I'm leading another safari in Kenya and Botswana this August. Wanna come? It probably will be my last. The first time I went to Africa to lead an animal-behavior-focused safari, I cautioned the participants the day we arrived that we weren't going to see what we usually see on a nature special on television. "What you see on a nature special is the result of hours and hours and hours of long, boring observations, while waiting to capture the excitement and beauty and drama that eventually will be edited down to a series of amazing sequences. We'd be wise to have our expectations be realistic: we'll see some wonderful animals and some interesting behavior, but it will be far cry from what you see on TV." Boy was I wrong. I mean, totally wrong. I mean, totally, completely and utterly Read More
Nim Chimpsky; Spring is Coming!
I finished a book titled Nim Chimpsky: The Chimp Who Would Be Human by Elizabeth Hess. It's an interesting book, although I admit to mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, it is a fascinating account of a research project designed to determine if a language is a uniquely human trait, or is something that can be used and understood by a non-human primate. It was initiated by a Columbia University psychologist named Herbert Terrace. Terrace was interested in challenging Noam Chomsky's contention that language is exclusively human (thus the name of the chimp as Nim Chimpsky, I always did love the pun). Mind you, he was not talking about labeling objects or using sounds to communicate; specifically he argued that syntax, or the use of the order of words to create meaning, is uniquely Read More
Personality versus Temperament; Poor Spot
Here's some more information from IFAAB, based on a talk presented by Dr. Samuel Gosling at UT-Austin. He is studying personality in animals, and has looked at it in species as varied as hyenas and dumpling squid. (And yes, dumpling squid are just as cute as they sound). He spoke briefly about the history of scientific attitudes toward personality in animals--at one point it was almost a dirty word, but in the last twenty years the term (and the concept) has become generally accepted. (Although he mentioned one researcher who still uses the term "behavioral syndrome" to avoid sounding anthropomorphic.) I must admit, as a someone trained in science myself, I still find it remarkable that the concept of personality in animals was ever controversial. It is astounding how essential it is to Read More
Darwin, Emotions and early Adventurers
I mentioned earlier that I gave a talk at the University of Wisconsin last Saturday during their celebration of Darwin Day (it was his 200th birthday on 2/12, the same day as Lincoln's 200th birthday). My talk centered on one of his less well-known books, The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals. This book came out only a few months after the publication of The Descent of Man, and was designed to provide further support to his contention that humans evolved from common ancestors as other animals. He knew how profoundly controversial this would be (he delayed writing his first book, The Origin of Species, for twenty years, because he was so concerned about its reception.) As we know, his concerns were well founded. The contention that humans are related to other animals was a Read More
Horse and Dog Training–Similarities
I just finished reading a lovely novel, The Hearts of Horses, by Molly Gloss. It's about a young woman who strikes out to make her living "gentling" horses in 1917, when many of the men were off to war. She's more comfortable around animals than she is around people (a current topic of postings on my Feb. 4th '09 blog) and uses methods atypical of the time. Rather than "breaking" horses, Molly uses what people often now call "horse whisperer" techniques to teach horses to work with, rather than against, the people who ride them. In spite of my lack of fondness for the title "horse whisperer," I will never forget watching horse trainer Pat Parelli work an "uncatchable" horse in an arena in Madison, Wisconsin. The horse was so difficult to catch that the club who brought Parelli to Madison Read More
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