Animal Behavior

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Animal Behavior, the way different kinds of animals behave, which has fascinated inquiring minds since at least the time of Plato and Aristotle. Particularly intriguing has been the ability of simple creatures to perform complicated tasks—weave a web, build a nest, sing a song, find a home, or capture food—at just the right time with little or no instruction. Such behavior can be viewed from two quite different perspectives: Either animals learn everything they do (from “nurture”), or they know what to do instinctively (from “nature”). Neither extreme has proven to be correct.

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