Survival Strategies

by Raghavendra Gadagkar

"Did you know that Tasmanian hens have two husbands? That cellular slime molds commit suicide? That vampire bats will share food with hungry fellow bats and that hanuman langurs commit infanticide? Why creatures great and small behave in such fascinating and seemingly perplexing ways is explained in this delightful account of the evolutionary foundations of animal social behavior." "Only in recent years have biologists and ethologists begun to apply careful evolutionary thinking to the study of animal societies - and with spectacular results. This book presents the choicest of these findings, with a remarkable wealth of insights into the myriad strategies that animals have developed to perpetuate their kind. Raghavendra Gadagkar explores the strategies of cooperation and conflict adopted by animals - from the lordly lion to the primitive wasp worker - as they choose mates, raise their young, communicate with others, and establish the division of labor necessary to feed and protect the