Becoming a tiger : how baby animals learn to live in the wild / Susan McCarthy.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

McCarthy, Susan.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Learning in animals.

Animal behavior.

Animals--Infancy.

Animals.

Physical Description:

xi, 418 pages ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : HarperCollins, [2004]

Summary:

Contrary to common belief, not everything is "hardwired"--or instinctual--in the animal kingdom. Many skills a wild animal needs to thrive, to grow, to be what nature intended, must be developed through play, painstaking teaching, and often treacherous trial and error. The coming-of-age processes of the myriad creatures of plain, forest, ocean, and jungle are truly fascinating natural events. In this book, McCarthy offers readers an in-depth look into the ways baby animals learn not only about themselves, but about their world and ours--and how to survive in both. Based on extensive scientific research done in the lab, in controlled "natural" settings, as well as in the wild, her findings provide new insights into the lives and development of Earth's nonhuman inhabitants--not only tigers, but lions, bears, bats, rats, birds, dolphins, whales, apes, elephants, and dozens of other species.--From publisher description.

Contents:

How to do or know something new : ways of learning

Learn the basics : how to crawl, walk, climb, swim and fly

Learning your species

How to get your point across : being vocal, being verbal, and otherwise communication

How to make a living

How not to be eaten

Invention, innovation, and tools : how to do something new, possibly with a stick

How to get cultured

Parenting and teaching : pass it on

What learning tells us about intelligence.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [375]-398) and index.

ISBN:

0066209242

OCLC:

53901364