Principles of Animal Behavior

At times it appeared wordy and disengaged me but it does have a lot of good information and is a good introduction to the subject.

I ordered this book in January for my coursework in Spring 2010. The book was a valuable resource that my instructor referenced often. I find it unlikely that this will be the type of text that you buy and crack maybe twice during the semester. I bought it new, it arrived in perfect shape in shrink wrap. I agree with comments stating how most of the concepts and theories are backed by research. It is also very readable as far as textbooks go, the author does not try to overwhelm the reader with technical jargon and unfamiliar concepts. It is a good primer for ethologist minded people, or for those interested as part of a greater understanding of animals. I am pre-vet and even though this course was not recommended or required by graduate school, I am glad I took the class. It was very enlightening.

I had little interest in behavioral ecology and evolutionary biology before I took a class using this textbook. The text was very readable, concise and easy to understand and really helped me get into the subject matter. I had a great time with this textbook, sometimes I would read ahead because I thought the material was so interesting. Diagrams and charts make the more complicated topics simpler. I have since taken other classes in sociobiology and evolutionary biology, and this text remains the best reference I've come across yet.

I'm taking an advanced psychology class on Evolution and Behavior and had to buy this book in addition to reading many articles and postings on various topics. This textbook is actually very informative yet easy to understand (relatively speaking). Dugatkin includes a wide variety of different animals to illustrate the bases of behavior and provides solid background about different species.

As with any text book, there are some concepts that are not explained in a completely clear manner, but the use of examples from real world studies is well done to help clarify and solidify those concepts. The book follows a logical progression allowing for a front to back read without having to jump around from chapter to chapter. Anyone that is interested in beginning to understand Ethology would be well served to give this text a try.