Creatures of Habit : Understanding African Animal Behaviour

by Abbs, Peter; Toit, Richard Du

• ISBN13: 9781868724338
• ISBN10: 1868724336
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-01-01
• Publisher: Struik Pub

Summary

The behaviour of mammals is as varied as the niches that they occupy. It is the interface between them and their environment, and between them and other animals -- from the violent struggle of a lion pride pulling down a buffalo, to the delicate precision of a mouse collecting seeds; from the stern glance with which a dominant male baboon displaces a subordinate from a shady resting spot, to the horn clashing battle of kudu bulls fighting for social rank and the access to females that it confers. Some behaviours are universal; others appear only in animals of certain species, only in one of the sexes, or only in animals of a certain age. Yet others are triggered by rare and special circumstances. The mysteries of mammal behaviour are manifold: Why do lions hunt in prides while other cats hunt alone? Why do suricate sentinels risk their lives to watch over their foraging relatives? This book offers answers to these questions and many more. Illustrated in text and photographs that reflect the author's and photographers many years of opportunity and experience.

Author Biography

Peter Apps, wildlife author and awardwinning scientist, obtained a bachelor's degree from the University of Oxford and an M.Sc. and Ph.D. from the University of Pretoria. His scientific interests range from animal behaviour to chemistry Richard Du Toit holds a B.Sc. Honours degree in Zoology and Entomology, but his keen interest in wildlife photography developed into a professional career. He now works as a freelance wildlife and nature photographer and travels widely in southem Africa. Richard has won numerous awards for his wildlife photographs, and his images have been published in calendars, books and magazines in South Africa and abroad

Table of Contents

Introduction: mammals and behaviour	p. 6
Birth and Infancy: beginnings and becomings	p. 28
Food and Water: the bare necessities	p. 44
Strategies for Survival: challenges and adaptations	p. 70
Social Life: bonds and boundaries	p. 94
Communication: signalling and sensing	p. 124
Reproduction: closing the circle	p. 146
Index	p. 158
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