Hi! My name is Kelley and I'm going into college, but not sure what I would like to study. I have a love for animals, but wasn't sure what to do. I have looked into zoology and I think ethology is something I would really enjoy. In high school I was great at science, but it wasn't my favorite subject. With ethology, I feel like it would cover a science I could enjoy. I am just curious to hear what anyone knows about ethology. Anything from what I need to study, what I would be doing as an ethologist, or any facts you know. Thank you so much!
Jane Goodall was recently voted as one of the top ten most influential women scientists of all time. She established her reputation studying chimapanzees in the wild and thereby transforming our understanding of them, exploring new ways to investigate animal behaviour and giving us deeper insights into our own nature. She is a shining example of what can be achieved in the field. http://www.janegoodall.org/chimp_central/default.asp Good luck whatever path you take.
Here's a link to the work of Shirley Carol Strum, who's done a lot of work on the society of baboons; http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/information/biography/pqrst/stru_shirley.html. Also, here's a website about marmoset research; http://www.primate.wisc.edu/wprc/pdfs/Marmoset.pdf
When dealing with animal behavior, you will need to walk a fine line between incorrectly ascribing human characteristics to purely animal behavior (anthropomorphizing), and failing to attribute human-like behavior to human-like motivations out of *fear* of anthropomorphizing. Animals are fascinating, and animal behavior particularly so; the more you learn about it, the more you see how similar we all really are to each other. Common scientific consensus is only now documenting the range of intellect and emotion housed within the bodies and minds of non-human animals, and while ensuring that you don't project your own emotional expectations on the animals you study can be difficult, it is a requirement for studies to be taken seriously. I suggest basing your studies in a solid foundation of human philosophy...it may help you conceptualize both how humans think, and why we hold to the notion that we're somehow fundamentally special.
