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Book

Mousy cats and sheepish coyotes : the science of animal personalities

Call Number

  • 591.5 S5587 (CEN)

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Publication Information

Boston, Massachusetts : Beacon Press, [2017]

Physical Description

190 pages ; 24 cm

Summary

"In Mousy Cats and Sheepish Coyotes, veteran wildlife expert Dr. John A. Shivik brings us stories from the front lines of this exciting new discipline. Drawing on his scientific training, as well as his storytelling gifts, Shivik serves as an accessible, humorous guide to the emerging body of research on animal personalities. Shivik accompanies researchers who are discovering that each wolf, bear, and coyote has an inherent tendency either to favor its aggressive nature or to shyly avoid conflicts. Some bluebirds are lovers; others are fighters. And some spiders prefer to be loners, while others are sociable. Unique personalities can be discovered in every corner of the animal kingdom--even among microscopic organisms. The array of personality types among all species is only beginning to be described and understood. As Shivik argues, animals' unique personalities are important not only because they determine which animals we bond with. Individual animal traits are also fundamental but still inadequately understood drivers of evolution, adaptation, and species diversity. Ultimately, Mousy Cats and Sheepish Coyotes offers insight into the similarities humans share with animals and presents evidence of an unbroken biological connection from the smallest organisms to Homo sapiens."--Dust jacket.

Contents

  • My cat and dogma
  • The mystery of personality
  • Brave fighter or serene lover
  • Appetite or appetizer
  • Herd or hermit
  • Wayfarer or wallflower
  • Nature and nurture
  • The selfish herd, the generous gene
  • Pairing singularities.

Subjects