Animal Play

By Marc Bekoff

Book Overview

Why do animals play? Play has been described in animals as diverse as reptiles, birds and mammals, so what benefits does it provide and how did it evolve? Careful, quantitative studies of social, locomotor and object play behavior are now beginning to answer these questions and shed light on many other aspects of both animal and human behavior. This unique interdisciplinary volume brings together the major findings about play in a wide range of species including humans. Topics about play include the evolutionary history of play, play structure, function and development, and sex and individual differences. Animal Play is destined to become the benchmark volume in this subject for many years to come, and will provide a source of inspiration and understanding for students and researchers in behavioral biology, neurobiology, psychology and anthropology.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0521583837
• ISBN13: 9780521583831
• Release Date: June 1998
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 292 Pages
• Weight: 1.28 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.2" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

great review on play

Very good approach to play behaviour. Lots of information on ontogeny, proximate mechanisms and function of different types of play behaviour over a wide range of animals, including humans. Would suit psychologists, anthropologists, zoologists, neurologists and behaviourists in general, undergraduates or academics. Fluid enough as review but plenty of information on more detailed subjects.