Animal Behavior, Ninth edition. John Alcock.

Abstract

As an undergraduate, years ago, I was assigned the third edition of John Alcock's “Animal Behavior,” and found it to be an interesting read, with examples I wanted to remember. I still have the book on my shelf. Recently, released in its ninth edition, Alcock's “Animal Behavior” continues to be one of the most popular textbooks used in animal behavior courses, and for good reason. The writing is easy to read and understand, it is packed with detailed examples, figures, and illustrations (all complete with full bibliographic information), and it presents a well-balanced view of proximate and ultimate causes of behavior, both of vertebrates and invertebrates. In addition, for the professor of the course, the ancillaries are useful and diverse—and new with the latest edition there is a DVD of video clips of behaviors, correlated with each chapter. There are discussion questions throughout the text, which I find to be a more meaningful approach than placing them all at the end of each chapter.