Behaviour of Wolves, Dogs, and Related Canids

by Michael W. Fox

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0898746868
• ISBN13: 9780898746860
• Release Date: January 1984
• Publisher: Krieger Publishing Company
• Length: 220 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.

Customer Reviews

For Wolf Lovers

I don't (yet) have this book, but I did have acess to it in my vet college's library. It's a nice book for wolf lovers to read, with details in the etology of wolves, and comparisons between the behaviour of wolves and other canids (mainly dogs and foxes, but comments on the behaviour of other different canids, like the maned wolf and vinegar dog are also available). The language is simple to understand (ok, I'm a vet, but my main language isn't English, I'm a Portuguese speaker. And I hadn't any trouble reading this book). But if you're looking for gorgeous photos and such, don't buy this book. It's a text book only.

Scientific (but very readable!) overview of canid behaviour.

This isn't a primer. It's a proper scientific text on canid behaviour. If you're at all serious about the subject, I recommend it: it's lucid, detailed and rather fun. I give details of its contents below. If your interest is less formal, don't be put off by the term 'scientific'. Michael Fox writes well and sometimes rather beautifully. He leavens the solid facts with anecdotes of his experiences with canids - the story of a captive's wolf attack on him is particularly gripping. (He doesn't blame the wolf.) Yes, there is a certain amount of highly technical information, but the author has put most of it into one chapter. In the rest of the book, he manages the difficult trick of making it accessible and useful to both experts and laymen. My copy is the 1984 edition. It's got a nice feel to it and I like the typeface. The photograph reproduction leaves something to be desired: a few of the pictures are too dark to serve their purpose. Table of contents: 1. Evolution and classification of Canids 2. Comparative aspects of behaviour in Canids 3. The behaviour and functions of submission 4. A pack of wolves 5. Social organisation, sexual and filial bonds 6. Ecology: social economics and predation 7. Development of social relationships: wolf socialization 8. Wolves as parents 9. Interspecies relationships in Canids 10. The comparative ethology of the domesticated dog References, a supplementary bibliography and a comprehensive index are supplied.