The Ethology of Domestic Animals: An Introductory Text / Edition 2

by Per Jensen

Overview

* Covers behavior, genetics, physiology and motivation, and social and reproductive behavior
* Separate chapters on the behavior of individual farm animal species and on dogs and cats, rabbits and rodents
* Authoritative contributing authors from the UK, USA, Canada and Scandinavia
* Fills a gap in the market for a concise, introductory text

Modern farm environments are profoundly different from the natural habitats of the ancestors of today's farm animals, and through genetic selection, the appearance and behavior of the animals themselves have also changed. However, the legacy of the ancestors is still obvious, and some apparently bizarre actions are only possible to understand in the light of the evolutionary history of the species. On the other hand, some of the behavior we can observe in animals in a modern farm or in a laboratory are not part of the normal, species-specific behavior at all. They may even indicate that the animal is under stress and that its welfare is poor. Distinguishing between these possibilities is one important goal for applied ethology. This revised and updated edition includes extended coverage of dog behavior and human-animal interactions as well as novel and intriguing research findings. The issue of animal cognition, central to understanding welfare, has also received a more thorough examination.

This book provides a basic, introductory text on the behavior of domestic animals, a subject that is now taught to a wide range of students of veterinary medicine, animal science and biology. It also provides an overview of the subject for practicing veterinarians and advisers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781845935368
Publisher:	CAB International North America
Publication date:	05/01/2009
Series:	Modular Texts Series
Edition description:	Second Edition
Pages:	264
Product dimensions:	7.40(w) x 9.60(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Per Jensen is professor of Ethology at Linköping University in Sweden since 2002. He obtained his PhD on the behaviour of pigs in 1983 at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, where he stayed as a researcher and professor until he moved to the present position. He has conducted extensive research on the natural behaviour of pigs kept in large, outdoor enclosures. Since 1997, his main research topic is behaviour genetics of domestication, using chickens as study subjects. He is the head of a research group in applied ethology, with about ten people in total. Per Jensen is also heavily involved in teaching of ethology and genetics on all levels, from introductory courses, via advanced level and masters courses to PhD-training. For ten years, he was a member (and chairman) of the Scientific Committee of Animal Welfare of the EU-commission, and he is an editor-in-chief for Applied Animal Behaviour Science. .

Table of Contents

PART A: Basic elements of animal behaviour
1. The study of animal behaviour and its applications
2. Behavioural genetics, evolution and domestication
3. Behaviour and physiology
4. Motivation and the organisation of behaviour
5. Learning and cognition
6. Social and reproductive behaviour
7. Abonormal behaviour, stress and welfare
8. Human-animal relations

PART B: Species-specific behaviour of some important domestic animals
9. Behaviour of fowl and other domesticated birds
10. Behaviour of horses
11. Behaviour of cattle
12. Behaviour of sheep and goats
13. Behaviour of pigs
14. Behaviour of dogs
15. Behaviour of cats
16. Behaviour of laboratory mice and rats

Editorial Reviews

"[This text does] succeed in educating readers on ideas, concepts, and examples of animal behavior."—American Veterinary Medical Association

From the Publisher