The author draws on 16 years of research at Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota, in the USA, to provide this account of prairie dog social behaviour. Through comparisons with more than 300 other animal species, he offers new insights into basic theory in behavioural ecology and sociobiology.
PrefaceCh. 1: Prairie Dogs and ColonialityCh. 2: Taxonomy and Natural HistoryCh. 3: BurrowsCh. 4: Study Sites and MethodsCh. 5: Costs and Benefits of ColonialityCh. 6: The CoterieCh. 7: Infanticide, the Major Cause of Juvenile MortalityCh. 8: The Antipredator CallCh. 9: Communal NursingCh. 10: Kin Recognition, Social Learning, and EusocialityCh. 11: Behavioral Observations of Estrus and CopulationsCh. 12: Annual and Lifetime Reproductive SuccessCh. 13: Factors That Affect Annual and Lifetime Reproductive SuccessCh. 14: Levels of InbreedingCh. 15: Do Mothers Manipulate the Sex Ratio of Their Litters?Ch. 16: Demography and Population DynamicsCh. 17: Behavioral Ecology of Prairie DogsAppendix A. Common and Scientific Names of Organisms Mentioned in This BookAppendix B. Descriptions of Infanticides by Marauding FemalesBibliographyIndex
