visits freelance baboon goatherds, and swims with a mixed family of whales and dolphins. Along the way, Ward shows that the social impulses we've long thought separated humans from other animals might actually be our strongest connection to them. Insightful, engaging, and often hilarious, The Social Lives of Animals demonstrates that you can learn more about animals by studying how they work together than by how they compete.
Reviews
"The juxtaposition of animal and human behavior will linger long after readers have turned the last page."
"This book does get a little lost in the wonders of animal behaviour."
"This is catnip for animal enthusiasts."
"Engaging and entertaining; of interest to anyone who wants to better understand the behavior of social animals, including humans."
"Ward describes this book as his attempt 'to distil the wonder that I still feel in the company of animals', and it certainly does that ..."
"Here, too, strength lies in numbers—the number of facts, that is, likely to give pause even to the most die-hard believer in human superiority."
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