I will sketch what I am interested in: chaos theory, dynamical systems, complex systems, networks, complexity, emergence,multidisciplinary approaches, ecology, ethology, cybernetics. a book i found that seems nice is " the systems view of life" by feitjof capra and pier luigi luisi. other two books less related to the keywords above which I found are "dancing to the tune if life" and "understanding living systems", both by Denis noble(and Raymond noble for the second one). could you please give me your recommendations and let me know if the books I listed are good? thanks

Hi! Looking for advice on actually finding jobs to apply to

I just graduated college with an animal science degree and live in the Boston area. I did find a part time job in an avian cognition lab but its mostly cleaning and feeding the birds, and its only 1-3 days a week at $15 an hour- so its not enough to live off of, and doesnt give me all of the experience i really want (I love the lab, i just wish i was helping a bit more directly with research itself and/or actually experiencing some work out of lab as well).

Whenever I search on google/indeed/etc anything with the word "animal", I get vet, pet sitting, or petco-type jobs. When I add behavior to that, it doesnt change. Ive looked at specific colleges but its entirely just research techs that care for the lab mice for the xyz non-zoology/asci research that they do, and nothing with actual animal research. The aquarium, zoo, and Mass Audubon werent much help either. The Animal Behavior Society only has 3 listings and none are near Boston.

I know Ill be hard put to find an animal behavior specific job other than the part time one I have right off the bat, but I was hoping to get more experience doing animal research with someone- or in an animal conservation job. Even something that is animal care but for non-pet or lab animals (like the zoo or aquarium) where itll be a new and different experience

Any suggestions on where to look or people/organizations to reach out to that may be helpful?

However I've also had a lot of life events going on and haven't been able to do much on Reddit much less advertise the sub. The biggest thing we need are members, and good content.

If anyone is interested in taking this sub over let me know, I'll need some information as to your expertise, I could still be a moderator to help if possible but I really would prefer someone who's more knowledgeable to run this place.

Question for specialists in the field.

Basically, the title. Do we have an insurmountable instinct for continuing our lineage, legacy?

Also I'm aware that instinct isn't a scientific term. What's the correct term to describe this behaviour in human and non-human animals?

Please share academic papers, as well as book titles along with your answers, so I can research it further myself. Thanks in advance!

I am used to hearing a very common statement now and then:-

"humans are the only species that can imagine and believe collectively in a God"

so to anyone expertized in animal behaviour and psychology, I have certain questions:-

do they show any kind of religious attitude? of course, expecting a full-blown religious attitude would be a fairy tale, but like any behaviour that suggests that they hold anything, say a tree or stone, within their community as unnaturally important which appears 'sacred' or something?

do they have any behaviour like giving more importance to the dead which goes beyond just the immediate sense of loss??

or maybe a special attachment to natural phenomena which goes beyond just the immediate instincts of survival?

I'm sorry if the questions seem stupid, but what I ultimately wanna ask is if any animal species has any evolutionary remnant of the trait that helped us humans create shared imaginations and ultimately gave birth to law, order, ideology, philosophy and most importantly religion and God?

I am used to hearing a widespread statement now and then:-

"humans are the only species capable of committing suicide"

but recently I came across some news of animals committing suicide due to lack of a partner or something else

so to anyone expertized in animal behaviour and psychology, I have certain questions:-

• do animals feel anxiety or depression? not just tension or sadness or something like that. things like clinical depression or anxiety attacks etc??
• can they commit suicide? (not by biological programming but due to reasons like depression or else?)

Hi, I'm currently studying Psychology and am interested in animal behaviour, especially marine animals like Orcas. Even if I am just getting started, I really want to learn more about animal behaviour since I find it so cool. I was wondering if someone could do a master's or something related to ethology after a BSc in psychology and what more comes under ethology?

https://academic.oup.com/beheco/article-abstract/35/4/arae045/7688221?redirectedFrom=fulltext&login=false

Greetings fellow Reddit connoisseurs.

It has always been my dream to work with animals in the future. I have some feeler questions I’m hoping you lovely people can give some insight on. Please note I value everyone’s input and am happy to elaborate further on anything if it helps you answer my questions.

. What alternative avenues are viable without a degree?

. What wildlife rehabilitation programs are worthwhile in your opinion?

.My true dream is to be an Ethologist does anyone know good education programs to get me towards that goal?

. I’m aware the pay is never very fruitful in itself so what networking opportunities have you found to be a supplemental income ?(ex. Forest Galante works with TV networks and has a YouTube channel)

. I’m trying to avoid Zoo’s and stay more focused on conservation centers is there any you’ve found that truly work for the animals and aren’t cash grabs?

.Is there any Wildlife Conservationists that you recommend looking into? I’m always interested in learning more from various sources and perspectives.

. As for permits and licensing what do you recommend I work towards acquiring ?

Hi everyone! I'm currently researching avian behavior. I seek to improve my behavioral recording setup and implement CV/behavioral tracking software to quantify & analyze song and display.

I'm relatively new to the field and would appreciate any recommendations for camera/mic hardware & behavioral analysis/tracking software. I will be recording 1) solo male song and display and 2) naturalistic social interactions in the field.

I want to identify hardware which camera frame rates and microphone sampling rates I should use that are ideal for audio-video synchronization (& reduced lag) during recording. If this depends on the software/behavior/animal model, what has worked for you guys? Is there a "best-fit" model setup that allows for ease of recording --> analysis ?

I’m looking to become a ethologist in the us. I have no clue what degree to get some sites say ethology is its own degree but when I go to UC-Davis or Indiana Bloomington website I t just shows animal behavior as the degree. I don’t really know how college works can anyone help.

Hi everyone. I have a question that's always been on my mind. Humans have been breeding dogs for millennia and have created various breeds with the most disparate appearance and with various and specific tasks. While cat breeds have only a few more restricted aesthetic or character differences and in any case their task is only the pet company or hunting of small harmful animals. Why is there this difference?

Genuinely curious for those in the profession, how were you able to do it? Ethology has been something I’ve been wanting to pursue for a very long time as a dream. Was honestly very thrilled to see everyone’s recommendations, studies, and ideas when I found this community. But my question is how were you able to get into ethology as a career? Do you teach? Research? What were the steps you have made to get where you are now? And is the salary worth it all? Everyone where I’m from truly has not a clue what ethology even is, regardless of any ideas to work in a similar field, aside from a veterinarian (which personally isn’t what I want to do). I want all the details. I really want to know if this is truly something obtainable, or if this is just a dream I should move past on, and only make it an interest. (For context, I’m 22 with a partial associates in biology with a focus in zoology. Couldn’t finish at the time due to the pandemic. But always considered returning to finish. It’s just seeing if this is an option for my future!) Thank you all for your feedback:)

I’m currently researching the dichotomy of agonic and hedonic behavior as fornulated by Michael Chance in ‚Social Groups of Monkeys, Apes and Man‘ (1970). I noticed that this conceps do not seem to be very wide spread in ethology or other disciplines except some publications around the year 2000. Are these conceps outdated or debunked? Has ethology moved on to different concepts? Any info on that would be great.

Hi! I tried to ask my question on r/askscience but no one answered me and later my post was removed.

I'll try it here. I live in Eastern Europe and I can see a difference between biologists and ethologists here and in other countries. Their thoughts on instincts are different. Many biologists in my region say that humans don't have instincts, but still, many people who have never done research justify their actions (mostly terrible ones), their habits, etc., as instincts.

I see it as complete ignorance. That's why I decided to research this topic. The problem is that I can't find the same opinion on the topic of instincts among biologists and ethologists in English. Without exception, they all assert that humans have instincts, but their examples often mix the concepts of instincts, needs, and even reflexes.

My question is: How do you study biology? Why do we have such divergent understandings of instincts? Are there any biologists who argue that humans lack instincts? I only know of such biologists from Russia or post-Soviet countries.

When I started my research, I came across videos and articles by ethologists that explain the definition of instincts and their mechanisms. However, I have never heard or seen anything like this in English.

I have translated and explained my perspective, as well as that of many biologists in my region:

One of the definitions of the scientific concept of "instinct" is "a combination of innate needs and the innate programs to satisfy them, consisting of a triggering signal and a program of action."

► Instinct = Innate Needs [IN] + Key Stimulus [KS] + Fixed Action Pattern [FAP]Innate needs [IN] refer to the internal requirements of an organism that are present from birth. These needs may include the need for food, water, safety, reproduction, and other physiological or behavioral needs.Key stimulus [KS] is an external or internal signal that triggers an instinctive response. The key stimulus can be a specific object, sound, smell, or situation that initiates the fixed action pattern.Fixed action pattern [FAP] represents a sequence of stereotypical and inherited actions that are activated in response to the key stimulus. This pattern of behavior does not require learning and is performed almost automatically.According to this formula, instinct is defined as the combination of innate needs, a key stimulus, and a fixed action pattern. It highlights the innate and automatic nature of instinctive behavior in response to specific stimuli.

In humans, such a complex of behavior does not exist. We either learn, exhibit unconditional reflexes (inborn reactions to stimuli), or, more commonly mistaken for instincts, experience needs or desires.

A clear example of the instinct of self-preservation is bear hibernation. Let's break it down:

► The combination of innate needs in our example is hibernation and building a den. This ensures the bear's survival as there is insufficient food available during winter. All brown bears, under certain conditions, enter hibernation.► The innate programs to satisfy these needs are evident in the construction of a den and the accumulation of food reserves throughout the summer.► The triggering signal for bears is the environmental conditions: the availability of food, temperature, snowfall, and so on.► The program of action is precise: all bears, regardless of subspecies or past experience, know how to build a den.In this example, bear hibernation aligns with the classic definition of instinct as a combination of innate needs, a triggering signal, and a specific program of action.

Hi all, I cant find the data of this paper: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00359-007-0251-9
Please help me out.

Would a bear, for instance, kill a lone sleeping hog that was caught unaware? Would a wolf attack a sleeping deer? I know that many animals hunt at night, and in most cases this wouldn’t matter. But do some animals, namely ‘higher mammals’ shall I say, have unspoken rules about certain things?

For example, if a bird of prey is caught out in the open, or if an owl is spotted in the forest by day, smaller birds will come together to mob it. Similarly, humans sometimes feel squeamish about killing something as it suckles, or sleeps, or drinks water. It feels like an abuse, a no-no, like there’s something particularly wrong and dangerous - perhaps even to ourselves - of permitting such behaviour.

Thus: are there certain unspoken rules of conduct that seem to be observed among and across some animals, at least to some degree, even in prey/predator relationships?

Is there a field in this science, a research group or something trying to fully understand and translate a language in some animal species? like birds or apes. would appreciate any papers or books on this subject if any.