Animal Societies

How Co-Operation Conquered the Natural World

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In our modern world of social media and relentless technological advancement, we are more connected than ever before. Though the scale of this connectivity is new, the instinctive desire to gather with our own kind has ancient roots. We can see the origins of our own societies in the social behaviour of the animals that share the planet with us. What’s more, human characteristics such as altruism, empathy, leadership and language can also be witnessed among animal groups.

Join Biologist Ashley Ward as he takes listeners into the intimate worlds of social animals. Journeying from Aysgarth Falls to the Great Barrier Reef, it becomes clear that animals are not so far removed from us as we might imagine. In a time where humans are struggling to navigate cityscapes, isolation and a loneliness epidemic, Ward shows us that studying the social behaviour of animals offers insights valuable in their own right as well as a window into the evolutionary basis of our own species.

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I absolutely adored this book! The author is clearly a very warm and funny person, with incredible passion and knowledge of their field. As a research biologist working in the field of animal behaviour myself, I was extremely impressed by the breadth and depth of knowledge and insight the author demonstrates. In a popular science book which attempts to tackle the full gamut of social behaviour across the animal kingdom, while also synthesising this information to draw insights about what we as humans can learn from animal societies, one might reasonably expect for the subject matter to be either simplified to the point of inaccuracy or burdensome in its excessive factual completeness. Remarkably, the author manages to expertly tread this line, making the book incredibly informative, but also wonderfully entertaining and thought-provoking, as well as being very funny at opportune times. I especially appreciated the emphasis placed on animals which may not typically be considered charming or cute enough to receive significant interest from the general public, but nonetheless offer fascinating case-studies of animal sociality. The insights offered on how these animals reflect humanity are insightful and thought-provoking without being overbearing or obnoxious. Fellow scientists are often the harshest critics of any endeavour in popular science, and as such I approached this book with a degree of scepticism. Having just finished the book, I am thrilled to admit that I have nothing but praise for it! I learned much more than I expected, and enjoyed it immensely from beginning to end. A must-read!!!